Bristol dog and owner crowned winners at agility finals

Dalton Meredith from Bristol, with his dog, Ag Ch Fandabidozi Munchykin Jive (Munchy), a six-year-old Border Collie, beat hundreds of dogs and their handlers to win the medium Agility Stakes final on Monday 19 December.

Dalton and Munchy competed in qualifying heats across the country to earn their place in the medium final at The Kennel Club Agility Stakes, one of the most prestigious agility competitions in the world, held at The London International Horse Show at ExCeL London. The judge this year was Kennel Club Championship agility judge, David Isbister, with assistant judge, Dave Deaville.

Proud owner Dalton, who also represented Agility Team GB in 2022, said of his achievement: “We won the jumping round and the overall win is even more special as Munchy had a setback which meant she may or may not have been here today.”

Held in association with Skinner’s, The Kennel Club Agility Stakes saw stars of agility, who had earned qualification in competitions throughout the year, compete in the finals in small, medium, large, intermediate and large ABC (Anything But Collie) categories.

Ben Skinner, of Skinner’s, commented: “Many congratulations to Dalton and Munchy for such a fantastic performance at this year’s Kennel Club Agility Stakes. We are pleased to be supporting this prestigious competition which always brings a great level of excitement and demonstrates world-class agility by all competitors.”

Vanessa McAlpine, Events Executive at The Kennel Club said: “Congratulations to Dalton and Munchy for their impressive performance, the pair demonstrated great excellence in agility and should feel very proud of their win. The Kennel Club Agility Stakes is a tough competition and requires dedication from all competing dogs and their handlers in the training and qualifying process.”

The Kennel Club Agility Stakes were held in association with Skinner’s at The London International Horse Show, at ExCeL London, from 15 – 19 December 2022.

Find more information and a full list of results.

For owners interested in getting started in agility with their dog, The Kennel Club has created a guide which can be found online.