Hundreds join terminally ill guide dog's final walk organised by Wigan Dragon slayer

Video shows some of the dogs, owners and supporters who turned up at Blackpool's North Pier so they could walk with Ian the guide dog on his final walkies.

Although the poorly dog was unable to walk, he joined in with over 80 furry pals, being pushed in a doggy pram so that his many friends and supporters could say their goodbyes.

Former Dragon’s Den winner and now volunteer puppy walker, Gemma Fairhurst, from Wigan, organised the event with just a week’s notice - aware that Ian has only been given a very short time to live.

Sadly, Ian - who was just a year away from his retirement - was diagnosed with an inoperable sarcoma in his chest, and lymphoma in his lymph nodes, in early January.

He was a working guide dog for Mark Fielding in Blackpool, but recently returned to spend his final days with Gemma, now living in Chorley, who had trained him for the first 18 months and bonded with the “loveable” pup who was also “a right handful.”

She said: “No matter what he did, to whoever he did it to, there was nobody on Earth who could be mad at a guide dog .”

Gemma, who has since helped to raise 20 more guide dogs, even managed to stay in touch with her pal over the years - becoming good friends with his new owners.

“As an unbelievable stroke of luck, Ian’s forever dad, Mark, reached out to me and told me all about how Ian was doing and soon we became good friends and I got to visit Ian again.

"Ian was back in my life and I couldn’t be happier.

"Since then, we’ve kept in touch and it makes me so happy to see the wonderful life that Ian and Mark have had by each other’s side.

"The love that Mark shows Ian is inspiring and the devotion they both have for each other makes me so happy."

More than 200 people turned out at the walk - despite being organised at short notice.

Gemma added: “Ian's walk was so amazing, we never expected the amount of support that Ian has had.

"I think his story has really touched a nerve with people everywhere.

"Ian is such a special dog, and now he’s not got long left, it was an amazing way to have his final walk, with so much love around him”.

As well as being a beautiful send-off for the guide dog, Gemma’s goal was also to raise enough money to pay for another guide dog puppy in his name.

They have so far raised £5,856 - smashing the target on GoFundMe - with donations come in from all around the world.

She added: “I’m so overwhelmed with the love and support for Ian and we’re all so happy that his amazing guide dog legacy can now carry on with another pup named Ian.”