Countess sends protective gear to police dogs in Greece

Police dogs, including Scar, have been donated protective boots and jackets

A Gloucestershire countess has helped send protective equipment to police dogs in Greece after seeing them struggling in the heat on television.

Lady Bathurst, of Cirencester, was watching the news during the search for the late broadcaster Michael Mosley on the Greek island of Symi when she saw sniffer dog Scar limping after burning his paws.

After contacting the local police force, she learned none of its dogs had protective equipment and felt compelled to help through her charity National Foundation for Retired Service Animals (NFRSA).

She said: "Being an animal lover, I saw the footage and thought we've got to do something about this."

Scar was involved in the search for Michael Mosley on the Greek island of Symi

The charity made some calls and found RuffwearUK which donated cooling coats and boots to Scar and thirteen of his fellow sniffer dogs - free of charge.

"The response was enormous," Lady Bathurst said.

"I reached out to the journalist who found the story and we had a chat and she very kindly put me in touch with Vaggelis, who is Scar's handler."

Specialised protective boots and jackets were donated by Ruffwear

Lady Bathurst, who is married to Lord Bathurst and is a former High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, said she was told none of the dogs had any equipment to protect them from the heat.

"They may be hard, but they're still sensitive and they can still burn, so to be able to provide these... and also the kindness of so many people out there who also support our charity, we were able to do something constructive to help.

"I think that's a wonderful thing," she added.

Dr Mosley's remains were found on 9 June - four days after he went missing on holiday.

An initial post-mortem examination concluded that he died of natural causes.