A naughty dog that no-one wanted to look after has now found himself a home, thanks to the efforts of staff at an Oxfordshire animal sanctuary.

Red, a whippet cross, had been living at the Blue Cross animal adoption centre, in Burford, for five months because he had not been trained well enough.

Because of his boisterous behaviour, no-one seemed willing to give Red a chance.

Found as a stray in Yorkshire, he had been sent all the way to Burford because no one wanted to take him on.

So staff here decided they would have to take him in hand, and after some serious training, he is working towards his Bronze Kennel Club Good Citizen Award and has found a new home with Andree and George Coles in Carterton.

The couple went to the Blue Cross centre after their Staffie and German Shepherd female dogs died earlier this year.

Mr Coles, 76, said: "We went there looking for a female, fairly large and not too young dog - because we didn't want her to outlive us - and we ended up with a male dog, who is small and young."

But after meeting Red, and hearing that he had been there longer than any other dog in the centre, they decided he was the one for them.

Mr Coles said: "He is lovely - very affectionate, very friendly, and quite a pretty dog too.

"We've had no problems with him at all, he's house trained, although he doesn't come when he's called, but we'll work on that.

"I really can't understand why no one wanted him, as he is a really lovely dog."

Helen Wright, centre manager, said many potential owners had been put off adopting him because, despite his lovely red coat, his behaviour was too much.

She said: "We are so pleased that Red has finally got the home he deserves. We knew he had a lot to give and it was a team effort to make sure he understood boundaries and how to follow commands.

"We spend time matching the right owners to the right dog and the Coles and Red seem made for each other."

Mr Coles added: "It's great that staff spent so much time training him to make sure he would find a new home."

To find out more about animals ready for adoption, call The Blue Cross centre on 01993 825500 or visit www.bluecross.org.uk