Famous animal lovers Pam St Clement (Pat Butcher from EastEnders) and Samantha Brick (Celebrity Big Brother contestant) will judge the first Scrufts final at Crufts tomorrow (Friday).
It's the first time in its 12-year history that the final of the prestigious Scruffts Family Crossbreed Dog of the Year competition is taking place at Crufts at the NEC in Birmingham.
Special celebrity judges Pam and Samantha will join the four finalists – Alfie, Barley, Becky and Rascal – in the Crufts main arena.
The four finalists secured their place after winning their class finals at Discover Dogs in London last November, beating almost 100 other contenders who had qualified at local heats held around the country.
The finalists were selected from their respective categories: Prettiest Bitch (Becky), Most Handsome Dog (Alfie), Golden Oldie (Rascal) and Child’s Best Friend (Barley).
Prettiest Bitch finalist Becky is a true mongrel - “the epitome of the competition” explains her owner Margaret McKnight from Bangor, County Down. Becky was rescued along with her litter mates from the River Lagan near Belfast seven years ago and now lives with retired teacher Margaret.
Most Handsome Dog finalist Alfie is a Labrador/Great Dane cross. His owners, Neil and Zoe Stow from Poole, Dorset took him in after seeing him being advertised by his previous owner who could not care for him properly. Neil said: “We were his fifth home. He was incredibly nervous when we got him and was so skinny you could see every one of his ribs. He is now however becoming a really happy, confident, affectionate and loving dog.”
Rascal, a 10-year-old Jack Russell/Norfolk Terrier cross is the Golden Oldie finalist. Rascal was adopted by Anne Worthington from Dereham, Norfolk, at the age of six months, and has been a loyal, loving and constant companion of Anne, keeping her company whilst her husband is away with the RAF.
Barley is a Pyrenean Mountain Dog/Golden Retriever cross. His best friend is 14-year-old Annabelle Shemming from Ipswich, Suffolk, and together they are the Child’s Best Friend finalists. “Barley is so special and different - he loves sleeping and eating, he is very intelligent and also stubborn.” Annabelle explained (pictured with Barley above).
Scruffts is run in support of the Kennel Club Charitable Trust, which has donated over £6.7m worth of grants to benefit the canine world since its inception in 1987.
Its mission is to promote the improvement of dogs through charitable donations and helping to fund research into canine health problems. The Kennel Club is hoping that more people will get involved with Scruffts throughout 2013, raising more money to make a difference for dogs and spending time with their own dogs in the process.
To find out more about Scruffts visit www.scruffts.org.uk
