Mr Smith said he noticed the dog seemed slow last November.
He added: "I put it down to his age and maybe a bit of arthritis, but I was coming home from work one day and he just collapsed into the gutter.
"I got him up after a long struggle and took him to my vet, who examined him and he said it was his heart.
"He said it was beating so slowly there was something seriously wrong with him and that he would have to be retired."
But then the Formby vet referred Ely to Mr Swift at the Cheadle Hulme clinic.
Bill, who manages a computer resource room at Southport College, added: "Within a couple of days of having the operation he was running around chasing balls again.
"It was a massive relief for me. "Without the operation Ely would have almost certainly died, but it was much cheaper for them to pay for the op than to find me another dog.
"The way things are going I think he's got another five or so years left in him, then we can both retire together and live in the lap of luxury!"
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