A dog that lost its tongue and tonsils in a savage hawk attack in Dundee has defied the odds by learning to adapt to life one year on.
Owner Ian Farquhar said the vet did not expect six-year-old Jack Russell Ollie to make it after the incident in Douglas in November last year.
Now living in Arbroath, Ian said he thought his beloved pet would have to be put down. But with time, patience and a little bit of help, Ollie has made a surprising recovery.
Ian said: “I thought I would have to put him down. It was just so traumatic.
“No one, not even the vet, knew how it would turn out and if he would be able to eat again.”
Initially after the attack, Ollie had to be given water by a syringe down his throat but he is now able to drink water for himself, which came as a relief by the summer as Ian was worried he would dehydrate.
He said: “He’s getting on braw. It is a miracle he has come on so well with what he’s had to put up with.
“It took me two months to learn to feed him again and it was five to six months before he could drink water again. He makes a mess but at least he’s doing it by himself.
“I’m still hand-feeding him and will have to do that for the rest of his life.”
To cope with his injuries, Ian had to come up with an ingenious way to feed him, cutting up his solid dog food into ‘soldiers’.
He is then able to feed these to Ollie, who stands on his hind legs and ‘eats like a seal.’
Ian said: “It was trial and error and it took about two months to teach him. It is time consuming but I am used to it now.
“He’s a very greedy dog, which helps, and I’m just glad he’s here.”
Fellow Jack Russell Rocky has also helped Ollie and has taken to grooming him.
Neither of the dogs can have treats anymore as Ollie cannot eat them and Ian has to wipe Ollie’s mouth a lot because he can’t help drooling.
Although Ollie will have to cope with the physical damage caused for the rest of his life, he managed to escape with minimal psychological scars from his ordeal.
He remains a friendly dog, happy to interact with people, and is even ok with birds so long as they don’t come too close.
Ian said: “It was a traumatic experience for him but you wouldn’t be able to tell from the way he is.
“He’s just a great dog.”