Handle With Care

Crufts and all that’s positive in our sport

- Lisa Moir

MY CRUFTS began a day early again this year as it has for the past two years, with my attendance at the glamorous Pawscars award ceremony, only this time I was attending as a nominee in the Columnist of the Year category.

Now in its fourth year, tickets for the event sold out in record time and over 10,000 votes were cast highlighting just how popular the Pawscars is becoming, as it grows year on year. It really is a tremendous event to be involved in – celebrating all that is good in the pedigree dog world, at the same time raising money to benefit children and animal charities.

When nominations were announced at the beginning of the year I was thrilled to discover I had made the shortlist and so was very excited about the event.

On the night I was totally overwhelmed to win the Columnist of the Year award and want to thank all the readers, and everyone who nominated and voted for me, not forgetting Danni Medhurst who lays out this column every fortnight making it presentable and eye catching.

Another happy award winner was young James Winkley-Balmer who walked off with the Junior Handler of the Year gong, in a hotly contested category against fellow nominees Sophie Wildig and Rebecca Dobson. A very worthy winner, 15-year-old James has been handling dogs for about three-and-a-half years now and had a particularly good 2016 in the show ring winning BIS with his Whippet at Southern Counties, two CCs with two different dogs, eight RCCs with four different dogs, along with a PG1 and PG2 at championship shows. Many congratulations James from all of us here at Paws!