A deaf sheepdog saved from death by a Bradford rescue centre has marked its first birthday.

Digby – who spends his days at the centre with a blind dog, Taffy – came to Mainline Border Collie Centre in Bingley after owner Barbara Sykes was contacted by volunteers at a dog pound.

She said: “His mother had been sold from a dog pound to a private house but she had six pups. The owners could not cope and put them back in the pound. The pups were weak and two died and the rest were going to be put to sleep aged two weeks, so we took them all in.”

As the mother was under-nourished, Barbara and volunteers at the centre hand-reared the pups, and found homes for all but Digby, who they quickly realised was deaf. “When all the other pups were coming for food he was still asleep. I would call him and shout him and he did not respond.”

Said Barbara: “We decided to keep him. We were concerned that with him being deaf, finding the right home was not going to be easy. He had to be with me all the time.”

With expert care and training, Digby has grown into a healthy, lively and intelligent dog.

Now Digby has taken on the role of ambassador for the centre and the Freedom of Spirit Trust for Border Collies which is based there and helps promote a better understanding of the breed and its needs.

The charity’s patron is solo long-distance yachts-woman Dame Ellen MacArthur.