Elton, an eight-year-old mixed breed from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, owned by 19-year-old Gracie Henwood, has been named the ‘Golden Oldie’ in a regional heat for Scruffts, the annual crossbreed competition run by The Kennel Club, and will go on to compete in the semi-final stages hosted at the world’s most famous dog show, Crufts, in 2023.
The Scruffts heat, the last of six to be held this year, took place at Discover Dogs, run by The Kennel Club at ExCeL London on Sunday 16 October. The competition attracted crossbreeds and their owners from all over the region but just four have made it through to the next stage, earning them a place in the semi-final stages at Crufts 2023. The overall winners of the semi-final will then have the chance to compete in the final, also at Crufts 2023.
Speaking of their win, Gracie said: “I feel both amazed and gobsmacked to have won Golden Oldie! I can’t believe we are going to Crufts next year!”
The Scruffts Family Crossbreed Dog of the Year competition, exclusively supported by pet food makers James Wellbeloved, is open to all crossbreeds and mixed breed dogs, of all shapes, sizes and age (as long as they are over six months).
Judging the competitors on the day was television personality Faye Winter, who was joined by dog judge Maureen Reynolds, who together had the tough decision of choosing just one winner for each of the two classes: Most Handsome Crossbreed Dog and Golden Oldie Crossbreed, with the classes for, Prettiest Crossbreed Bitch and the Good Citizen Dog Training scheme class taken place on Saturday 15 October.
Faye said of choosing the winner: “Elton is a rescue and despite having been through a really hard time, you would never have known he had gone through anything bad in his life. He is a really incredible dog, with an amazing temperament. He was brilliant, and I think he was the rightful winner.”
All dogs competing were judged against the following qualities:
- Good character
- Good health
- Good personality
- Good temperament with people and other dogs
The four class winners are now preparing to compete at Crufts 2023, which will be held at the NEC Birmingham next March, where the judges will be making the difficult decision of choosing the Scruffts Family Crossbreed Dog of the Year.
Throughout the year, heats of the popular Scruffts contest, which is exclusively supported by pet food makers James Wellbeloved, haven taken place at events around the country in search of crossbreeds with that extra special something.
The four class winners from each heat will receive delicious goodies from James Wellbeloved, the sponsor of Scruffts, and ultimately the four category finalists at next year’s Scruffts Grand Final will each win a year’s supply of James Wellbeloved food for their dog.
Sonja Hartomo, European Brand Manager for James Wellbeloved said: “Congratulations to our four brilliant semi-finalists who have all qualified for Crufts next year. It was a fantastic day at Discover Dogs and we were impressed by all the entrants who took part.
“James Wellbeloved is very proud to exclusively support Scruffts and we’re looking forward to seeing how our semi-finalists progress.”
For more information on the Scruffts Family Crossbreed Dog of the Year competition, visit the Scruffts website.