A beagle that has used his incredible nose to rescue more than 60 fellow pooches has made the semi-finals in a Crufts competition.

Five-year-old Tiga uses his super-sensitive snout to sniff out stray and lost dogs on moorlands and in town centres across the country.

Accompanied by his owner Jenny Brown, from Woodlea, Leybourne, Tiga has tracked the scent of lost canines from Scotch Corner to Skegness, and Taunton to Stourport.

And their results have shot Tiga to doggy fame.

He now has fans following his progress on the k9tracker.co.uk website and on Dog Lost, a site that helps owners find their missing hounds.

So great has Tiga's success been that Mrs Brown, who offers her services for free, is in high demand.

She even sold her car to buy a small Nissan van kitted with a bed, gas stove and sink, so the pair can stay overnight and continue tracking in the morning.

Mrs Brown has even received calls from Holland and California to help find missing dogs, although so far she has not travelled that far.

The 54-year-old said: "Tiga is very attached to me and we go everywhere together.

"I just tell him to find the lost dog and wherever his nose goes I follow.

"You have to read him as well, to make sure you know when he's on the scent."

She said: "The reward is finding the missing dog alive and well and seeing the look on their owners' faces.

"Tiga knows when he's done well. He wags his tale so hard it shakes his whole body."

But cat lovers seeking Tiga's help will be disappointed. Mrs Brown said: "Cats are different.

"Tiga can sniff out a cat readily enough, but not a particular cat. I don't know why that is."

Tiga was nominated by five separate members of the public for the Friends for Life competition and has made it through to the final 10.

The Kennel Club, which runs Crufts, will whittle that down to five dogs that will go into the Friends for Life final, when the public will be asked to vote for the winner.