Castleford woman and her dog heading to Crufts after prestigious win at agility competition

Emma Wallis, 40, from Castleford and her Ausralian Shepherd, Dodger, won the Crufts Large Novice Anything But Collie semi-final.

The pair were crowned in the contest, hosted by The Kennel Club, at The London International Horse Show on Sunday, December 17.

The win qualifies the pair for the final at Crufts 2024, also run by The Kennel Club, in March.

Proud owner Emma said: “Dodger has met all my expectations and I am excited to go the final at Crufts!”

The semi-final consisted of two rounds – a jumping round and an agility round – and was judged this year by Paul Hinchley with assistant judge Leslie Osborne.

The top eight competing dogs and handlers who earned the highest combined score across both rounds qualified for the final, joining Emma and Dodger.

Catherine Guiver, head of events at The Kennel Club, said: “This is the first time we have held the Crufts Semi-Finals at The London International Horse Show and the excitement was incredibly high!

"Well done to all competing dogs and their owners for showing great skill in the arena.

“Congratulations to Emma and Dodger for their impressive performance. We look forward to seeing the pair compete in the final at Crufts in March.”

The Crufts final will take place March 7 to March 10 at the NEC in Birmingham.

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