A TELE appeal to help find a home for a stricken pooch has made waves across the world – after attracting an offer of help from a commander in the United States Navy.

Judith Smart, inset below, who was born in Greenock but moved to the US when still a teenager, saw Paddy Trueman’s plea for a kind-hearted dog lover to come forward and offer a home for his pet Milo, allowing him to go into hospital for life-saving surgery.

Judith, a trauma nurse with the rank of lieutenant commander, offered to fund any bed, board or vet bills incurred to allow the 69-year-old pensioner to seek treatment.

She was one of dozens of people to step up with offers of help as Milo and Paddy’s plight moved our readers.

In an email to our office, Judith said: “I was born and raised in Greenock but now live in America.

“I am obviously not in a position to take Milo for Mr Trueman, but I am in the fortunate position that if you can find a doggy daycare or vet that can watch Milo, I will fund it. 

“It breaks my heart that this man is in such a predicament, so I would love to help.

“We have four dogs of our own and we know how much they mean to us, so I can’t even imagine being in the same position. 

“I’m happy to pay for Milo to be in a safe environment until he can go home to his dad.”

After Paddy’s story ran in the Tele earlier this week, touching offers of help flooded into our office.

Readers Suzanne Jardine and Natalie Robertson offered to pay for kennelling for Milo, while others including Susanne McGugan, Stewart Farmer and Shannon Mattear offered to take Milo into their homes.

Vivien Boyle contacted the paper to offer to supply treats and dog food for the lovable bull terrier.

Tele editor Brian Hossack says everyone at the Telegraph had been blown away by the public’s response to the appeal.

He said: “We were all moved by how people united.

“When Paddy came into our office and explained his plight, we knew we had to help.

“In a time of crisis, this paper’s readers can always be relied upon to pull together and help, but the response to Paddy’s story was incredible and has surprised even us.

“We had offers of money, board, food, you name it. One girl even offered to go and stay in the caravan where Paddy lives and look after Milo until he gets out of hospital.

“On behalf of everyone at the paper, I’d like to say a huge thank you to the people of Inverclyde.”

We told on Thursday how Suzanne Bennion, proprietor of doggy daycare centre Fields of Fun, had stepped forward to care for Milo.

She told the Tele today that the playful pooch has settled in well to his new routine, adding: “He has been loving playing with the dogs during the day and curling up on my couch at night exhausted from all the fun.

“He is such a lovely wee thing, he’s a pleasure to look after.”
Paddy is set to get into hosptal for life-saving surgery after a scan found there is a block age near  to his pancreas which needs emergency surgery to correct.

He said: “I’m so grateful to everyone and to the paper.”