A SEARCH for care home heroes is being launched by an East Lothian charity in memory of a pensioner who made headlines after he was forced to choose between his beloved dog and care.

Bob Harvey and his dog Darcie were told they would have to leave the ‘pet-friendly’ care home they had moved into with Bob’s late wife Margaret after a new owner took over.

The Bob Harvey Award, which was created by Ormiston-based charity Fostering Compassion and the Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS), now awards care facilities which go above and beyond to support the bond between people and their pet companions.

Nominations for this year’s award are now open on Fostering Compassion’s website.

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 care home in Dumfries and Galloway with Darcie after Margaret developed dementia.

However, following Margaret’s death, a new management team at the home decided that 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 Cumbria.

Bob passed away in 2020 at the age of 90 and Darcie, who was 14, went to live with family friends before he also died a few weeks later.

Lesley said that the Bob Harvey Award kept the memory of what happened to him alive while commending those who went the extra mile.

She said: “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.”

Go to fosteringcompassion.org/connect-with-compassion/bob-and-darcie-fund for nomination forms.