A 23-YEAR-OLD dog returned to his former home as a trip down memory lane.

Old age pooch Charlie, a Jack Russell, was adopted by Stuart and Kim Smith in Malvern from Evesham Dogs Trust in 2010.

While he is famous in the local area for his longevity, things could have turned out very differently for Charlie, who found himself homeless at the age of 16 when his previous owner no longer wanted him.

Mr Smith said: “When we saw him we knew instantly he was the one for us.

"We were looking for another dog to add to our family and when we walked past his kennel he just had that look in his eye, we knew he was special.

"One of the staff members told us how old he was and we couldn’t believe it. We just wanted to give him a home for the time he had left, and here we are seven years on.

"He is definitely a spoilt lad and that’s probably why he’s managed to live so long.

"He loves his home comforts, snoozing in his bed, and of course tasty treats. He has even been on holiday with us to Devon and Cornwall.”

Despite being a little hard of hearing and the sight in his one eye declining, he is young at heart and his owners say there is ‘nothing wrong with his sense of smell - he can sniff out a treat a mile off.’

Charlie shares his home with two other golden oldies, also from Dogs Trust Evesham, 12-year-olds Lucy the Jack Russell and Crossbreed Zack.

Mr Smith continued: “Charlie may be 23 years old, but he loves a walk. He can’t run around like he used to and can only walk short distances but we carry him up the hills so he can still get out and about in the fresh air.

“We feel so privileged to have been able to offer Charlie a happy home in his later life and he has brought so much joy to us, we simply couldn’t imagine our lives without him.

"He is getting on a bit now but is doing brilliantly and it just goes to show that you shouldn’t cast aside the old dogs, there’s often still plenty of life and love left in them.”

Chris Slight, rehoming centre manager at Dogs Trust Evesham, said: "What a wonderfully happy ending for Charlie.

"It’s really sad when older dogs come to us and are often overlooked because of their age.

"But it’s great that there are people like Kim and Stuart around who can offer older dogs a happy home for their twilight years."