Award in honour of pensioner forced to choose between pet or care home

An elderly pensioner who had to choose between his beloved pet or his care home after the death of his wife is being remembered in a new humane award.

Bob Harvey and his dog Darcie made headlines across the country when they were ordered to leave the ‘pet friendly’ care home they had moved into with Bob’s late wife Margaret.

Now East Lothian charity Fostering Compassion has joined forces with the Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS) to launch the Bob Harvey Award honouring care facilities who go above and beyond to support the bond between people and their pet companions.

Lesley Winton, founder of Fostering Compassion, was involved with Bob’s case helping raise awareness of his plight and funds to help him move into a private rental home with Darcie.

Bob and his wife moved into a Borders care home with Darcie after Margaret developed dementia.

However following Margaret’s death a new management team at the home decided Darcie could no longer stay and gave Bob the choice of remaining alone or finding somewhere else to live.

More than 300,000 people signed a petition calling for Bob and Darcie to remain together at the home but they refused to change their position and at the age of 87, Bob had to move out of the home with Darcie, into a bungalow in the North of England.

Bob passed away in 2019 at the age of 90 and Darcie, who was 14, went to live with family friends before he also lost his life some months later.

Lesley said the new Bob Harvey award had been named in Bob’s memory to highlight what happened to him.

She said: “Fostering Compassion is delighted to be working with SCAS in launching the Bob Harvey Award in memory of a very special old man and his little dog.

“Very often, an animal may be the only reason an older person wants to carry on and the strength of this bond must be recognised and wherever possible, protected.

“We very much want to encourage, support and recognise any care home or care facilities, hospitals or hospices that go above and beyond to try and protect the human-animal bond during difficult life changes and times of transition.

“The fact that this will be done in Bob’s memory, makes it all the more special.”

Nominations for the award can be made up until August 20 and more details can be found here.