The idea of a youngster from a tough background rising up to become a sports star may sound like the storyline of a blockbuster movie, but for Jess the border collie this is exactly how things could turn out.
When she arrived at West Yorkshire Dog Rescue aged six months, Jess was dangerously thin, riddled with worms and suffering from a bad case of fleas - but since being adopted by six-year-old Neve Barraclough the pair have gone on to become a formidable flyball partnership.
Flyball was first introduced in the UK at Crufts in 1990 and has gone on to become an extremely popular sport throughout the country.
Neve and Jess now hope to be accepted into the Young Kennel Club flyball class next year, and are looking to follow in the footsteps of the Barraclough family's other dog Kizzie, who is also a member of the class.
In the first ten months of 2012 West Yorkshire Dog Rescue was able to re-home 182 dogs, and has recently received a £4,000 grant from the Kennel Club.
