Rescue Dog ‘Alfie’ Wins Top British Award

by Patricia Collier

A two-and-a-half-year-old, rescued tan whippet-saluki-cross named Alfie has captivated hearts with his rags-to-riches story after the formerly neglected and abused dog won the British RSPCA’s Dog-Of-The-Year award for 2003.

This year marked the first time the competition included rescue dogs. They were judged on personality, relationship with their owner and appearance.

Despite a scar by the corner of his right eye and slash marks on his neck, Alfie stole the show, beating 70 other dogs to the title.

Louise Oxley acquired Alfie a year ago from a rescue facility. She and Alfie live in Abbeyhills in Oldham, near Manchester, in England.

"When we first got Alfie, he wouldn’t bark because his old owners beat him whenever he did," Oxley said.

"When he was six months old he was used for hare coursing but when they found out he wasn’t good enough, he was given to a 14-year-old boy. He hit Alfie all the time and even sliced him with a knife," Oxley said.

While Alfie’s physical scars are still evident, it’s obvious his spirit has made a resounding recovery from his ordeal.

"Now, Alfie has really changed. He jumps up to people and barks all the time," Oxley said.

"We just had to show him a lot of love," she explained. "Whenever he did something wrong and looked scared we would just stroke him and tell him it was alright."

Alfie is the perfect example of the wonderful dogs that can come from rescue facilities, asserts David Grant, veterinarian of the RSPCA’s Harmsworth Animal Hospital, and a judge for the final round of competition.

"With 22,269 pedigree and crossbreed dogs re-homed from RSPCA centers in 2002, RSPCA Dog-of-the-Year is a fantastic opportunity for dogs and their owners to take center stage and demonstrate that rescue animals can make excellent pets," Grant said.

This was the RSPCA’s 12th year for the event. The runner-up for Dog-of-the-Year 2003 was Ash, a black-and-white border collie from Warminster, Wiltshire.

Besides his RSPCA Dog-of-the-Year 2003 trophy and rosette, Alfie won a grooming kit plus a prize for his owners from Tesco, sponsor of the event.

© 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.