The Eton For Top Dogs

Crufts is about to start, bringing back happy memories for bury’s award winning dog trainer. Mairead mahon went walkies.

THEY say that if you want your son to go to Eton, you should put his name down as soon as he is born. The same is almost true if you want your pooch to go to the doggy equivalent in Lancashire.

Like all the best schools, WaggaWuffins Canine College in Bury has a very long waiting list. It might just have something to do with the fact that the ‘headmistress’, Jane Ardern, is the Kennel Club Trainer of the Year.

Recalling the magic moment her name was read out at Crufts, Jane says: ‘It was one of the most exciting things to ever happen to me, especially as it was my own clients who had nominated me. After a fairly rigorous interview, I made it onto a shortlist of five and was invited down to Crufts.

‘There’s no doubt about it, I was nervous, but so many supporters and clients came along, they gave me confidence. When I was announced as the winner, the applause was deafening but all I could think about was not dropping the award and, thank goodness, I didn’t!’ The only down side was her partner, Mike, could not be there as he was nursing a bad back.

Winning prizes was the last thing on Jane’s mind when she began training dogs in the early 1990s with a rescue dog that was a cross between a St Bernard and a Rottweiler.