IN your article "Has anyone seen our Bracken" (Citizen, Aug 23), grandmother Gail Walker is quoted as saying "the dog wardens were not much help" in the search for Bracken, the missing lab/collie cross.

To put the record straight myself and my colleague Shauna Ingham, Fylde Borough community dog wardens, have spent a lot of time looking for Bracken.

When ANYONE reports a missing dog to us we will go to any lengths to try and reunite lost pets with their owners. I am sure this goes for the Blackpool dog wardens as well.

A holidaying couple recently lost their dog from a caravan site in Warton and were extremely distraught. Shauna and I spent hours, in our own time looking for this dog which subsequently turned up safe and well.

Only the other day we spent hours looking for Max, a Bedlington terrier which has been missing for six weeks, but was reportedly sighted in the Lytham St Annes area.

As community dog wardens our duties are varied, but we will ALWAYS find the time to help owners try to find lost pets.

Our job would be easier if owners micro-chipped their animals, ensured they were wearing collars and ID discs and, importantly, were kept on leads.

The Fylde Borough Community Dog Wardens can be contacted on 01253 789749, and we wholeheartedly hope that Bracken, Max and any other lost pets are found safe and well.

Alistair Donald, Community Dog Warden, Fylde Borough Council, Lytham St Annes.