A Sale kennel owner made sure it was a double celebration at this year’s Crufts after she and her four-legged friend strolled away with a top prize on the 125thanniversary of the world’s largest dog show.
Sue Ellis, 52, and five-year-old Alaskan Malamute Bart fought off competition from a host of other dogs to scoop the coveted Best of Breed award.
Bart was one of nearly 22,000 healthy, happy dogs at Birmingham’s NEC last week for the prestigious dog show, which first took place in 1891 where it featured just 2,437 entries.
And after seeing her beloved pet pooch put his best paw forward at Crufts 2016, presented by the Kennel Club, Sue, who works at Moss Cottage Boarding Kennels, was left beaming with pride at her and Bart’s performance in the West Midlands, especially after he was then handed the title of fourth best Working dog.
“We were in the working group, there were so many best of breeds that went in there and we were shortlisted and then we were placed fourth which was just great,” she said.
“I’m absolutely delighted, to get a placing is just fabulous. If we had finished higher then obviously that would have been wonderful, but to get placed is great as it was such a strong group.
“The atmosphere in the ring was so electrifying, with all the lights and cameras, and the great audience, it’s just like nothing you could describe.
“We really weren’t expecting to get placed. I was just expecting to go into the ring and put on a good performance as a team. To win this award at the biggest dog show in the world is just fantastic, and it’s what I’ve always dreamed of.”
