An eight-year-old girl from Lincolnshire and her ‘soulmate’ pup are going for Crufts glory once again – 12 months on from an advanced-stage cancer battle and gruelling treatment.

Freya Harris from Horncastle won the hearts of the country when she placed second with Australian Shepherd Echo in the competition last year.

Now, after fighting a rare form of stage four cancer and fulfilling her dream of competing at Crufts, Harris is ready for her first tilt in the ring at Best in Show with best friend Echo.

Harris and Echo, who were first introduced by parents Gemma and Rikki to encourage their daughter to go on walks throughout her illness, are one of four duos who have been nominated for The Kennel Club Hero Dog Award 2024, which recognises unsung canine heroes from across the country.

She said: “Echo was always there for me whenever I needed her, she is my best friend.

“I always talk to Echo about anything I can’t talk to anybody else about.

“If I’m feeling sad she’s always there for me. If I couldn’t get up off the floor, she’d always help me up.

“When Echo was a little puppy she knew that I was her soulmate and I knew too because when she came home, the first thing she did was she gave me the look and came running to me.

“It’s like we were separated for ages, and she always knew me, she made me smile all the time and there’s no way I couldn’t smile without her.”

Judges from The Kennel Club, one of the UK’s largest dog welfare organisations, selected the four inspiring finalists to go to the public vote, which went live this week.

Other nominees included a hearing dog who supports his young owner through anxiety and a search and rescue dog who locates survivors of humanitarian disasters across the world.

The winner will be announced by double Paralympic champion Libby Clegg at the Birmingham NEC and on Channel 4 on Sunday 10 March to round off a brilliant Crufts 2024 week.

Ahead of her first attempt at Best in Show, Freya said: “I’m so excited for this year, I always wanted to go and watch Best In Show let alone being in the ring myself, I think it’s going to be so much fun.

“I really wanted to go to Crufts one day ever since I started watching it.

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever been to, it made me cheerful again.

“I wasn’t feeling good at the time so it made me feel like I was getting better, it was amazing.

“I’m pretty sure my family are over the moon with it all, I can tell the way that they smile, they are just really happy.”

Crufts, which celebrates dogs from all walks of life, takes place from 7-10 March at the NEC in Birmingham and tickets are available at crufts.org.uk