Salisbury Crufts debutant wins best in class title

Keesha says the event was an opportunity to celebrate people's bonds with their dogs

A dog owner whose pet won best in class on their Crufts debut says the unexpected win is their "proudest achievement".

Keesha Brignall-Roe, 25 from Salisbury, entered the competition with their one-year-old coonhound, Ephraim.

Ephraim won best in class for this year's Import Hound Junior group at Crufts, at Birmingham's NEC.

The pair have automatically qualified for Crufts 2025, to which Keesha said: "Roll on next March!"

Mx Brignall-Roe had been taking Ephraim to weekly ringcraft classes in preparation for the show - which ran between 7 and 10 March.

"Considering we hadn't shown since August last year, he was definitely on his best behaviour," they told BBC Radio Wiltshire's Ben Prater.

"I'm over the moon with how it went. He was absolutely superb and he blew me away.

Ephraim is a North American import, originally bred to hunt racoons

"We now have a nice red rosette and a win card, which has gone straight on my wall.

"It's got pride of place at the moment, because that's my favourite one that I have now. It's my proudest achievement," they added.

Mx Brignall-Roe says the competition has a "supportive" environment, where people are given the opportunity to "celebrate their bond" with their pets.

"To be in that show ring with a dog that I've got such a fierce bond with, and it's not only being there with my dog, it's seeing everybody else with their dog and just how much they adore them," they said.

"I feel like Crufts is definitely full of people that have that incredible bond with their dog, and it really shows when they're working with them."

Mx Brignall-Roe says they are looking forward to next year's show, and has been rewarding Ephraim with his favourite treats - freeze dried salmon bites.

"I think I've spent a mortgage down payment at Crufts just buying him presents," they added.