Meet Toffee the adorable football-playing Latin-speaking dog who lives at Preston's St Walburge's church

It’s known for having the tallest parish church spire in the UK with 172 steps to climb to the the top.

But you may not know that the iconic St Walburge’s Catholic Church in Preston also has a resident football-mad pup who only understands French and Latin.

Toffee, the brown Labrador Retriever, is the church and house dog at St Walburge’s, being owned by the church's Rector, Canon Gwenaël Cristofoli.

Canon Cristofolis told the Post: “Toffee’s just 13 months old, she succeeded Guigui a black Labrador who died last year after 13 years of good service. My dogs are always involved in all the shrine life, they are loved and known by all parishioners.”

As well as Canon Cristofoli, Toffee is kept in good company at all times as the Grade I listed church, built in 1854, is also home to two more priests, a seminarian, and six young men training for the priesthood.

One of these trainees, Novice Joshua Haines, said: “She follows us around for almost everything. She's here [at the church], in the house, she's following us from where we're preparing for the services and she is really here for all aspects of our life so she is wonderful.

“During our classes she's there, sat very attentively listening. Before dinner we say our grace and she's there with us. But she is also here for all the parishioners. All the parishioners love her so much, and they've known her since she was a tiny little girl. If you come to St Walburge's, ask for Toffee and she'll be here.”

Being a church dog isn’t the only unique thing about Toffee as she also plays football and is even a mascot for St Walburge’s Rectory Football team. The young Lab attends all the games, dressed in the club’s shirt, and supporting from the sidelines.

And uniquely, Toffee’s a football-playing, church-going, dog who only understands French and Latin.

Joshua said: “We're an institute that has French roots and so she's been brought up ever since she was tiny speaking French. So, if you want her to listen to you, you've got to brush up on your French. Also some Latin; some of the boys have taught her a bit of Latin.”

If Toffee right now sounds like the most saintly Labrador you could come across, Joshua was keen to point out she is still just like any dog when we visited St Walburge’s.

Mid-interview, Joshua was forced to call Toffee away from another dog,. He said: “She is a bit mischievous…She isn't so devoted to prayers as we would wish she was. We pray before and after our lessons, before and after our meals, and in those times she will jump on the sofa and make the biggest fuss- the biggest fuss you've ever seen! And then as soon as we finish, she stops. She's okay, but she also makes sure that she's the centre of attention.”

• Being the centre of attention is exactly what we think Toffee deserves so we made her the focus of our adorable photo gallery which you can find here.