Six months ago he was living rough on the streets of Wanganui ... now a dog called Bandit is set to become a TV star.
In a classic rags-to-riches tale, Bandit, an 18-month-old heading dog-huntaway-cross, spent months evading animal control. Now the young tearaway has a loving home ... with a Wanganui animal control officer.
And he is also going to feature in the television show Purina Pound Pups to Dog Stars, a 12-part series that begins on TV One next Tuesday. In the series animal behaviour expert Mark Vette works with dogs that have been abandoned or abused to make them ready for rehoming.
Bandit became famous in Wanganui last summer when he was spotted wandering near Cooks Garden by people living and working in the area, some of whom fed him. Attempts by animal control to capture the four-legged fugitive failed as he was wary of humans.
Council staff gave him the name Bandit while he was on the run, and it stuck.