AS A beloved assistance dog enters retirement, he has been celebrated alongside owner and best friend Stephen Pugh for raising more than £26,000 for charity.

Scott the dog took off his assistance jacket for the last time as he reached his 10th birthday on Wednesday, but not without spending one last final day fundraising at Sainsbury’s, in Bridge Street.

Stephen and Scott the dog as a duo have been collecting cash for assistance dog charity Dogs for Good for years, after the loving black Labrador came to live with the 50-year-old seven years ago through the non-profit’s scheme.

Scott the dog “absolutely loves” fundraising, and was highly commended for his charitable efforts in the Pride of Andover Awards 2015.

Stephen, who was also recognised with an award in 2010, said: “He loves it. He’s just lying there not bothered, he loves all this fuss and attention.

“I know it is 50/50 but most of it has been him, just sitting there with those brown eyes, he’s the one that gets the money.”

Stephen says having Scott the dog has “changed” his life, getting the support for his visual impairment and muscle wastage on the physical side of things, but also emotionally.

The King Arthurs Way resident added: “In 2012 my wife passed away and he’s been there through that. Four years ago my mother passed away he helped me through that as well and my brother-in-law passed away. There is a lot of things he’ll help you with which have been out of his criteria.

“He’ll just come to you and sit his head on your lap and give you a big lick, lick the tears away and tell you he’s there for anything.”

Scott the dog, who loves carrot sticks as his favourite snack, will be rehomed to live out his days of leisure, but Stephen said he loves work and will need “TLC and lots of exercise” to keep him happy.

Stephen is placing a pause on the fundraising but hopes he will get a new assistance dog to join him once more and then will get back to the tin collecting.

With the £26,179 raised, the dog lover and best friend covered the cost of an assistance dog’s whole working life, but in addition the money raised could also feed ten puppies for a year.

Dogs for Good regional fundraiser Rosie Blanning said: “We’re very lucky to have Stephen volunteering for us, he’s going to leave a big hole in a lot of areas.

“We would just like to say we appreciate everything that Stephen has done with Scott over the years. It’s just second to none.”

The pair have been left with some thank you gifts for their service to the cause.