A SCOTS housewife and an ex-pat have raised thousands of pounds for charity in just two months – by selling novelty woollen dog hats on Facebook.

Allison Walsh, left, and Barbara Galloway have sold hundreds of the hats to fans in the US, Australia and Europe.

Demand for the hats is so fierce they sell within seconds of appearing on the site. Fans around the world set their iPhones and computers to alert them when a new hat appears.

The global success of the venture began in October when Allison, who lives in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire and ex-pat Barbara, who lives in Murcia, Spain, decided to combine their knitting skills to raise funds for charities that rehome Galgos – Spanish hunting dogs.

Alison said: "I would knit a hat and put it into one of the charities' online auctions and quickly realised they were being bought for lots of money as bidders tried to win one."

The hats are at the Alibar Dog Knits Facebook page.