Showing at Crufts has come along very quickly for one dog owner in Northwich with her four-legged friend already being a natural when it comes to taking to the ring.
Karen Lewis, a software tester by trade, will be taking her 10-month-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Ripley, to the world’s largest dog show.
Ripley was taken in by the Lewis household in May last year after they met his breeder, who lives in Durham, at Crufts 2024 and grew to trust him in the following months.
It was when he had a litter of puppies that he offered Ripley and the youngster has wasted no time in becoming the first dog Karen has shown.
The 38-year-old said: “Neither me or my husband had done it before, so we just thought we’d have a play at it and see what it’s like.
“When he turned six months old, we did the Premier Open and there were only two puppies in his class, and he got the second place.
“His next show was a champ show up in Durham, where his breeder is, so we took him up there and he got second there while earning his Crufts qualification at the same time.
“It just hit us like ‘oh my God, we’re going to Crufts with him!’
“Crufts is like the main event of my year – I’ve booked days off work to watch it, and everything, so to actually be taking my own dog there is unbelievable.
“We’ve been showing him every couple of weeks since then. He’s doing really well – he’s still an adolescent male who’s got ideas of his own, but he’s really getting the hang of it.”
The precocious Ripley has already achieved a Bronze Award in scent work and is currently working towards his Silver Award.
Although he has a personality Karen describes as 'like a bull in a china shop', she cannot wait to take him down to Birmingham for his first ever Crufts.
She said: “I’m so excited. It’s just like a massive countdown, it’s a date in my phone, it’s written on the calendar and every single day I’m like ‘oh my God, have we got everything ready?’
“I’m figuring out what I need to take for him, what I need to take for us, what I need to do to prepare myself.
“I’m sure I’m going to be a bundle of nerves on the day, but I know I’ll be taking the best dog home no matter what happens.”
Crufts, run by The Kennel Club, is a unique celebration of happy, healthy dogs and of the loving relationship that they enjoy with their owners. Crufts is held from March 5-8 at the NEC Birmingham. Viewers can follow all the action and highlights on Channel 4 and More4, and for further information and tickets visit crufts.org.uk
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