He spent his “working” hours cheering up those who just needed a best friend to spend some time with.
So when William the care home spaniel needed help himself, the community rallied round.
And now, he is back to work after a successful operation.
William is the much-loved four-legged friend to residents and staff at Invernevis House in Fort William, but because he suffered from a degenerative hip condition he was in a great deal of pain for much of the time.
Now, thanks to the generosity of big-hearted members of the local community, William has a brand new hip and his recent operation was hailed a barking success.
The popular pet is now back at the care home being nursed back to health by the residents.
William arrived at Invernevis House last year after a social medial campaign to find a canine companion for the residents. He was originally rescued by a family from Keith in Moray through the charity, Give a Dog a Bone.
More than £8,000 was raised to pay for five year-old William’s operation, with donations coming in from all over the area.
Invernevis House manager Kit Cameron said: “We are pleased to say that William successfully came through his hip operation with no complications and is doing fantastically well.
“You could say he is doing a little bit too well as he has lived his whole life with the hip condition and he’s now free from the pain that this caused him. He is under doctor’s orders to take it easy, but try telling him that!
“The residents are taking great care of him and nursing him back to full health. The place just wasn’t the same when he was away and everyone was so please to hear that he had come through the procedure without any problems.”
William travelled all the way to Fife for his operation as staff at the East Neuk Veterinary Clinic heard about his story and wanted to help.
Mrs Cameron added: “The vet said he was a bit nervous about treating such a celebrity! But staff at the clinic were great and a credit to their profession – they even gave us a discount on the final bill.
“I want to say a huge thank you to them and to the community in Fort William for helping our dog.
“William is so popular with the residents and staff and we are all looking forward to him making a full and speedy recovery.”
