A DOG owner whose sad story touched the hearts of the Inverclyde community has been reunited with his beloved pet.

Paddy Trueman recently featured in the Tele when he had no one to look after his pooch Milo while he was due to go into hospital ahead of a vital operation to fix a blockage to his pancreas.

The 69-year-old contacted us to ask for someone to look after Milo and we were quickly inundated with offers from readers.

Paddy subsequently spent several days at Crosshouse Hospital while the owners of dog-sitting service Fields of Fun, in Bridge of Weir, looked after Milo.

He has had good news on his health problems, as it now appears that he may not need surgery after all after an apparent improvement in his condition.

Paddy, who lives in Gourock, explained: “A scan wasn’t clear and they didn’t want to put a stem in until receiving copies of a previous scan carried out in Glasgow.

“The surgeon said from the urine samples they’d taken that I had slightly healed.

“I do feel a bit better and more alert.”

But the biggest tonic for Paddy has been the fact he is now reunited with his beloved pooch.

He said: “I feel great getting my dog back.

“The girls at Fields of Fun have a heart of gold.”

While he is feeling a bit better, Paddy says that further treatment is still pending depending on information being sent from Glasgow Royal Infirmary — and admits that he is mystified by the sudden change of plans regarding his condition.

He told the Tele he had initially been warned that he may not survive if he did not have his operation.

Paddy said: “How could a surgeon say I only had two weeks to live and I would be on the slippery slope without the operation, then when I go into hospital to get it done, they don’t do it?”

But he was swift to thank the people who supported him after our recent story about his plight triggered a huge response.

He said: “I want to thank the Inverclyde community for their support over the last few weeks. 

“Their concern and good wishes have been overwhelming.”