A dog owner from Selsey delighted in back-to-back Best of Breed wins with her treasured Airedale Terrier Herbie at Crufts.

Julie Brown, 56, and her two-year-old Terrier wowed the judges at the NEC in Birmingham to hold off stiff competition and qualify for the Best in Group showpiece on the famous green carpet.

The canine’s second win on the bounce came as a pleasant surprise to owner Brown, who has shown for more than 20 years and wants to shine a light on the lesser-known breed.

She said: “He showed really nicely today and the fact he was Best of Breed here last year is lovely, we’re really thrilled.

“It feels amazing, we didn’t expect it at all – the Airedale Terrier breed itself is quite small so most people know each other so it’s a nice community.

“Crufts is the show that everybody knows about, as soon as you tell someone you’re going to Crufts it’s the recognition of the scale of what you’ve done.

“It’s a huge event and it’s been very good today, we’ve always shown the Airedale breed and we wouldn’t want to show any other dog.”

They were unable to go all the way and book their place in Sunday night’s Best in Show finale but still enjoyed a day to remember at the world’s biggest dog show.

Solihull local hero and dog-showing star Melanie Raymond grabbed glory – and admitted the nerves ‘melted away’ when she stepped onto the green carpet with Australian Shepherd Viking.

The 46-year-old, who lives fewer than five miles away from the NEC in Birmingham, trumped more than 18,000 showing dogs who competed across four spectacular days in the Midlands.

Three-year-old Viking was awarded the dog show’s top honour by judge Ann Ingram after prevailing over every canine in the Pastoral Group on Saturday.

Pressure was mounting on one of the pre-event favourites, co-owned by Raymond, John Shaw and Kerry Kirtley, but the winning handler insisted he kept his cool to come out on top.

She said: “It’s amazing, pinch me, it’s one of those things as a handler, breeder, owner, that we all want to win and so many people don’t get to win it – it’s fabulous.

“This has been the toughest Crufts ever, everyone was backing him and rooting for him so it was tough.

“I’ve got bags under my eyes, I’ve had very many sleepless nights.

“Once you get in the ring, it goes, it’s the build-up that’s the scary bit but once you’re in there, everything melts away and I love showing.

“When you go through certain emotions, it builds a bond because you feel you have that energy between you and it’s a bond that you can’t describe.

“I live in Solihull, it’s quicker for me to walk than drive here, it’s brilliant and my friends all come and stay – what a great experience.”

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 was held from 7-10 March 2024 at the NEC Birmingham. Viewers can catch up with highlights on Channel 4, and for further information visit: http://crufts.org.uk