AS FIRST impressions go, Golden Labrador Molly certainly made a splash with her new owners.

AS FIRST impressions go, Golden Labrador Molly certainly made a splash with her new owners.

Within seconds of arriving at her new home, the hound bolted - and many hours later was the subject of a river rescue operation.

New owner Clare Askew, said she had only picked up Molly earlier that day.

But as they arrived home, the two-year-old canine slipped off her collar and ran off into a field. Miss Askew and partner Kev Foulkes made a desperate attempt to catch her, but as the evening drew in they could not find her despite continuing the search until late in the night.

Miss Askew, 31, from Chelmsford said: “We were told she was very timid and we opened the boot to get her out of the car and before we knew it she had pulled her head out of the collar and was out of the car and off.

“There was no getting her back and we could see her in the fields and were trying to catch her. That was about 8pm and we were looking for her until about 1am with torches but a big thick fog came down.”

The following day Molly was spotted in a nearby field along the banks of the River Chelmer but, despite their best efforts, the couple could not manage to get hold of her.

RSPCA and fire crews sprang into action to rescue Molly who had swum across to an inaccessible bank of the river, forcing firefighters to wade in to the water and finally carry her to safety.

The incident happened last week and Miss Askew said Molly has now started to settle in to her new home.

She said: “She's still quite nervous. Considering what she's been through she is so well behaved. She is just timid when she meets new people, but now she's started to take over the house.”