IT is the heart-warming tale of a bear from darkest Peru dumped with his suitcase at a London railway station before being adopted by a local family.

Now Scotland’s own Paddington – Kai the shar-pei dog abandoned at Ayr station with his suitcase five years ago – has had an equally happy ending after he was taken in by Ian Russell.

The 56-year-old hydraulics engineer from Glasgow first noticed Kai when stories ran in local, and then national, newspapers reporting his plight and his search for a new owner.

Kai was left at the station on January 2, 2015, along with a suitcase containing his toys, food, pillow and food bowl.

It later emerged that he had been taken there by a man to meet prospective buyer Fin Rayner, who took him for a walk.

The seller then made off in a car, leaving Rayner, who had decided she didn't want to buy the dog, standing at the station with him.

She later said she had no option but to leave him there and that the hound didn't resemble the photograph which accompanied the online advert she had responded to.

He was taken in by the Scottish SPCA, and rehomed a few weeks later with Mr Russell – joining the list of thousands of animals the charity has helped in its 180-year history.

Mr Russell explained: "My dog had just died and at the time I didn't know what I was going to do. Someone sent me a picture of Kai sitting at the railway station and, like everybody else, I thought, 'That's such a shame, an absolute nightmare'.

"I went to put a donation in to the SSPCA in Cardonald not thinking about taking him, I just wanted to put a donation in to support his care. They let me meet him and once I saw his wee face I wanted to help.

"I just wanted to give him a good home. He is such a beautiful dog, so gentle and a wee soul."

Thousands of people like Mr Russell got in touch looking to rehome Kai, as the heart-warming story of Scotland's "Paddington Ayr" spread all over the country.

The pooch is still recognised almost five years later as the dog that was abandoned at the train station, particularly when mountain climbing with his owner.

Russell said: "He is doing really well, and everywhere I go this guy gets recognised.

"I was up Ben Nevis a few weeks ago, there was plenty of snow up there. A girl just walked up and said 'Excuse me, is that the dog who got left at the station?'.

"I go to Arran a lot too, up Goatfell, and it's the same there. There is a hotel at the front, the Douglas Hotel, and last time we were there just resting after walking, people were taking pictures of him as they recognised him. It just keeps going on and on. I go to Glencoe at New Year a lot and now people look forward to seeing him for Hogmanay."

As Mr Russell works all over the country, Kai accompanies him everywhere he goes, and the two are inseparable.

He explained: "I'm a hydraulics engineer and I travel about the country, I have a mobile workshop. He just sits in the van next to me, with the window open and he just sits and watches out the window.

"Everywhere I go Kai is there, and everyone recognises him and knows him. That's been many years now and he still gets recognised."

Kai's case sparked debate and increased awareness of the online animal trade, which is unregulated and can often lead to disastrous consequences for the animals or buyers.

But the shar-pei remains blissfully unaware of the impact he has had, content to play outside and take the more-than-occasional treat from a passer-by.

Russell said: "His favourite thing to do is to go about the hills and mountains. He loves snow too. He likes the isolation of being in the mountains and doing his own thing so when we go walking, I just let him go off ahead.

"He loves pampering, he knows basically he's a bit of a celebrity so when he meets people now he almost expects to get a wee treat or something. I have to rein him in a bit sometimes."