Mopsy the greyhound may have had an undistinguished racing career, retiring at the age of 18 months, but she has made up for it since by reaching the national finals of a pet training competition alongside her proud owner, Anne Gransby.

Mrs Gransby, of Burnham Close, Enfield, first discovered a sorry looking Mopsy at Whittingham Kennels, near Waltham Abbey, where she had ended up after failing to make the grade as a racing dog.

Anne said: "She started off a very timid and shy dog, she was afraid of everything. I had to train her to socialise with other dogs.

"Then tragically she broke her leg while out in the park and had to have pins in her legs for three months but she was brave and recovered well. I became determined to make something out of her."

With the help of Steve Mann, a trainer from the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) Mopsy discovered a new lease of life and has become one of only 15 dogs nationwide to make the finals of the James Wellbeloved and APDT Tails of Achievements Awards, in recognition of her incredible progress.

She has also become a Pets as Therapy dog and will be visiting local hospices and care homes after passing her temperament test with flying colours. Thousands of greyhounds are bred for the racing track every year but those who don't make it often spend years languishing in kennels or worse. But through the work of the Walthamstow Stadium home finding scheme, hundreds of dogs like Mopsy are adopted as pets.

Mrs Gransby said: "Greyhounds have good temperaments but people don't realise what good pets they make, they just see them as racing dogs."

The Tails of Achievement Awards take place at Newbury Racecourse in Berkshire on September 2 and prizes for the winner include a weekend away at a dog-friendly hotel. If you are interested in adopting a former racing greyhound please contact the Walthamstow Home Finding scheme on 01992 890 540.