A teenager from Mid-Wales and her dog “Mustwork Make My Day” have taken the top honours in the gamekeeping classes at Crufts 2009.
“Mustwork Make My Day” who is a German Wirehaired Pointer and is usually known as Roxy, won the Dodson & Horrell Trophy (AV Pointer, Setter, HPR for Gamekeepers class) to qualify for the best in class award with her owner 16 year old Gwenllian Jones, who lives near Aberystwyth.
Gwenllian trained Roxy herself and works her on the Monachty estate shoot where her father is head gamekeeper. Her family also won the BASC Old Man of the Woods Trophy in the BASC regional gamekeeper team competition.
The classes, run by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, are a showcase for working gundogs at the world’s most prestigious dog show. In all more than 400 dogs were entered in the gamekeepers’ ring at Crufts 2009. Gamekeeper winners from different classes throughout the day are judged in a final show in the main arena to determine which dog will take the Northesk memorial trophy.
This year’s event was filmed extensively by the Country Channel and newly launched internet-based TV station the Field Sports Channel. Besides filming the competitions and interviewing the winners, the coverage included seeing owners preparing for this year’s event and going behind the scenes with some of the personalities and experts involved with Crufts.
Charlie Jacoby from the Field Sports Channel said: “It was a great event. We talked to top field trial judge Gaynor Bailey about what she is looking for in a gundog. We interviewed TV’s Peter Purves, and we did a whistle stop tour of the gun dog breeds with BASC Council member and gundog expert Jan Andrews. Hopefully we’ve captured some of the excitement of this year’s show and the passion the British have for their gundogs.”
You can view coverage of the BASC Gundog rings at Crufts 2009 via the weblinks below:
www.fieldsportschannel.tv
www.countrychannel.tv
