A DOG lover on a mission to walk the length of the country with his canine friends to raise awareness and funds for an animal charity has made it to the region.

Animal healer and massage therapist Robert Donkers founded Walking To Save Dogs, which he hopes will gain charitable status, to campaign against cruelty and support animal welfare charities across the globe.

Mr Donkers, from Close House, near Bishop Auckland, and his seven dogs raise money through long treks for charities and rescue organisations.

And as part of his latest mission, the 55-year-old and four of his canine companions are walking 1,034 miles between Lands’ End to John O’Groats in a bid to help end the suffering of dogs in the Far East which he so despises.

Mr Donkers, who started on July 9, is currently enjoying a few days rest at home and will set off for Scotland tomorrow, with the hope of finishing on September 18.

He said his shih tzus Madeleine, Ronan, Wilbur and chihuahua Hannah were all loving the walk so far although with the recent hot weather had meant they had to walk the daily average of 15 miles through the night.

Mr Donkers is wearing a GPS device so people can track his progress on the website walkingtosavedogs.com