A dog owner whose pet found national fame after eating £220 of charity cash has spoken of the 'eureka moment' when he spotted the Queen's head peeping out of the pooch's poo.

Eastern Daily Press: Saarloos wolfdog Tia, Felthorpe, with the recovered bank notes. Photo: Neil FeatherbySaarloos wolfdog Tia, Felthorpe, with the recovered bank notes. Photo: Neil Featherby (Image: Neil Featherby)

Tia, an 11-year-old Saarloos wolfdog, and owner Neil Featherby, from Felthorpe, found themselves unwitting celebrities after the dog swallowed a stack of cash due to be donated to Hallswood Animal Sanctuary.

The alarmed pet owner spent the next week with a keen eye on Tia's movements, hoping the special diet suggested by a veterinarian friend would serve its purpose.

Finally, on Friday afternoon, Mr Featherby said the first note made an appearance.

He said: 'The first couple of poos there was nothing. I was in the garden with my hens and noticed she was struggling with one, so I ran over and it was a real eureka moment.

'I could see the purple of the queen's head peeping out.'

Mr Featherby spent the following days with his hands in warm soapy water, piecing together scraps of semi-digested notes and said the process was like 'sieving for gold'.

According to the Bank of England, if more than half a damaged bank note is intact it can be reimbursed and Mr Featherby said he was in the process of disinfecting the cash ready to be exchanged.

The keen fundraiser said it had been a surreal week of press attention and people had been very interested in following the notes on their journey.

However, despite the media storm, he said Tia remained grounded and was more interested in causing mischief than fame.

He added: 'She's a bit of a star at the moment and we've had people asking if she will be switching Christmas lights on in Aylsham. She's eleven years old and too old to start a celebrity career.

'Every dog has its day and this has been Tia's 15 minutes of fame.'

Mr Featherby said he would keep an eye out for the remaining notes and was looking forward to donating the money to Hallswood once it had been exchanged.