Lindsay Furze from Langar, Nottinghamshire, and her dog, Hang on to yourself (Bowie), a three-year-old Border Collie/Poodle cross, won the Starters Cup Final for intermediate dogs at London’s biggest dog event, Discover Dogs, run by The Kennel Club, which took place at ExCeL London last weekend.
The Starters Cup, The Kennel Club’s premier agility competition for dogs new to agility, was created for dogs in Grades 1 and 2 of the discipline. The top six large, six intermediate, six medium and six small dogs, who qualified in the semi-final at The Kennel Club International Agility Festival at Rutland Showground in August, took part in the exciting final, but only one was crowned winner in each height.
Delighted owner Lindsay said: “Bowie was diagnosed with hip dysplasia and underwent intense rehabilitation. We weren’t sure if he would ever compete, but after being signed off to do agility, he quickly qualified for Discover Dogs.
"Me and my partner recently got engaged, so winning has been the icing on the cake this year!”
Vanessa McAlpine, Events Executive at The Kennel Club said: “The Starters Cup is a wonderful opportunity for dogs who are relatively new to agility to perform in front of the big crowds at Discover Dogs. It is always inspiring to see dogs at the start of their agility journey competing at such a high level.
“Congratulations to Lindsay and Bowie for winning the final against some tough competition, we are sure to be seeing them in future competitions!”
Discover Dogs, run by The Kennel Club, took place on 15 and 16 October at ExCeL London.
For further information visit the Discover Dogs website. Find out more about getting started in dog agility and results from the show.