Delightful Duke is now a King of Crufts after nearly being shot.
The adorable crossbreed stray was about to be gassed in Romania when a charity rescued him and sent him to Britain.
He has found a home and a new lease of life with owner Clare Gallacher, 51, in Osgathorpe, Leics.
And his crowning glory came this month when he was named the most beautiful crossbreed at the Crufts dog show.
Clare, who lives with her four dogs and three daughters, said: “I’ve never seen another dog like him. It’s a real stunner. He is just gorgeous.
The animal lover welcomed Duke two years ago after he was rescued from a shelter by Rommi Rescue’s Donna Pollard.
Clare told how her dog would have been rounded up, alongside 30 other dogs, and gassed if she hadn’t given him a home.
She said: “The dog catchers in Romania are paid to bring the dogs to the killing shelters and they keep them for so many weeks and then shoot them or gas them. It’s horrible.
Clare thinks Duke is part Romanian and about five years old.
She said: “The only thing wrong with him was malnutrition and he had a damaged ear because when they took them out to kill shelters they would tap them in the ears.”
Clare added that initially he was quite responsive about food as he had to fend for himself on the streets, but he is better now.
Duke’s victory at Crufts earned him a glass trophy and a rosette.
Read more
Read more
