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Beauly dog Miracle a finalist in the Amplifon Awards Brave Britons contest; the pooch and his Highland owner Amanda Leask, recently delighted STV and ITV viewers with their heart-warming appearances on Britain's Got Talent


By Philip Murray

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Miracle's tale struck a chord with TV audiences.
Miracle's tale struck a chord with TV audiences.

A TV star pooch from the Highlands, who survived being captured for the dog meat trade and later who won the hearts of Britain's Got Talent viewers, is a finalist in the Amplifon Awards for Brave Britons.

Miracle (8), whose story and magic tricks won the hearts of millions watching him reach the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent, has reached the final four in the Hero Pet category as global hearing aid specialist Amplifon searches for unsung heroes who represent the ‘Best of British’.

Only a few years ago the crossbreed was discovered trapped in a cage in Thailand with more than 1000 other dogs. He was saved and brought to the UK by Amanda Leask (50), from Inverness-shire, who has over 40 dogs, most of them rescues.

Amanda said: “We didn’t know Miracle was alive at first, but when a rescuer’s camera flash went off in the cage where he was being held, he opened his eyes and we knew we had to get him out of there. It was a miracle that he was a live, which is why we gave him the name Miracle!

“Rescue dogs have an incredible resilience, and Miracle is no different. When he arrived with us in Scotland, he instantly formed a special bond with my 11-year-old son, Kyle, who has autism and cerebral palsy. If Kyle gets upset, Miracle will be right by his side and comfort Kyle by letting him touch the back of his neck.”

Miracle first appeared on BGT in May and his show-stopping magic tricks took him through to the semi-finals, with judges overcome with emotion at every performance. In their first show, Miracle performed a magic trick that revealed four of Amanda’s other dogs.

In 2015 Miracle won Rescue Animal of the Year at the Animal Hero awards and the Eukanuba Crufts Friends for Life award. Amanda’s book, ‘Miracle: The extraordinary dog that refused to die’ was published in 2016 and details the struggles that the rescue faced throughout his life.

Miracle and Amanda have been invited to the virtual awards presentation on Tuesday, October 13, when Radio 5 Live breakfast presenter Rachel Burden will host the event, and Falklands War hero Simon Weston will be guest of honour.

The Amplifon Awards for Brave Britons are in their fifth year and celebrate remarkable people and pets.

Set up in honour of Amplifon’s founder, WWII Hero Major Charles Holland, the awards recognise courage and achievement in the categories of Against All Odds, Service to Country, Charity Champion, Active Agers, Young Hero, Hero Pet, Celebrity Hero and Coronavirus Hero.

The judges will choose an Overall Hero Award winner from the category winners.

Charles Holland was awarded the MBE and Military Cross and received the Bronze Star from the United States government in 1948 for his bravery behind enemy lines during WWII.

After the war he dedicated his life to providing better hearing for people affected by the conflict and in 1950 launched Amplifon which has become a global company specialising in providing the hearing solutions and devices.

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