A North East dog owner is celebrating after she and her beloved pup scooped their very first Best of Breed prize at Crufts.
Charlotte Westerman from Darlington celebrated her 22nd birthday on Sunday in the best way possible, winning her first Best of Breed gong since coming to the iconic dog show for the first time in 2014. Her gorgeous dog Otto, a miniature pinscher, bagged the coveted award after impressing the judges on the famous green carpet at Birmingham's NEC.
Charlotte and Otto earned a spot in the main arena, but were beaten to a place in the Best in Show final by fellow Toy Group member Dublin, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel. The top prize ultimately went to four-year-old Orca, an adorable Lagotto Romagnolo - the first time in history that the breed had ever won Crufts.
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"If I am honest, it still hasn’t sunk in," said Charlotte of her amazing success. "It feels amazing. I didn't expect to do so well, I just wanted to enjoy showing him.
"There is a lot of training and I bred him myself as well," she said of her little champion Otto. "We have a great bond. He is so funny and cheeky; he is full of character."
Charlotte and Otto weren't the only North East participants to celebrate success at this year's Crufts - Middlesbrough owners Dale Frances and Gary Pearce also took home a Best in Breed rosette after their German Spitz Izzy won over the judges for the second time. "It feels amazing," Gary said. "It is the world’s best show.
"This is Izzy's second time as Best of Breed at Crufts and this is our eighth Best of Breed – it's great," he added. "We were up at half past two this morning and on the road for four. It's a lot of dedication and hard work but it's all worth it."
There was plenty more North East talent at the famous dog show this year - three more pooches who won Best in Breed titles in the hound and terrier groups were representing the region. First up were Sue Mowbray and Luna, from Morpeth, won the Best of Breed for the Sussex Spaniels on Thursday afternoon.
Luna's victory was followed by Liz Cudlip from County Durham who brought Bruce, taking home the Best of Breed title for the Basset Hounds on Saturday. And John McNally and Daisy, from Consett, won the Best of Breed for the Bedlington terriers on Saturday too.
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