A Dalmatian from Baldrine has brought a top prize back to the island after winning a prize for best in breed at Britain’s most prestigious dog show.
Rosie, was exhibited at Crufts recently and on her second appearance there scooped the prize.
Her proud owner Beverly Quayle said she was delighted with the result: ‘She is a family pet as well as a show dog,’ she said.
‘Her mother was a multi-champion too and I bred her myself. In fact her mother is now expecting in the next few days so it’s all going to be pretty chaotic quite soon. Rosie was selected by me from a litter of 10 so there could be the same number again soon.’
Mrs Quayle, said Rosie comes from an illustrious family with a brother and sister from the same litter risking sibling rivalry by also taking prizes this year at Crufts.
To appear at Crufts in the place, a dog has to have been placed in the top three at another recognised completition. At Crufts this year Rosie, whose full name is Cubalibre Follow-on, had to outperform more than 220 other Dalmatians in her class. The Crufts dog show which was at Birmingham’s NEC, lasts for four days with around 22,000 canine competitors involved.
‘I do around 15 to 20 shows a year,’ Mrs Quayle said.
‘And I’ve been to Crufts before with Rosie’s mother who won a fourth place before she was two years old, which is pretty good too.’
Officially acknowleged in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest dog show, Crufts celebrated its centenary in 1991. It was started by Charles Cruft who was a manager for a dog biscuit manufacturer, travelling around the country and abroad attending dog shows and other events. Until its centenary the show always took place in London but has been held at Birmingham’s NEC in early March each year since the 1990s.
The early shows attracted around 2,000 entrants compared to well over 20,000 in modern times, competing in classes such as heelwork to music, agility, Flyball and obedience. The Kennel Club, which organises Crufts also runs a sister show, Scrufts, for cross breed dogs with principal classes in obedience, agility and heelwork.