AN IRVINE dog is back fit and healthy, and enjoying walks in his favourite place - thanks in part to the generosity of readers of the Times!

Back in January, we shared the story of local woman Bethany Holland, and her fundraiser for her pet pooch Oscar.

The spaniel had suffered a cruciate ligament injury at the beginning of the year after he fell down a set of stairs at the Irvine beach.

The accident left Bethany's "best friend" in desparate need of surgery - and Bethany said that unless he was treated, she may have been left with no option but to put Oscar to sleep "as he would be in constant pain".

The pair have been through a lot in their time together, including a spell of homelessness.

Bethany said that Oscar had "saved my life" and now it was "my turn to save his".

After contacting "every vet school in Scotland, pet charities" and trying to get loans, Bethany was struggling to find a solution.

Her last hope was to launch a GoFundMe page, with the aim of raising £3,500 for the surgery that Oscar required, before the end of the month.

When we shared her fundraising campaign on January 12, she had raised just over £750 towards her target, which she had to meet by the end of the month.

And only four days later, she was thanking those who got behind her, as local support meant Oscar was unable to undergo surgery.

Now, just over two months later, Bethany got back in touch with the Times, giving us a wonderful update.

She said: "Oscar’s leg has fully recovered from the operation we had in February.

"We had X-ray come back today (March 30) and the vet is 100 per cent happy with his leg and we no longer need to be seen by the vet now.

"We are to gradually increase his exercise so he’ll be out swimming in the sea, building his leg muscle back up.

"I’m so so grateful to every single soul who helped me. Thank you so, so much for giving me my dog back."

And she even shared some heartwarming images, and a short video, of Oscar back in his favourite place - Irvine beach.

It certainly looks like Oscar is loving life once again - and it's great to see!