Amanda Bell and her pointer Percy head to Crufts 2019 looking for a perfect ending to their story.

Amanda brought the rescue dog into her home in Worrall, near Sheffield, just eight months ago and now he is hoping to be named the winner of Scruffts – the competition for crossbreed dogs.

After finding him on the streets in Cyprus, having been shot and suffering with failing kidneys, they nursed him back to health and now he is shining.

“When they found him he was 9kg and when he came over he was up to about 16kg, now he is up to 23kg,” Amanda said.

“I’ve had rescue dogs before but Percy was the most terrified I have had. When you look at him now, you don’t realise the progress he has made day to day.

“When you look back over the eight months and see the change you can’t believe it’s the same dog.

“It has been lovely to see and watch where he has come from to now, he was a day away from dying with his injuries.

“I’m just proud of him because he shows anyone about determination and how to learn to trust again.

“It fills me up when I look at what he has been through and what he has become now.”

Percy was named best crossbreed rescue at the semi-finals at the ExCeL centre in London, where he was handled by her father Michael as Miss Bell was on holiday.

When he first came to the UK in June he was not able to interact with anyone outside the family and would often run and hide when people arrived.

His nerves would not allow him to go out of the garden gate and what should be a two-minute walk would take an hour.

Now he loves going out to new places and meeting new people.

Percy has also earned a Kennel Club Good Citizen Scheme Bronze award, as he has begun passing their training and obedience exercises to show the progress he has made.

And Amanda, 42, is optimistic he will take his chance to shine at Crufts in Birmingham.

Percy is one of six finalists in the Scruffts competition, with entries from more than 1,200 crossbreeds and their owners.

Amanda is heading to the show to also compete in the pedigree categories with her other pointers Norman and Dennis as well as her Italian Bracco Geoffrey.

But she is most proud of the journey Percy has been on.

“It’s unbelievable to take him to Crufts,” Amanda said.

“When he did make it to the semi-finals I did not quite believe it, I had already booked a cruise because I was not expecting it.

“It’s amazing he was able to walk in the ring there, so I am already amazingly proud of him.

“He’s a handsome dog and I think he sits quite proud now, so he looks at the judges and takes their eye towards him.

“I’m more proud of Percy getting there than the others because he has got there on his own merit.”