ROSIE the chocolate Labrador gave a lending paw to do her bit for charity this weekend.

She made her way to Pets at Home in Stratton St Margaret to encourage people to help her fellow four-legged friends in need at the Blue Cross.

And she was sniffing out generous donors to raise some cash for the charity, which has a base in the pet store, as part of her new starring role as one a handful of 'contactless canines'.

Shoppers will have noticed she was wearing a fetching blue jacket, which is part of the charity's new way of collecting funds. People could ‘pat and tap' her to make a £2 donation using their contactless payment card – or speak to a human volunteer to give a different amount.

It is a mini revolution for the Blue Cross, as thousands of unwanted pets they look after every year have always relied on the pet lovers who work and volunteer at the charity to look after them, help them find happy, loving homes and raise funds towards their care, until now.

Blue Cross Tap Dogs, the new team of furry fundraisers, have been equipped with contactless card technology built into their specially-designed jackets. The simple, lightweight kit means that, for the first time ever, dogs can do their bit.

The first team of Blue Cross Tap Dogs to launch the scheme are: Smudge the golden Labrador; Maverick the border collie; Cherry the lurcher, Ralph the old English sheepdog cross as well as Rosie.

All of the Tap Dogs are behaviour assessed Blue Cross event dogs, owned by dedicated volunteers. They regularly visit events and schools to raise awareness of many different aspects of pet welfare but they have never before had the chance to play such a direct role in helping the cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas, mice, guinea pigs and many more that Blue Cross cares for every day.

Tracy Genever, head of education services at Blue Cross, said: “Our fundraising and events activities are so crucial to helping make sure the pets in our care can be healthy and happy, and we are incredibly grateful for every penny the public gives.

"With today’s increasingly cashless society, it made sense to introduce a contactless option to those wishing to give to Blue Cross. And who better to help us than some of the amazing events dogs that help to raise awareness and inform Britons about the work we do. These wonderful dogs really are the best ambassadors we could possibly ever hope for.”