A dog owner died in hospital days after being bitten by his Jack Russell, an inquest has heard.
Mark Jones, from Prestatyn, North Wales, is believed to have developed sepsis after being nipped by his pet, Lili Lil Legs.
The 61-year-old animal lover would go out for walks every night, but suffered a bite wound four days before seeking medical help.
Coroner John Gittins said Mr Jones' prognosis was "very poor" on arriving at hospital and it was "probable" he had developed sepsis.
"The process was so far advanced that despite the best efforts and treatment, he died of cardiac failure," he said.
Mark was a former sub-editor for the Rhyl Journal newspaper as well as vice-chairman and matchday announcer for Prestatyn Town FC.
He also ran a football memorabilia shop called The Beautiful Game, and is survived by his wife Yvette and stepson Michael.
Yvette said: "He was the kindest, most loving person you could meet. He just wanted to make Michael and I so happy. He lived his life for us.
"He was such a gentle, genuine, caring person and well-respected and loved by everyone who we came across.
"We went out for a couple of years, and then his work took him to London, so we split up.
"It was purely by chance that we got back together again, and we were together for 20 years and married for 18. It was a true love story, really.
"He used to walk Lili nearly every night. There used to be the excuse of: 'We had to call into the pub so she could have a drink of water!'"
Former colleague Dean Jones said Mark was one of the "pillars of the North Wales media scene."
He said: "Mark was a lovely bloke, a football aficionado.
"There wasn’t much he didn’t know about the local football scene, and was passionate about Prestatyn Town, helping them significantly during their rise to prominence."
The inquest was adjourned to a date to be fixed.
