ALTHOUGH this dog’s life didn’t get off to the best start, the pup isn’t letting that slow him down.

    Riley, a border collie, was born to a family that couldn’t care for him and so he was sold on Craigslist to a Minnesota woman who abused him.

    But today, in spite of adversity, Riley is a championship-winning dog.

    “She has a perfect life now but unfortunately, if she would have went to any other home or stayed where she was she wouldn’t be around today,” her owner, Mark Faragoi, told InsideEdition.com.

    A rescue agency was able to save Riley at just a few weeks old and alerted Faragoi, a dog trainer, to the situation. Faragoi said he was touched by her story, adopted the pup at 10 weeks old and started training her for canine competitions.

    Since the age of 1, Riley has qualified for the world championships every year — winning the Incredible Dog Challenge in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Riley was a recent winner at the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge.

    “She thrives on the crowd energy. Whenever the crowd starts clapping, she just goes, and goes and goes. You’ll watch her, her tail will wag the whole time she’s out there. She lives for this,” Faragoi said.

    Faragoi said if Riley hadn’t fallen in his lap, her story could have been much different.

    “She was looking for a home that needed someone to spend time with her and work with her and bring her from nothing to something, and I was looking for a dog without me even knowing it,” Faragoi said.

    (SD-Agencies)