Torquay United are the club once saved by a dog. On the final day of the 1986-87 season, the Gulls were facing relegation, 2-1 down against Crewe Alexandra deep into the second half when a police dog, Bryn, ran on to the pitch and took a chunk from Torquay defender Jim McNichol’s thigh.
The German Shepherd episode, which features in the Netflix series Losers, prompted an elongated period of added time during which it became clear results elsewhere meant Torquay only needed a point, or one goal, to stay up. They duly scored, sending Lincoln down instead.