Eileen West's collie Finty was born with the genetic condition osteochondritis, which affects the joints in a dog's body.

However Finty, who is one-and-a-half, has had two successful operations to treat the painful condition which causes the cartilage and bone in a joint to become inflamed. She capped off her recovery by winning her first flyball event last weekend.

Neil Cockburn, from the Town and Country Veterinary Group in Banchory, carried out the operations to treat the condition that had affected Finty's shoulders. She had her first operation last November and the second in February.

Owner Eileen is delighted her dog is enjoying a new lease of life since the successful operations.

She said: "Before Finty had the operations, we weren't sure if she would make a full recovery and be able to lead a normal life, but thankfully her recovery has been brilliant.

"Neil Cockburn at the vets was fantastic and it is thanks to his help that Finty is enjoying her life so much now."

Finty was part of the winning Banchory Highlanders flyball team that represented the McWilliam Dog club from Banchory at Redcar, Cleveland, at the end of last month.

In flyball competitions, teams of dogs race against each other by jumping over hurdles to a box that releases a tennis ball that the dogs catch before returning to their handlers.

Eileen, who also has a cocker spaniel called Scarlett and a golden retriever called Dinah, added: "We were just thrilled for her to be taking part in the event, never mind win. She did fantastically well."

Vet Neil Cockburn said: "It is great to hear that Finty is doing so well. Osteochondritis is not an uncommon disease for dogs to have and if it is diagnosed at a young age, the dog can usually make a full recovery. However, to do well in something so active after having had two major operations is a great achievement."

Yvonne McWilliam who runs the McWilliam Dog Club was also thrilled to see Finty do so well.

She said: "For the dog to even be able to do flyball, let alone be part of a winning team against some of the top sides from England, is amazing. I had a collie that had osteochondritis and we sadly had to put the dog to sleep when it was only seven months old.

"To discover that Finty had the condition in both shoulders must have been devastating for Eileen, but the surgery has been a success and Finty really seems to have fought against the odds. That was our last event of the season and it is great to round things off with a victory."