The East Hampshire founder and vice-chairman of a canine charity has hailed “a game changing” scheme that will make air travel to Northern Ireland less of a hassle for assistance dogs.

Charity high-flyers Allen Parton and his assistance dog ET are among the first recipients of the Pet Travel Document (PTD).

The document issued by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is a breakthrough piece of legislation that will allow barrier-free travel for assistance dogs to Northern Ireland from the British mainland.

Mr Parton and ET are frequent flyers to Belfast as his Hounds for Heroes charity, based in Ramsdean, near Petersfield, has staunch support in the province.

But post-Brexit changes and regulations have made travel more expensive and an administrative headache, so anything which simplifies the process is welcome.

British citizens travelling to Northern Island from the mainland with an assistance dog will need a PTD from June 4. It costs no money to apply from the APHA but each pet or assistance dog will need its own PTD.

The document is valid for the dog’s lifetime with more details about the scheme and requirements at https://shorturl.at/a0SAw

“Since the founding of Hounds for Heroes, we have worked hard to raise awareness of the charity's mission, throughout the length and breadth of the UK,” said Mr Parton, from Clanfield.

“The introduction of this new scheme is going to be a game changer. It will allow us to be more reactive to applications from Northern Ireland-based veterans and also requests from service-related organisations and charities for presentations.”

He added: “The whole application process was extremely easy, hassle-free and approval was issued on the same day.

“The introduction of the Pet Travel Document was extremely timely for ET and I, as we are flying out again in June.”