Liam Gallagher phones his dog when he's away from England.

The Oasis frontman is so smitten with his daschund, Ruby, he and his wife Nicole Appleton make regular calls to their pet pooch when they are away.

The couple, currently in Los Angeles, even phoned Ruby this weekend to give the mutt moral support when she was entered into a 'Pup Idol' competition in London.

The 18-month old bitch was entered into the contest at a pub by Nicole's former All Saints bandmates - her sister Natalie Appleton and Mel Blatt who are dog-sitting for the holidaying couple.

Natalie phoned Liam, 36, and held the handset to Ruby's ears so she hear could the rocker's words of encouragement ahead of her appearance in the Prettiest Female category.

Unfortunately, Ruby didn't win, losing out to a stray in the contest.

Mel jokingly said afterwards: "It's cr***y Pup Idol. More like s**t idol. It's a fix!"

Before heading off to the US this Saturday (08.09.08) with Nicole, Liam was seen grabbing a last taste of England, buying traditional dish fish and chips at The Sea Shell in London's posh Marylebone district.