I went to rescue a dog and the dog has rescued me.

These are the words of Christopher McCarron who will wed his fiancee Margaret Allison in Motherwell this month.

Alongside him will be his best man – his dog Jack who played a huge part in bringing the couple together.

Christopher, 68, admits he was “suffering terribly” following the death of his son Christopher Jnr at the age of 44 three years ago.

But a chance visit to the Dogs Trust Centre in West Calder turned his life around.

Motherwell man Christopher said: “When my son died I was feeling very low. I ended up getting divorced and sold my business.

“My last dog had just died so I decided I wanted to get another one so I went up to West Calder. When I saw Jack we just clicked.

“He had been at the centre for nine months and hadn’t been well looked after so he didn’t need some love as well.

“Margaret was also there looking for a dog and saw how well I was getting on with Jack.

“We struck up a conversation and she asked me for my number because she wanted to see how Jack was getting on - and here we are!

“I went to rescue a dog and the dog has rescued me.”

Christopher Jnr died in 2016 following a heart problem.

He had previously battled back from a kidney transplant.

Christopher Snr and Margaret will tie the knot at the registry office at Motherwell Civic Centre on June 19.

And Rottweiler Jack will be there alongside Christopher as his best man.

Rottweilers do not have the best reputation but Christopher insists his dog is the friendliest he has ever had.

“It’s not the breed of dog, it’s the owners,” said Christopher.

“When I got Jack he had been used as a guard dog, was kept in a kennel and essentially didn’t have a home life.

“The first couple of weeks were hard but I worked with him and now you couldn’t meet a more friendly dog.

“He has turned into such a huge part of our lives that he had to be there at our wedding.

“I’m really thankful to North Lanarkshire Council for allowing us to bring Jack to the wedding.

“I think the Dogs Trust were ready to give up on him but I think this was meant to happen.”