Afghan stray Wylie goes from dog fighting to Crufts

A dog who endured horrific cruelty in Afghanistan and remarkably survived against the odds could become top dog at Crufts today.

Wylie the mongrel was rescued close to death on the streets of Kandahar in Afghanistan by British soldiers in 2011.

Fast forward to today, and he is one of six finalists in Scruffts, a part of the Crufts show at Birmingham NEC which aims to find champion crossbreed dogs.

Wylie had been used as "a bait dog" - a pooch used by owners to get other canines riled up before a fight - in Afghanistan, where dog fighting is still a traditional sport in some parts of the country.

However, the four-year-old crossbreed was rescued by British soldiers in Kandahar, as he was being attacked by a mob armed with wooden sticks.

Back at base, Wylie was patched up by an Australian woman soldier, who feared he would not last the night.

Astonishingly, he did but just days later was back after dog-fighters had hacked off his ears, before cutting his muzzle open.

He was patched up again only to return with new injuries that included a stab wound to the chest and a severed tail.

It was the final straw when thugs threw him under a car and Wylie was given to the animal welfare charity Nowzad, who specifically rescue dogs from Afghanistan.

After he flew to Britain and spent six months in quarantine, his now owner Sarah Singleton began visiting him in his kennels after she was moved by his story.

Sarah told Daybreak about how she had Wylie had survived his horrific past to bring joy to a loving home:

Wylie has already won Scruft's Rescue Crossbreed Of The Year and will find out tonight if he is crowned the overall crossbreed champion.