SENIOR officials from a US animal charity were in the region yesterday to visit a dog rehoming centre.

The Dogs Trust centre, formerly known as NCDL, in Sadberge, near Darlington, has been singled out by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Texas, as a world leader in canine welfare.

It has been chosen to represent the national organisation, which is the largest UK charity dedicated to caring for dogs.

Clarissa Baldwin, chief executive of Dogs Trust, said: "The visitors have come to Britain to learn from us because we can all learn from each other. It is a very prestigious visit and they have certainly come a long way to be here.

"We selected Darlington for them to see as it a nice, cutting-edge centre and has got a pretty good name around the world."

Senior representatives from the SPCA, including chairwoman Mary Spencer and president Warren Cox, went on a tour of the home, guided by centre manager Catherine Gillie.

They met staff from the centre's neutering and micro- chipping campaign, which has run successfully since 1998. Dogs Trust has micro-chipped 48,165 dogs and neutered 31,665 in the North-East since the campaign started.