A seafaring dog has followed in his grandfather’s footsteps to work on the Glenelg ferry to Skye.
Border Collie Spot, who is the grandson of the original ‘ferry dog’ Nak, has kicked off his fifth season on the ferry alongside senior skipper Donnie MacDonald.
Donnie has been skippering the ferry for over 30 years and had always brought his faithful pet Nak along for the ride, who became known locally for his on-board antics before he died last year aged 15.
Now Spot has quite literally been shown the ropes by helping prepare the boat ahead of departure and looking out for customers.
Manager Jo Crawford told STV News: “The tourists absolutely love him and are enchanted by him. He’s friendly and handsome with a lovely nature.
“He’s a working dog. He helps tie and untie the ropes and never misses a crossing.
“He stands in the water at the bottom of the footway whining until the ferry comes up for the first crossing and he can jump on.”
The ferry takes passengers between Skye and the settlement of Glenelg on the western coast of the mainland between Easter and October.
Spot was “beside himself with excitement” waiting on the vessel to dock on his first day of the season as viewers praised his cleverness and called him “the star of the show.”
When not on duty on the ferry, he works as a sheepdog with owner Donnie at his croft in Glenelg with his mum Kym.
As far as his human colleagues are concerned, Spot is a chip off the old block who has inherited his grandad’s work ethic.
Jo added: “He is very similar to how Nak was. They were both hardworking and so loveable.
“His mum Kym still comes down to the boat but prefers to stay in the footway for people to throw her sticks.
“Spot will happily have a stroke while waiting for the boat to get to the other side – but he always gets on with the job.”
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