Local dog makes good

The UK's Ballymena Times reports that Royal Mail teamed up with a local farmer and his sheepdog as part of a set of new stamps being released next week.

The Working Dogs issue is devoted to highly trained working dogs and celebrates two important events taking place in 2008; The Year of the Assistance Dog, and the centenary of the police dogs in the UK.

The stamps have also been chosen by Royal Mail to represent 2008's Europa stamp theme of 'The Letter'. Collecting letters and sometimes posting in pillar-boxes are some of the tasks carried out by the Assistance Dog featured on the 1st Class stamp.

Barbara Roulston, Head of External Relations at Royal Mail is quoted as saying, "It's easy to forget that there's a 'secret army' of thousands of hardworking dogs who make a real difference to many lives."

The photos were taken by animal photographer Tim Flach.

For more dogs on stamps, click here.