A cocker spaniel from Worcester has been named runner-up in the national 'Pet of the Year' award.

Wilbur, a five-year-old hearing dog, has been an aid to Lucy Higgins, 41, who had been living in fear due to her hearing loss, and other serious health conditions such as Granulomatosis with Polyangitis (GPA).

Ms Higgins said: "I was completely healthy and studying at college when it hit and everything changed.

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"From then I wouldn't even call it a life, I was just existing."

Wilbur has helped alleviate Ms Higgin's anxieties by not only alerting her to phone calls, alarms or doorbells but also to help her regain her confidence outside of her home.

Ms Higgins said: "The first time we went to the park in my mobility scooter I looked round and thought how beautiful nature was and how much I’d missed it.

"My confidence has grown as people see his little uniform and want to talk about him as he is such a friendly, happy dog."

Wilbur was honoured with the Vets Now’s Pet of the Year Award, an annual award acknowledging the bond between pets and their owners.

Ms Higgins said: "I’m so proud of him and it’s so nice for him to get the award as it means other people see what he’s like, too."

"He has become my whole world as he’s changed my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined.

"He loves me unconditionally just the way I am and has helped me to accept myself.

“I'm no longer looking back.

"Now I look to the future as I have my best friend by my side.”

More about Wilbur's story can be found on Vets Now’s website (https://www.vets-now.com/2024/06/pet-of-the-year-runner-up-wilbur/).

For more information about Vets Now visit - https://www.vets-now.com/.