Somerset rescue dog Buddy to compete at Crufts

Seb Thomas adopted Buddy the border collie in 2018

A rescue dog that once struggled to sit in the same room as his owner will be competing at Crufts.

Seb Thomas, 41, from Bridgwater, Somerset, rescued Buddy in 2018 when he was about 10 months old.

"He had a number of issues and it took a while to work through them," Mr Thomas said.

"No one expected a skinny, bitey, wonky rescue dog to become such a wonderful companion and pet, and no one expected him to make it to Crufts."

Buddy will be competing in the Large Novice Cup category at Crufts in Birmingham.

"I didn't know what he had been through in his short life," Mr Thomas told BBC Radio Bristol.

"At the start he was reluctant to even sit in the same room."

Buddy qualified for Crufts 2024 in August

Mr Thomas works 50 hours a week as a manager in the motor trade and runs a beginners' agility club for dogs in the evenings.

He decided to train Buddy, who he got from Paws4Thought in Somerset, and said the decision "turned out to be the best thing that could have happened".

Last year, Mr Thomas set himself the goal of qualifying for Crufts, with the Kennel Club (KC) Novice Cup being the main aim.

Seb said Buddy is "the best companion"

Then Mr Thomas' first agility dog, Pixie, died at the age of 16 and a few weeks later he also lost his other dog Bella, which caused Buddy "distress and loneliness".

They travelled to The Kennel Club International Agility Festival in Rutland with Buddy having hardly trained or competed in months, but he secured a place at Crufts.

"We couldn't believe it," Mr Thomas said.

Crufts is run by the Kennel Club and will be held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham from 7 to 10 March.