A COLLIE cross that has been re-homed 13 times proved you can’t keep a good dog down by being crowned the waggiest tailed dog in the area.

Daisy stole the judges’ hearts at the Dogs Trust fun dog show held in Darlington’s South Park last week as her constantly wagging tail hid the trauma of her upbringing and endeared her to the public.

As well as winning the show’s Waggiest Tail class, Daisy also scooped the overall Best in Show prize as the crowd heard of her health problems and an upbringing characterized by abandonment.

Now living happily with Wendy Church in Newton Aycliffe, Daisy was first brought to the North-East after being passed along by 11 different owners in Nottingham.

Her twelfth owner, a nurse from Middlesbrough, brought her up to Teesside but soon realised that she could not give Daisy the time and attention she needed.

She contacted the North-East based Save our Strays charity for help and Mrs Church responded to the rehoming appeal to ensure it was 13th time lucky for Daisy.

She said: “Daisy has been passed from pillar to post.

“She was so highly stressed she kept weeing everywhere.

"Her last owner was a nurse who left her and another couple of other dogs for up to 12 hours whilst she worked, so Daisy was just in a real state.”

Mrs Church was determined to give Daisy the loving, forever home she deserved and winning the ‘waggiest tail’ at the Darlington show was a fitting reward for a dog that has kept her spark despite a difficult start in life.

“She loves people; she absolutely adores people,” said Mrs Church.

“It is why she wags her tail all the time, you only have to say her name and her tail just goes.

“I’m not going to say she’s always easy, but she’s a lovely dog and is part of our family.”

Despite Daisy's happy disposition, Mrs Church believes that she likely endured mistreatment as a younger dog as she cowers from walking sticks and has scars on her nose.

But that is all in the distant past for County Durham’s waggiest tailed dog thanks to Mrs Church, who said: “There is no way we would ever give her up; we love her.”