The matted mutt found tied to a wheelbarrow set to light up Crufts
LEFT chained to a wheelbar- row inside a derelict building in Cyprus, her fur grew so long and matted that her head and tail couldn’t be seen.
Abandoned dog Binky was so filthy that she was brown rather than her real cream colour. Now, however, she has undergone a remarkable transformation – which will be completed next month when she appears at Crufts.
The crossbreed, called a ‘Cinderella dog’ by new owner Val Lewis, will take part in an obedience class demonstration at the show, run by the Kennel Club.
Mrs Lewis, 59, from Coventry, rescued Binky when she was a ‘bag of bones’ just over a year ago after seeing an appeal on Facebook by the charity Cyprus Dog Rescue.
‘I was moved and wanted to give her a good home,’ said Mrs Lewis, who runs a dog salon. ‘The conditions she had been left in were heartbreaking – a dark and dingy room full of rubbish and chained to this wheelbarrow. Binky is adorable, she’s so soft and loving and friendly. She’s just a happy little dog.’
Binky goes to obedience sessions at local training club Sound Hounds as part of the Kennel Club’s Good Citizen dog scheme.
Last summer she was best in class and best in show at the Sound Hounds annual show. Next month, at the Kennel Club’s invitation, she will join others from her class at Crufts to demonstrate what the ses- sions can offer and will take part in an obedience test where she will walk at heel, sit, wait and be groomed.
Mrs Lewis, who will lead Binky into the show ring, added: ‘What an achievement to end up at Crufts after being where she was. She’s a really good advert for a rescue dog.’