A couple have been reunited with a homeless dog they had flown into Britain from Thailand at a cost of almost £4,000.

Nick and Kirsche Elms had been waiting for six months for their new pet to be released from quarantine .

Nick, an electrician, and his wife Kirsche, a nurse, met the mongrel while taking an extended holiday back-packing in Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia in January.

The couple, both 29, were staying on the Thai island of Koh Samui when they heard an animal being attacked by a pack of roaming dogs.

They found a female dog with terrible wounds. Kirsche used her medical knowledge to treat some of the injuries before taking the dog, which she named PS, to a dog sanctuary on the island.

The couple, from East Preston, near Worthing, were so moved by the work carried out by volunteers at the sanctuary they gave up their holiday time to help out.

While working at the centre the couple grew more attached to PS and decided they wanted to bring her back to Sussex.

The couple collected PS last week after six months in quarantine.

The total bill for her transfer to Britain cost £3,900.

Kirsche, who is trying to raise awareness of the poor conditions endured by dogs in Thailand, said: "She has settled in so well.

"We've taken her out on a lot of walks and she is so happy.

"She is an expensive Christmas present but she is such a nice dog."