FOR SALE: the £24,000 Mazda MX5 bought for an Alsation – yours for only £8,000 (Alsatian not included).

Former pet shop owner and Alsatian addict Ron Mills is selling his spotless sports car to raise money for Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary.

The 87-year-old only ever used the car to drive one of his beloved German Shepherds around town advertising his services as a keeper and trainer.

Mr Mills, who lives with his wife Shirley in East Hagbourne near Didcot, said: "I love German Shepherds so much I bought this Mazda for one of them.

"This one German Shepherd I used to look after, Mishka, to be the passenger because I was trying to promote them.

"We would pull up and people would see this whacking great dog sat in the passenger seat, but he was a gentle giant – he was a legend in his own lifetime.

"Alsations are one of the finest guard dogs but they've got brains and you can use them for anything.

"You couldn't use a Doberman or a Rottweiler as a guard dog."

Mr Mills said his top-of-the range car was perfect for a collector.

He added: "It's also a genuine one-owner-only: I bought it brand new 13 years ago and it's only done 4,000 miles."

"It's even a colour that suits the car – it makes it look bigger than it is. All in, it's a beautiful, beautiful car."

Animal lover Mr Mills will be best remembered by many as the charismatic owner of Pet Fare in Didcot for a brief period in the 1970s.

But he learned to love all creatures great and small when he started running a small holding in nearby North Moreton aged just eight years old.

Born in London between the wars, Mr Mills and his family were evacuees in the Second World War.

He, his parents and grandparents were moved with other families into North Moreton House, which was commandeered by the Government to be used as a packing factory.

The young Ron's family all got jobs working in the factory, while he was left to his own devices.

He was overwhelmed by the wonders of rural life and instantly fell in love.

He said: "If you can imagine living in a horrible part of London, all you see is houses, never seeing open spaces,birds or animals, then suddenly being dropped into a wonderful place like North Moreton – it was heaven to me.

"I used to spend all my time caring for them, gathering food and cleaning them out."

When he later opened his pet shop in Didcot, it was so successful that he retired after four years, bought the house where he and Mrs Mills still live in East Hagbourne, and pursued his passion for German Shepherds, which resulted in him buying his Mazda MX5.

If you would like to put in a bid for the car at £8,000 or above, call Mr Mills at home on 01235 813082