It's a dog's life for Mr Jeffries, the basset hound with the second longest ears in Britain. For one thing, they keep getting in his dinner.

He's always standing on or tripping over his amazing 12.5in ears.

But while they may pose a problem for the pooch, his owners Jo Camilleria and Phil Jeffries have found some uses for his long lobes.

As he trundles about the house in Patcham, Brighton, ears trailing behind him, the wooden floors are swept miraculously clean.

And on cold winter days, Mr Jeffries brings a new meaning to the term earmuffs as Jo wraps them around her hands to warm her freezing fingers.

Mr Jeffries, who is 18 months old, has got used to being laughed at on his walks and doesn't even mind when Jo's four children tie his ears in a knot on top of his head.

Jo, of Braeside Avenue, said: "He is a real character. When he goes in the garden he brings half the garden back on his ears and he sweeps the floor with them.

"The children, Ollie, 15, Phoebe, 13, Milo, 11 and Declan, 7, love dressing him up in hats and tying his ears in a knot. Mr Jeffries doesn't care - he likes being the centre of attention.

"Everyone who comes round has hysterics when they see him. We thought he would get a bit taller and grow into his ears, but they still drag on the floor everywhere he goes."

She admits she has a tendency to spoil the clumsy canine.

He shares her bed with her each night, sleeping underneath the duvet with his head on the pillow, and every morning he howls until he gets his cup of tea and two slices of toast with strawberry jam.

After mealtime Jo has to wash Mr Jeffries's ears as they droop into his dish.

Long ears run in Mr Jeffries's family - his dad, Biggles, has the longest ears in the UK at 13.5in. Biggles is also the face of Hush Puppies shoes, and Jo hopes her model mutt will follow in his ample footprints.

Her partner and Mr Jeffries' namesake, Phil Jeffries, says the dog howls if left alone. So he has to take him to work.

Phil, 50, is a franchisee of Bugsie's Mobile Dog Wash, and Mr Jeffries is a familiar sight to customers as he sits on the front seat with his ears flapping out of the window.

Phil said: "He is a people's dog so he loves coming to work with me. We're thinking of getting him into doggy modelling though, like his dad, Biggles, who has been in children's books."

Jo, 39, named her prize pet after her boyfriend because she saw a few similarities between them.

She said: "Phil bought him for me as a present and I think they look alike. Phil hasn't got such big ears, but he has got the same doleful look in his eyes and they're both disobedient."