Reggie the flying dog has died, sparking sadness in Shropshire
Reggie the rescue dog who shot to TV fame after being taught to fly an aeroplane has died, it has been announced.
Shropshire's Hilbrae Pets Hotel and Stray Kennels - from where the loveable German Shepherd-labrador cross was launched into stardom in 2016 - made the announcement on social media.
A spokesman for the kennels in Cold Hatton, Telford, said on Friday: "Sad news on Facebook tonight, Reggie the Hilbrae dog that learned to fly a plane and then went to New Zealand with his trainer Mark Vette, has gone over the Rainbow Bridge.
"He was a truly amazing dog and did so many amazing things with Mark. One never to be forgotten."
The news of the dog's death in New Zealand was met with sadness on social media on this side of the world.
Dog loving Shrewsbury town clerk Helen Ball said she had been inspired to visit Hillbrae after watching Reggie on the Dogs Might Fly show.
Helen said: "It was watching Reggie on Dogs Might Fly that inspired us to visit Hillbrae where we found Oscar. Now Splashy seven years on he lives a wonderful life. Thank you Reggie. Run free sweet boy x"
And another dog lover posted: "You did some fantastic things Reggie in your new life with Mark and were loved very much. RIP Reggie."
The Shropshire Star reported Reggie's stratospheric rise to stardom in 2016 when the loveable 18 month old pooch was trained to take the controls of an aircraft.
Reggie, who used to live at Hilbrae Rescue Kennels, was one of the stars of the Sky TV show Dogs Might Fly.
It aimed to show that ordinary dogs taken from a rescue centre could be trained to perform remarkable acts.
New Zealand animal trainer Mark Vette turned Reggie into a stunt dog and loved him so much that he kept him for himself.
He trained Reggie to perform manoeuvres by command, allowing him to take control of the joystick and fly the aircraft unaided.
Mark said at the time: "Seeing Reggie fly was unbelievable. But most of all it shows how incredible the bond between people and their dogs is."
Dogs Might Fly followed nine rescue dogs and the training they went through before three of them were chosen to take to the skies.
Reggie was one of the lucky dogs, who took over the controls at the end of the programme. A trainer at the back of the plane told him what to do but he had control in flight.
The show was even featured on Gogglebox and clips have had millions of views online.
The documentary explored dog cognition, with the eventual aim of finding out whether canine companions could be trained to fly a plane.
Mark was approached to help design the show and lead the team in training. He says seeing the dogs fly was unbelievable but says it shows how incredible the bond between people and their dogs is.
"This bond has co-evolved over 30,000 years from the wolf and is the unique basis from which we can achieve these remarkable feats with dogs," he said.
"Most importantly, this exercise has proven that shelter dogs are not second-hand goods.
"They are smart dogs that deserve a chance at life. Anyone who knows me knows how passionate I am about dog welfare and rescue, and I feel that's the entire point of what we did – to bring attention to the fact that there are thousands of dogs abandoned every year that are good dogs that need to find good homes."
