A dog who has raised thousands of pounds for charity through his owner’s shop in Keswick has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Zak the collie, who has a distinctive half-black and half-white face, is familiar to many people in the town centre where there is a collection box figure of him outside the Cherrydidi gift shop.
Thousands of people follow Zak’s antics via his own Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts where the sad news has been announced.
The shop in St John’s Street also sells many of Zak’s own personalised branded items like mugs, prints and clothing, much of which is ethically produced and show his split-face collie marking.
Donations from Zak’s Lakeland Legacy go to the Search and Rescue Dog Association and the Border Collie Trust.
Owner Jean Harmer said: “Zak is going to pass away pretty soon. It will be weeks rather than months. Everyone is bracing themselves. He sleeps a lot of the time but he has been coming out with me in the car every morning when I go for my morning swim.”
Jean has followed up her own Feel Good February challenge of going for an open water swim every morning by extending it into Mad Dog March, motivating herself and other people during lockdown.
“A week in, the vet told me Zak had cancer and that they can’t remove it. But I have kept it going as all his followers like to see photos and footage of him when we are out in the morning, still going strong.
“He has raised nearly £10,000 for charity so far,” added Jean, who also has a shop in Ambleside, having first traded in Caldbeck before opening in Keswick five years ago.
