A BARRHEAD woman decided to lead the way in efforts to cheer people up during the coronavirus crisis...by strolling through town dressed as a dog.

Care worker Liz Donnachie came up with the wacky idea to bring a smile to her grandkids’ faces while she is having to stay away from them during the lockdown.

Liz, 59, was careful to maintain social distancing as she paid them a visit, standing outside their home in her dog costume to give them a wave.

And she told the Barrhead News how her canine capers also raised a laugh with passers-by.

Liz said: “The idea came about because I am very, very close to my granddaughters and I hadn’t seen them in over three weeks.

“I was having to stay away from them because it would be too upsetting for them to see me and not be able to have proper contact, so I decided that, if I dressed up as the dog, it would be a way for them to be able to see me from a safe distance without it being upsetting for them.

“It was absolutely brilliant. There were kids chapping their windows, shouting ‘hello doggy,’ and I was chasing joggers down the street.

“They were all having a good laugh about it.”

Liz, who works at Barrhead’s Norwood Nursing Home, admits she badly misses spending time with grandchildren Chloe, 11, Rebecca, nine, and eight-year-old Holly.

However, she understands that families must make sacrifices for the greater good as everyone plays their part in helping to halt the spread of coronavirus.

Liz decided her unusual dog walk would be an ideal substitute for the daily exercise advised by the UK Government in a bid to balance the need to observe social distancing while also maintaining fitness levels.

She was joined by daughter Katie, who maintained the two-metre ‘safe distance’ between them as she took photos of her antics.

“I have family from one end of Barrhead to the other, so I thought I’d give them a wee wave from outside, on my way to where my granddaughters stay.” said Liz.

“It was a fantastic experience, I have to say.”

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