Staff and visitors at Balhousie Castle, Perth the ancestral home of The Black Watch are grieving the loss of golden labrador Hackle.
The popular nine-year-old dog was sick and taken to a vet where it was diagnosed he had a diseased liver. He was given tablets but died on Sunday morning at the home of his owner Jim Sandilands, who works at the museum.
Hackle, named after The Black Watch’s famous Red Hackle, was a regular feature at The Black Watch museum at Balhousie Castle, and even had his own page on Facebook, where he had more than 600 virtual friends. These included people living in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Mr Sandilands told The Courier he was ”absolutely gutted” at the death of Hackle.
”He had been sick for six days and his stomach had swollen so I took to him to an emergency vet,” he said. ”Hackle was given a scan and it was revealed he had a diseased liver and his heartbeat was too fast.
”However, the vet advised that an operation would be too traumatic for him to survive, so he was given several pills and injections to help him.”
He continued: ”Poor Hackle, as the days went by, I could see him slowly getting weaker as he was unable to eat. A short trip to the back garden was his limit then he just lay on the floor in the conservatory he was too weak to make the stairs to my bedroom where he normally slept at the bottom of my bed.
”Early Sunday morning, I heard him make the stairs and up to the bedroom and I thought ‘Thank you God his strength has come back.’ But little did I know he was coming up to die my poor companion had no more fight left in him.
”Everyone who visits the museum is asking ‘Where is Hackle?’ He had friends from all over the world.”
Mr Sandilands explained the popularity of Hackle to everyone who met him.
”At Balhousie Castle, Hackle was a great friend to everyone and any visitors were always greeted with a big smile and a waggy tail. He loved his family, all the staff at Balhousie Castle and all the visitors especially the children.”
Mr Sandilands continued: ”He was a well-kent face on the North Inch and the Perth Bowling Club where there was always a biscuit for him.
”Hackle liked nothing better than to wander round the grounds of his beloved Balhousie Castle then plunk himself down in the middle of the car park to await the visitors.
”I only hope that hackle has gone to another Balhousie Castle in the sky where he can roam around the grounds there and meet new friends.”