A dog owner says he wants his pet who has a heart condition to have the ‘time of life’ before he dies.
Ben Jones who lives in Nelson bought Jamie six years ago and recently discovered that the German Shepherd only had six months left to live.
So he is hoping to make each and every single day count by completing a doggie bucket list.
Ben said: “I just want him to have the time of his life really.”
Ben took Jamie, a former police dog, to the vet after he was not feeling too good.
He said: “I bought him many years ago after the owner was migrating to Spain.
“Since then he has been fit and healthy. He is about 12 years old now and he was not feeling very well so I took him to the vet.
“We thought it might be his anal glands but then I got told that it was something more serious.”
Stage 2 Cardiomyopathy.
Jamie was diagnosed withBen said: “I was not expecting the bad news at all.
“They said he has a serious heart condition and it could mean he just dies.
"He has only so many months to live as his heart will eventually fail.
“He also needs a heart scan.”
Ben said he had thought about treatment but is now resigned to the fact Jamie may not live for too much longer.
“I just think the amount of money many pet owners have to spend has got out of hand.
“My job takes me everywhere and I just feel that vet prices are too high. I had always wanted to set up an NHS for pets where people could get treatment without having to worry about extortionate prices.
“People can’t afford to pay for treatment. I speak to people all the time about it.
“If this is the final few months of his life, I want him to have the best time.
“It can be anything. A nice pamper spa day, some lovely meals or some toys. Or even some scenic walks he has never been on before.
“I will pay for any of the services. You could call it a bucket list for his final days.
“It would be good if people could get in touch with ideas.”
Ben, who works as a locksmith for Prestige Locks, said Jamie deserved the best for being such a faithful friend.
“I feel like he needs the best in the final few months.
“I want him to live a better life than any other dog has.”
Ben has set up a GoFundMe page for people to donate towards Jamie’s final months.
On his GoFundMe page Ben said: “Whatever people are able to send a percentage of this will be going into a fund as I hope to be able to open up a free vet clinic where people can come and bring their own pets when they are in need of anything from pet care to pet supplies.
“I also hope to have this clinic run on charity donations and from the help of the community as well.”
You can support Ben's campaign on his GoFundMe page.
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