Terrier em-barks on new career with East Lancashire magician (From This Is Lancashire)

Terrier em-barks on new career with East Lancashire magician

7:10am Saturday 8th January 2011 in News By Emma Cruces , Reporter

IT isn’t just bones that disappear when Sophie the dog is around.

The terrier was turned away from two homes for bad behaviour.

But after being re-homed to a magician, she has become his assistant, performing an array of tricks.

And now she has been made an honorary member of the Magic Circle.

Sophie has perfected card tricks and is even to show off her new skills in the upcoming Britain's Got Talent auditions.

She is magician’s assistant to Ian Brown, from Clitheroe, who said: “What she has achieved is not bad for an over-excited dog who had spent six of its 12 months in an animal sanctuary.

“I had some simple tricks based on fetching in mind at first but she just wouldn’t do it.

"But if she had, we wouldn’t have come up with the card chosen from the card trick, which is her best one.”

Her piece de resistance sees her push a cart with a pack of cards in it across the stage and under a table, coming out with the appropriate card in her mouth.

Ian said classes at WAG dog training in Fence provided a good foundation for his magic training with Sophie, while her refusal to fetch actually meant developing better and more unusual tricks.

Twice before she was 12 months old Sophie was sent back to Altham’s RSPCA centre for ‘bad behaviour and biting’ by unimpressed owners.

But after being adopted by 63-year-old Mr Brown, who now lives in Skipton, the duo, who are part of Bradford’s Magic Circle, have charmed charities, rest homes and Scout troops with free magic shows.

Sophie has even appeared in an amateur dramatic performance of The Wizard of Oz.

Their act is now so successful they have set their sights on Britain’s Got Talent after passing a preview audition with programme makers.

The pair will appear in televised auditions to see if they can beat the buzzers at Manchester auditions next week.