Brooke, a Year 6 student at Ferndown Middle School, celebrated a fantastic achievement at this year’s Crufts alongside her loyal four-legged friend, Woody.
Below, Brooke’s proud mum Julie shares a short account of their exciting and memorable day at the world-famous dog show.
“Brooke has been competing in dog agility now for just over a year with her best friend, Woody, a 3-year-old Australian Kelpie. To win a place to compete at Crufts, you have to win at a Young Kennel Club event, coming first and with a clear round – this is no easy task in itself.
“When you first start competing, you start at grade 1 with 7 being the highest, and this duo have managed to get to grade 3 this past year by winning at events and moving up.
“At Crufts she ran the Jumping Cup, which is jumps, tunnels, and weave poles and the ADOTY (Agility dog of the year), which includes all the contact equipment – see saw, dog walk and A-Frame. We weren’t sure how they would handle the noise, nerves and excitement, but they did amazingly and enjoyed every minute.
“We are beyond proud to say that not only did they get a clear round (no faults) in the ADOTY, they came in 3rd place, narrowly missing out on competing in the main arena, as it is just the top two that go through to the final.
“Brooke and Woody have trained every day to make sure they can give 100%, and this is just the start of their agility journey. They have also earned the chance to try out for Team GB in a couple of weeks. If she wins a spot on the team, then they will be going off to Germany to compete.
“This sport gets them out and about most weekends, and they have such a special bond, really is something amazing to watch.
“Brooke would like to thank Isabella Cox and Lorraine Cox for all the training and support they have given her this past couple of years, and Isabella for coming up on the day for support and encouragement.”
