Following the serious injury sustained by Tenpin at Perry Barr on Thursday night, trainer David Mullins is able to offer a slightly more optimistic outlook.

He said: “He broke his tibia and dislocated his hock. The tibia is the bigger issue. It is quite a small bone but they are hoping to repair it which will give him full movement. If this fails during surgery the hock will be fused, which will restrict any movement.

“We are not out of the woods yet.  The biggest concerns are that there aren’t any complications during surgery, or infection of course. If they can make space, they are very busy, he will be operated on later this afternoon. If not, it will be over the weekend.

“It has been very sad but it is incredible how many people have been in touch just to send their best wishes and concerns. He is obviously a far more popular dog than we realised, which has been tremendous. He isn’t just a very good dog, as everyone in the kennel knows, he is a lovely dog too.”