When the theatre held auditions for Dorothy's canine companion, Toto, in The Wizard of Oz, 15-year-old Shannon Wyllie, of Flore, took her grandmother's dog, Parker, to vie with dozens of other hopefuls.

Caryl Wyllie, Parker's owner, said the winning crossbreed was already a star and she was looking forward to seeing him on stage.

"He's called Parker because he's nosy, but he's a lovely little dog and he loves everybody," said Mrs Wyllie.

"He's quite easy to train and his main party trick is that he can sneeze to order.

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"I had him from kennels in Braunston and the only thing we know is that he was found wandering in woods.

"When we took him to the audition, the director and the actress wanted to work with him on the stage for a while, so we left and, apparently, he didn't even look to see where we had gone."

Mrs Wyllie's daughter, Laura, is a dog trainer and her daughter, Shannon, is also following in her footsteps after recent successes at Scruffts with her dogs, Copper and Toddy.

Shannon's dogs have also been invited to photoshoots for a trick-training book, as well as performing at country festivals.

Laura said: "I am so proud of the effort Shannon puts into her dogs.

"She is a great ambassador for junior handlers, positive training and responsible dog ownership. We are hoping to get a sponsor for Shannon and her dogs, to help fund all their activities in the future."

The Wizard of Oz has a seven-week run during Christmas at the Royal Theatre, in Guildhall Road, from December 3 to January 11.