Boy, 6, thought to be Crufts' youngest winner

Freddie and his smooth fox terrier came first place in the veteran breed category at this year's Crufts

A six-year-old boy has said he is thrilled to have made history as he is thought to be the youngest winner at Crufts.

Freddie, from Bobbington, Staffordshire, took to the show ring with "best friend" Penny, a smooth fox terrier, on Thursday.

The pair were awarded first place in the veteran breed category on day one of the dog show at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre (NEC).

The six-year-old said he had "really enjoyed Crufts" and was thrilled to share the stage with Penny, aged eight, adding she was the "best dog ever".

"Penny and I won best veteran in breed and we are so happy with our rosette," Freddie said.

"I love walking her and she's really good."

A spokesperson for Crufts said while they could not definitively say Freddie is their youngest ever winner, he is thought to be among them.

Freddie was accompanied at the dog show with his parents Kimberley and James

Thousands of dogs take part in Crufts every year, which runs over four days and has been held at the NEC since 1991.

Freddie, who first went to the dog show when he was two weeks old, was there with his parents, James and Kimberley.

His dad, James, said the pair had done themselves proud.

"We are so proud of Freddie, he has been really dedicated to get this far but he's really enjoyed himself too which is the most important thing," he said.

James also highlighted the smooth fox terrier dog breed which he said was "classed as one of the Kennel Club's native vulnerable breeds".

"My grandfather used to have a smooth fox terrier and I remember seeing an old home film with it in and wondering what type of dog it was," he added.

"I was always keen on terriers as a farmer so I could have something small go in the tractor with me."

Speaking to BBC Radio WM from his school on Friday, Freddie said Penny was "well-behaved" and "looks very nice".

"Obviously she's an old dog and the reason that we put him in that class is because we knew that Penny would look after Freddie and that's been the story from the beginning," said Kimberley.

"He's always had a dog to rely on and I think that's really important."

Freddie's head teacher, Emma Jones, added they were all "bursting with pride".

"We managed to watch some of him on the television live yesterday and honestly he's absolutely blown us away with his achievement," she said.

"He was the star of our awards assembly this morning."

Freddie said Penny was "well-behaved" in her performance at Crufts

The dog show, named after its founder Charles Cruft, was first held in London in 1891.

The competition includes events such as flyball, agility, heelwork to music, the Hero Dog award and its top honour, Best in Show, which comes with a cash price and trophy.

More than 200 pedigree breeds from 51 different counties will compete for that title, awarded on Sunday.

An Australian shepherd, Viking, from Solihull, was crowned the winner in 2024, beating 24,000 dogs from around the world.