When Tracey Hirst looked into the eyes of an abandoned golden retriever while on holiday last year she could not bear to leave him behind.
Pasa had been tossed out onto the streets of Turkish village Hisaronu when his former British family returned home to the UK.
After nearly two years living off scraps of food left by locals and tourists the loveable dog had become used to the rough life.
But last year the downtrodden pooch captured the heart of Mrs Hirst and after a £1,500 fundraising drive Pasa, which was a name given to him by locals that regular fed him in Turkey, is now safe in Moray.
Mrs Hirst said: “I just felt so sorry for him. When we were in Turkey he was just sat out on the streets in the same place every night. He had really sad eyes.
“We just dropped some chicken off for him to make sure he was fed. I couldn’t just leave him there.”
She added: “I used to have another golden retriever called Fred. We had him for 14 years and I thought I could never have another one.
“I couldn’t leave Pasa there though. He just looked so lonely.”
The day after returning home to Orbliston near Mosstodloch in October Mrs Hirst immediately called a Turkish rescue centre to get Pasa off the street.
After pledging £400 herself to keep him in kennels the seven-year-old golden retriever underwent a three-month course of injections to ensure he was not carrying diseases.
And now he is loving life in the Moray countryside with Mrs Hirst, her husband Matt and the couple’s other pet dog Solomon.
Mr Hirst said: “Pasa can be a bit of a free spirit. When he gets going outdoors he can go a distance – he’s just used to doing his own thing I guess.
“Health-wise he was ok when we got him. He was just a bit slim because he was down the pecking order with the other street dogs for food – they were just tougher than him.”
Mrs Hirst is returning to Turkey next month to meet the woman who took Pasa off the streets and into kennels to prepare him for the trip to Scotland.
However, the office worker at Macallan is under strict instructions for the journey.
She joked: “I’ve been told not to come back with another dog. I don’t think I would, it’s just nice to say thank you.”
