Dog pound boss praises TV Chandi

The owner of a Shropshire dog pound where Britain's Got Talent dancing pooch Chandi was taken in as a stray today said she was a beacon of hope for abandoned dogs across the country.

Marty Burrell, who owns Hilbrae Rescue Centre in Telford, said she could remember the day the four-month-old Blue Merle was rehomed with music teacher Tina Humphrey and described the moment as like "love at first sight".

It comes as animal charities warned the pressure of the live final might be too much for the dog.

She said the whole centre had been following their progress on the hit ITV1 show and are all keeping their fingers and paws crossed they can win Saturday's final and bring the title home to Shropshire.

Marty, who has been running Hilbrae since 1974, said she had no idea the day that Chandi left the centre that she would one day become a star.

Bond

She said: "I do remember Chandi as she is a Blue Merle and you don't tend to get a lot of them.

"She came in as a stray and she hadn't been here long only a couple of weeks. Tina had been round a few times and had a look at the dogs and then she saw Chandi and it was love at first sight."

Marty said it was obvious from day one the bond between the pair and said the level of trust they have was probably the reason why they have become such a success.

She said: "It's great to see her on TV. Of course it makes us proud to see Chandi and we can say that she is one of ours. It makes it all worthwhile when you see one doing really good and it makes up for all the down times.

"We wish Tina well for the final. She's put in a great deal of work with that dog and it's nice to see someone get rewarded for their efforts."

The RSPCA and Peta have raised concerns about whether she and other animals are equipped to cope with the rowdy live studio audience at the show.

But Chandi's owner has insisted her dog was happy but admitted she had been confused by the noise the audience was making.