A devoted Angus pet who went undiscovered for days alongside the body of his owner is making a brave recovery bid.
The Jack Russell cross is thought to have spent several days by the side of the OAP after she died in her rural home.
Now, animal charity volunteers hope the dog has turned the corner in its own fight for survival in the wake of the heartbreaking discovery.
A neighbour’s concern is understood to have led to the discovery of the woman, who lived alone between Arbroath and Brechin, at the end of last week.
The pensioner is believed to have died of natural causes and the emaciated nine-year-old pet, named Jack, was discovered beside her in the cottage home.
He was taken into the care of an Arbroath veterinary surgery and after a weekend of intensive treatment was picked up by local Help for Abandoned Animals chairman Ian Robb to continue his fight for life.
”It’s a tragic story and the wee fella is not out of the woods yet, but we are hopeful he will eventually make a full recovery,” he said
Mr Robb said charity staff were devastated to hear of the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death, since she was a friend of the organisation and had fostered abandoned animals in the past.
”When she gave that up about five years ago she wanted a wee dog for herself and that’s when she got Jack.
”She was a wonderful lady who just loved the animals.
”It’s so sad to think she may have been lying there for days with Jack at her side.”
He added: ”I personally haven’t seen a dog in as bad a state as Jack was when he was discovered.
”Nobody knows for sure how long he was there with her, but he was probably less than 24 hours from death.
”But he’s fighting on and hopefully with a bit of a time he’ll make it.
”He’s still very wobbly and can only take a few steps in the garden, but hopefully he will begin to put on weight quite quickly and there may be a bit of a happy ending for Jack after this tragic story.”