A valiant dog who guarded his owner’s body for eight days after she died has been put down.
Jack was found emaciated and badly dehydrated beside his pensioner mistress in Kinnell, Angus.
Since the ordeal ended earlier this month, the Jack Russell cross has been tended to by Ian Robb, of the charity Help for Abandoned Animals.
Mr Robb told The Courier that the uphill struggle to keep Jack healthy had reached a sad conclusion.
”There was a time for a few days when we were starting to see some improvement,” Mr Robb said. ”He was putting on a wee bit of weight and looked lively.
”However, it just wasn’t meant to be. Richard the vet at Abbey Vets (Arbroath) said his kidneys were starting to fail and it was the kindest thing to do to put the wee man down.
”My wife Heather and I were there when it came time to let him go.”
Jack’s owner lived alone and he was found by her relatives who were concerned after not hearing from her for a week. He did not want to leave her side.
Vets put the dog on a drip for almost four days, but he was still extremely weak.
The Robbs cared for Jack at their Arbroath home, as Jack was in such dire need of attention.
Mr Robb added: ”We did our best for him and so did the vets, but it was too big a mountain for him to climb.
”We didn’t want him suffering. With him not having food and water for so long we were told it was going to be very tough for him to ever recover.
”It was an easy decision I’m afraid. He had been through so much that we couldn’t let him suffer just to live on for a few more days.”