It could be the plot of a feelgood Hollywood film - a down-on-their-luck homeless youngster is spotted by a producer who sees a glimpse of something special and makes them a star. That's what happened to Cheeka, a stray chihuahua who was found wandering the streets of Harrogate in 2019.
After being taken in by the Dogs Trust centre in Leeds, just a week later, a couple looking to complete their family came to visit. Andrew Fretwell and Andrew Ashley were searching for a big dog, but their hearts melted when they were introduced to the pocket-sized pooch in person.
Andrew Fretwell said: "We had just lost our two Labradors, and my husband and I were heartbroken, so we decided to rescue a dog.
"We were open minded as to what we wanted to adopt but have always had big dogs historically, even both separately as children.
"However, when we arrived, we looked around and fell in love with this tiny little Chihuahua. We knew straight away that she was the dog for us."
The couple, who are co-founders of Diva Productions and put on theatre shows across Yorkshire, gave Cheeka a new name, Coco Chanel.
Then earlier this year, they decided to see how she would take to life in the spotlight.
They cast her in Legally Blonde as Bruiser, the pet chihuahua of leading lady Elle Woods, at the Theatre Royal in Wakefield.
Coco loved the limelight and stole the show.
Andrew revealed that since the production finished, Coco has had five further offers to reprise her role.
"She is our little star. We don't know what life she led before, but we have made sure she lives like a queen now," he said.
The couple decided to make Dogs Trust the charity beneficiary of the Legally Blonde production, raising £800 to help other dogs like Coco in need of adoption.
Amanda Sands, centre manager at Dogs Trust Leeds said: "It's such a lovely happy ending. At the centre, Coco was a really sweet and very friendly, sociable girl.
"As she was found as a stray, we did not know anything about her history, but it was estimated she was around five years old at the time. Everyone at the centre fell in love with her, so it was wonderful to see her rehomed so quickly."
WAGONY AUNT
How can I train my dog to walk nicely so she will stop pulling on her lead?
The main reason your dog pulls on her lead is because she's learned that pulling gets her where she wants to go more quickly.
Instead, she needs to learn that not pulling works best to get to the park.
Start off in your home or garden, where it's nice and quiet. Without the lead to begin with, reward your dog with a tasty treat when she is sitting or standing by your side.
Make sure you give her lots of praise when you do this and she’ll learn that being next to you really pays off.
Next, start to add in some movement by taking some steps forward, making sure your dog follows you and is stopping by your side.
Build up the time she is walking by your side before giving treats and praise.
Once she's doing this reliably it's time to introduce the lead and practice at home. As she walks calmy by your side, introduce a cue, like 'with me'.
As she is already pulling on walks, make it clear for her the difference between 'training time' and 'normal' walks.
For example, you could attach her lead to a harness for walks and her collar during training.
Head out for your walk with the harness whilst she is excited but switch to the collar once you're away from distractions or she's tired – maybe on the way back home.
Use the cue and reward her for walking with you, even if only for a few steps to start with.
Build the length of time you are 'training', and if she is calm, gradually start to work on this when there are distractions around.
Eventually, the 'training time' will replace 'walking time' and you can head out for your whole walk with her calmly walking by your side.
For more information and expert advice, visit dogstrust.org.uk. Do you have a question for Rachel? Email petclub@mirror.co.uk
CATS CORNER
Lupin the cat must love a bargain - his favourite way to spend his days is wandering the aisles of the local supermarket.
The black cat came to locals' attention when they spotted him scampering among the trolleys in the Haverhill branch of Aldi in Suffolk.
Shopper Jade Morgan, who took a shine to Lupin, said he also visited a nearby Tesco and was fond of the KFC takeaway.
"But Aldi seems to be his favourite," she said. "He's a lovely cat and I think he's put a smile on the faces of the people in Haverhill."
PET PIC
Zazu, an African Bosc Monitor lizard was rushed to the vet after becoming unsteady, going off their food and developing constipation.
At first vets thought Zazu, who lives at Solihull College, might be suffering from neurological issues but a detailed examination uncovered the real cause of the problem - they had swallowed a large amount of sand which had lodged in their intestines.
After a delicate operation, the sand was removed, and vets had another surprise for Zazu's owners - it turns out the reptile is a she, not a he as they had previously thought.
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