Known as ‘Paddington Ayr’, sweet dog Kai was dumped at Ayr railway station in Ayrshire with just a suitcase of belongings for company, just like Paddington Bear.
Back in 2015 his story got nationwide attention, earning the shar-pei cross the title of ‘Scotland’s most famous rescue dog’.
Scared and alone, he was lucky to be taken in by the SPCA, who introduced him to animal lover Ian Russell.
Ian and Kai formed an instant bond and they’ve been inseparable ever since.
Now, the ‘soulmate’ pair plan to run 30km in 30 days in August to raise money for Pound for Paws, to help the Scottish SPCA help more animals like Kai find their forever homes.
Ian said: ‘Rehoming Kai was the best thing I’ve ever done. I feel grateful that he is in my life.
‘I take him everywhere with me and he loves being outdoors, which is lucky as I do too.
‘I believe it was fate that Kai and I were brought together.
‘I decided to take part in Pound for Paws for the Scottish SPCA as they are a wonderful charity that finds forever homes for animals in need like Kai.
‘I’m honoured to be doing the challenge with the support of Olympian Laura Muir. I’m excited to get started and I’d encourage everyone to take part.’
The challenge will see Ian and Kai running 30km in 30 days over the month of August.
Scottish SPCA’s Katrina Cavanagh, who helped care for the pup when he was abandoned, said: ‘Kai is probably one of our most famous rescue animals.
‘The image of him alone at the train station with his suitcase resonated with people worldwide.
‘We were overwhelmed with people wanting to rehome him.
‘But in the end he went to his loving forever home with his soulmate and we could not be happier for them both.
‘Ian has been so supportive of us in the past by running the London Marathon and taking part in other events.
‘We want as many people to join Kai, Ian and Laura to run 30km in 30 days. The challenge is suitable for everyone, whether you’re an experienced runner or brand new to running. Laura will also provide tips and encouragement along the way.
‘We want as many people as possible to take part and raise funds for Scotland’s animals so that we can do Kai proud by helping as many animals as possible.’
If you’d like to sponsor Kai and Ian’s mission, you can help out through the Pound For Paws website.
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