PLUCKY Bob the dog from Okehampton can now pass a lamp-post with his head held high, following a brush with death when his owner ran him over. The perky little 18-month old Jack Russell terrier suffered multiple injuries in the accident six weeks ago, which also affected his ability to pee. And Bob?s recovery has cost his distraught owner more than a few bob in vet?s bills ? but farmer Martin Littlejohns says it has been worth it to have Bob approaching full health again. Martin, who has spent more than £1,200 so far on Bob, said: ?I?ve felt quite hellish since it happened ? quite often I thought we were going to lose him. ?We were going down the lane, seeing the stock, I was in first gear so I was going slowly. The dog saw a bird fly across and ran for it ? he just went under the back wheel of the LandRover. ?I felt terrible, I felt so guilty because he?s part of the family really.? Martin said when he first took Bob to Okeford Veterinary Centre he did not think there was too much wrong ? but an X-ray revealed both his hips had been fractured, his pelvis was broken in several places, there was considerable nerve damage and vets were concerned about his bladder function. Martin and his wife Rosie were warned that surgery and after-care was going to be long and expensive ? but they felt Bob, who was Rosie?s 40th birthday present, had to be given a chance. Bob was rushed to a specialist in Bristol where he underwent extensive reconstructive surgery on his pelvis. Martin said: ?We had to do it, because of the sort of dog he is. Overtime you look at him, he looks back at you with this sort of ?Dad, I?ll be all right? look ? even the vets felt it. ?I just said to them do what you have to do. I think the dog?s face tells you when he?s had enough, but every time I took him in, you could see he was willing to keep going.? Back home on the farm, Bob initially had to be taken to the vets twice a day to be catheterised ? eventually, vets inserted a special catheter under a general anaesthetic and Martin had to drain Bob?s bladder himself every four hours. Bob also received acupuncture treatment to stimulate the nerve supply to the bladder and help with pain and post-operative healing. Eventually the red letter day came when Bob cocked his leg for the first time since the accident. Martin said: ?We have had a lot of problems with the widdling but he?s doing it properly now ? for the last twelve months we?ve been telling him off for piddling indoors ? now we?re saying ?Well done!?. ?He comes everywhere with me, he even follows me up to the bedroom. He?s always with me, in the LandRover or in the tractor ? some dogs you get really attached to and he?s one of them.? Farmers may have a reputation for being unsentimental about their animals, but Martin said they could also be ?the softest people around?. ?We have a job to do but when it comes to the animals, money doesn?t always come first.? And Bob and Martin?s determination to recover from the accident has so impressed staff at Okeford Veterinary Centre, they have awarded them their special ?Braveheart? award. A spokesman said: ?We are impressed at his determination and his speed of recovery ? he is now reclaiming ownership of the farmyard by marking it several times over!?
