A 16-YEAR-OLD dog that dodged death when it was hit by a car has bounced back to make a starring turn at a local dog show.

Black-and-white lurcher Harry was hit by a fast-moving car on the A449 near his home in Malvern Wells in January last year.

His owners, Nick Lloyd and Rebecca Mayner, said Harry was lucky to be alive, but they were delighted to see him fight his way back to full fitness.

But despite his grand old age and having undergone a separate operation since his accident, Harry showed that you can teach an old dog new tricks when he took part in the show, which was his very first.

It was Mr Lloyd’s mother Sheila Whelan who decided to enter Harry into the veterans’ class at a fund-raising RSPCA dog show held in Kempsey, near Worcester.

And she was delighted when judges awarded him second place in the 20-strong category even though he was up against much younger competition.

What made Harry’s achievement all the more impressive was that he was accompanied in the show by 12-year-old Georgia Wiley, the grand-daughter of one of Mrs Whelan’s friends who had accompanied her to the show that day.

“She had never met Harry before in her life and neither of them had ever set foot in the ring before,” said Mrs Whelan, who lives in Callow End, near Worcester, and volunteers for the RSPCA.

“We were over the moon for them. It was fairytale stuff.

“Harry is 16 and has been through a lot, but he just keeps on going. I think he is absolutely brilliant.”