A sailor injured at work spent all of his £4000 compensation cash to help the physio dog who he said saved his life.
Paul Farley, 56, an ex-coxman with Marine Scotland, drove through the night to take Georgie to be seen by TV vet Noel Fitzpatrick after she suffered carbon monoxide poisoning. He had adopted the Japanese Akita, 11, after being badly hurt near Lewis when a 2.5-ton inflatable boat on the ship fell on him and he had to give up work.
Georgie came to live with Paul after the accident to help him with his physiotherapy and the pair were inseparable. Paul said: “It cost £4000 to pay her vet bill, which is the best thing I ever did. She came to me to help me walk again and, in the end, I helped her get back on all four feet.
“I couldn’t have got through this or worked on my physio without Georgie. She has been my rock.”
Paul consulted three vets before driving five hours to the Fitzpatrick clinic in Surrey. They used an MRI scan and CT scans before treating Georgie for the toxins she had been exposed to. She was given the all-clear three days later.
He said: “I slept outside in my car for days as they treated her and the staff came out to give me updates on her condition. Jo, the vet who treated her, was amazing.
I was so grateful they saved her life. I cried when we were finally reunited.”
Georgie fell ill after the pair were exposed to fumes from a faulty boiler at their home. It took her five months to walk again, during which time she relied on the use of a dog wheelchair to help her.
Paul added: “It was tough but it was all worth it.”
Paul had to leave his job following the accident. He was awarded £4000 for his injuries, and used it all to help Georgie.
He added: “The only one good thing that has come out of all of this is my dog. She has helped me massively.”
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