Missing German Shepherd spent the night with her head wedged in a metal gate

RSPCA Animal Welfare Officer (AWO) Marie Stevens quickly arrived on scene and found an extremely distressed German Shepherd dog in a small back alley.

The dog had her head stuck firmly in the bars of a metal gate - which in turn was wedged between the narrow walls of the alley, making it impossible for the animal to move.

“The poor dog was very upset, crying and clearly distressed.

“Unsurprisingly she displayed some aggression towards me as I approached but I knew she was just afraid,” said AWO Stevens.

“I spoke to her for a while, letting her know that I was friendly and once she calmed down I was able to get near enough to help get her head out of the gate.

“Frankly, by the time I’d finished she looked rather embarrassed about the whole incident!” she added.

AWO Stevens scanned the dog for a microchipped, and found she was called Kaya and was registered to a nearby address.

The RSPCA officer took her straight home and reunited her with her extremely relieved and grateful owner - who had been up all night searching.

It turned out that Kaya had got her head stuck in the front gate to their house, and while struggling to get free had managed to pull the entire thing off its hinges.

Distressed and confused, Kaya had run off and managed to get herself stuck in the alleyway.

She had remained there overnight, unable to free herself, while her family frantically searched for her.

“It is so lovely to be able to help an animal that is frightened and alone, and then be able to see them safely back to their family - and all before breakfast!” said AWO Stevens.