Arthur, an 11-year-old mixed breed from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, owned by Emily Galway, has been named the ‘Golden Oldie’ in the regional heats for Scruffts, the annual crossbreed competition run by The Kennel Club, and will go on to compete in the semi-final stages hosted at the world’s most famous dog show, Crufts, in 2022.
The Scruffts heat, the fourth of six being held this year, took place at Tatton Park, Knutsford as part of DogFest North. The competition attracted crossbreeds and their owners from all over the region but just four have made it through to the next stage, earning them a place in the semi-final stages at Crufts 2022. The overall winners of the semi-final will then have the chance to compete in the final, also at Crufts 2022.
Speaking of their win, Emily, who previously came second with Arthur in their first ever Scruffts heat in 2018, said:
We are very honoured to have been chosen to go forward to Crufts as there are always so many completely different dogs in the Scruffts heats. If I was judging, I’d never be able to choose a winner.
Arthur is a Romanian rescue dog from a kill shelter so from him living on the streets four years ago, being in a terrible state, to now counting down to our first Crufts outing and getting to walk the famous green carpet together is absolutely amazing. We cannot wait to go and make the most amazing memories.
Outside of the show ring, Arthur is a registered Pets as Therapy dog and prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, was attending the pair’s local nursing home on a weekly basis. Sadly they have not yet been able to return, but have been keeping busy with walks around the Yorkshire Dales and surrounding areas.
The Scruffts Family Crossbreed Dog of the Year competition, exclusively supported by pet food makers James Wellbeloved, is open to all crossbreeds and mixed breed dogs, of all shapes, sizes and age (as long as they are over six months).
Judging the competitors on the day was Denise Hubbard who had the tough decision of choosing just one winner for each of the four classes: Most Handsome Crossbreed Dog, Prettiest Crossbreed Bitch, Golden Oldie Crossbreed and the Good Citizen Dog Scheme class.
The winners were:
- Most Handsome Crossbreed Dog: nine-year-old Noodle the Whippet/Poodle cross owned by Sara Lilly-Jones from Pwlhelli, Gwynedd
- Prettiest Crossbreed Bitch: one-year-old Cassie the German Shepherd/Belgian Shepherd Malinois cross owned by Danni Coombes from Portsmouth, Hampshire
- Golden Oldie Crossbreed: 11-year-old Arthur the mixed breed owned by Emily Galway from Harrogate, North Yorkshire
- Good Citizen Dog Scheme: six-year-old Mavis the mixed breed owned by Katie Lee from Bradford, West Yorkshire
All dogs competing were judged against the following qualities:
- Good character
- Good health
- Good personality
- Good temperament with people and other dogs
The four dogs are now preparing to compete at Crufts 2022, which will be held at the NEC Birmingham next March, where the judges will be making the difficult decision of choosing the Scruffts Family Crossbreed Dog of the Year.
Throughout the year, heats of the popular Scruffts contest, which is exclusively supported by pet food makers James Wellbeloved, are taking place at events around the country in search of crossbreeds with that extra special something.
The four heat winners will receive delicious goodies from James Wellbeloved, the sponsor of Scruffts, and ultimately the four category finalists at next year’s Scruffts Grand Final will each win a year’s supply of James Wellbeloved food for their dog!
Lucy Williams, Marketing Manager for James Wellbeloved said:
Congratulations to our four brilliant semi-finalists who have all qualified to Crufts next year. It was a fantastic day at DogFest North at Tatton Park and we were impressed by all the entrants who took part.
James Wellbeloved is very proud to exclusively support Scruffts and we’re looking forward to seeing how our semi-finalists progress.
For more information on the Scruffts Family Crossbreed Dog of the Year competition, please visit scruffts.org.uk
Love this; well done Emily and Arthur xx