A SHAGGY rescue dog from Formby has been crowned the North West region’s RSPCA Dog of the Year.

Sally, who is described by own- ers Bernadette and Ken Lunt as looking like an exploding sofa, is now up against six dogs in a national final.

It has been a massive trans- formation from a quivering shell of a dog abandoned to an RSPCA kennel, to being paraded in the main ring at Crufts last March.

Bernadette, who lives with her family in Brewers Lane, Formby, said: “The Kennel Club invited Pets As Therapy dogs to do a display and out of the thousands around the country Sally was one of the chosen 50. It was brilliant and shows how much people think of Sally.”

Picked up for just £72 from the RSPCA Southport Animal Centre, Sally was a bag of bones 18 months ago but something about her caught Bernadette’s eye.

She said: “We didn’t go to the RSPCA looking for another dog, in fact I had told the boys that two dogs was enough, no more. But there she was and, although she was a mess, I just thought she was gorgeous.

“There was something special behind those eyes, something I hadn’t seen before after more than 20 years of dog ownership.

“She wasn’t house trained and was really distrustful of men but after six months of patience and understanding, she developed into the confident loving dog I knew was inside. I registered Sally as a Pets As Therapy dog soon after.”

Pets As Therapy (Pat) dogs like Sally visit people with severe learning and physical disabilities, on talks to community groups, school visits and fund-raising events. She has an uncanny ability to detect how people are feeling.

Bernadette said: “She knows when to leave people alone, when to play or when to just sit quietly while she gets a hug.

“At a school recently we went in and there was an autistic boy who teachers feared might be scared or trouble when he saw Sally, and she lay down. The boy went up and lay down next to her and put her arm over her.

“One of the people she has worked with summed it up. She said: ‘Sally impacts on everyone she meets. She brings a smile to the most desperate situation. She gives to everyone and judges no-one.’ I think that’s amazing.”