Dan and Amanda Paddock fell in love with Zeus, a stray dog, when they saw him attacked on the beach while they holidayed with children, Abigail (14), Georgia (11) and Ben (10).

When they returned home they missed him so much they decided to rescue him and fly him to England, to avoid him being put down.

But poor Zeus had to spend six months in quarantine before he could be reunited with the Paddocks - and now he is out and enjoying his freedom.

Dan said: "We all picked him up and took him straight to Melton Country Park. It was great to see him running everywhere and being so energetic.

He is so funny to watch. "We were worried he might not be house trained and that he might not get on with our other dog, Jack, but he is fantastic, although he is a bit of a scavenger."

And now the family have been asked to write about their experience for a Greek magazine to try to improve the life of the hundreds of strays on the island.

Although the family are more than happy to include Zeus in their lives, it is not something they will repeat. Dan said: " It cost about £2,800 for the quarantine fees, but we've had £1,300 from well-wishers. Everyone who has helped was given a picture of Zeus now he is happily with his new family. We've also had lots of supportive letters." But for now, Zeus is perfectly happy with his immigration and he is particularly fond of Melton Country Park.