Four sisters 'thrilled' to all qualify for Crufts

Four sisters from North Yorkshire have said they are "really excited" to all be competing at the world's most famous dog show.

Six-year-old Tabitha, Lilah, eight, Meredith, 10, and Robyn, 12, from Harrogate, will appear at Crufts this week with their canine partners across a range of agility disciplines.

Mum Katie believes they may be one of the first families to have four children competing at the same Crufts, with Tabitha narrowly reaching the minimum qualifying age.

"The fact that all four of them have qualified means no one is left out, everyone gets a go in the limelight - it's incredible and I'm really proud," Katie said.

The agility classes at Crufts test a dog's fitness and its handler's ability to successfully direct their pet while navigating obstacles around a course.

The dog must be at least 18 months old to compete, while its trainer must be aged at least six for the youngest age category.

Tabitha said the aim was "to try your best to win a rosette" and her favourite part was "trying your hardest".

Second youngest sister Lilah will be competing in two classes with spaniel Nova and border collie Storm.

Having a good connection with your dog was important for success, she explained, "because they can also be emotional support as well".

She said it was going to be "fun and exciting" to compete alongside her siblings.

Katie has operated her dog training business for more than a decade and has extensive experience of competing.

The girls all train incredibly hard, she explained, putting in the hours to bond with their dogs and to rehearse agility exercises each week.

Although navigating Crufts with four children and eight dogs would be "chaos", she said, it was "amazing" that all her daughters would have an opportunity to shine.

"It's about making sure I've got the right child, with the right dog, at the right time - it'll be exhausting, but a lot of fun," she said.

Katie first competed at Crufts at around nine years old and called her children now competing a "full circle" moment.

"They were brought up in an agility field, so it was 'join in or be really bored', but they've all got a real natural talent and an absolute love for dogs," she added.

"I just hope they all have a great experience."

Crufts is taking place between Thursday and Sunday at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham.

Unlike their younger siblings, for whom this will be their first time at the dog show, Meredith and Robyn have already competed on the big stage.

Meredith predicted there will be "a lot of rushing around" but said she was looking forward to the challenge.

Eldest sister Robyn said: "It's an amazing feeling, it's really exciting but also you feel really nervous.

"When you finally finish running and it's an amazing run, you feel so happy and relieved - it's the best feeling ever."

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