Rusty Grayson with Sparky (Photo: Stuart Coleman©2012)
Local Diggle resident Rusty Grayson recently won Best of Breed at Crufts with her Basenji dog, Sparky.
Three year old Sparky or Champion Tokaji American Grizoller Atembeau as he is professionally known outperformed fifty six other dogs in his category to take the top prize. He impressed the judges with his stance, movement, appearance and condition.
This is not the first time Rusty has been successful showing dogs. She has over the past thirty years won several top awards with her dogs. She said, ”The secret is to have ‘a good eye’ when choosing a pup. You have to rear it correctly and prepare it for showing from an early age. I began training Sparky when he was four months old. I exercise all my dogs regularly and always feed them with a quality food that suits them.”
Being a young dog Sparky has a bright and exciting future ahead of him. Rusty says, “I am pleased to win this honour and I am very proud of Sparky. He can be a bit of a handful but is always fun to be with and like most teenagers displays plenty of attitude.” As a champion, Sparky will automatically qualify for Crufts in the future.
Rusty is hoping that Sparky can go on to become an international champion. This would mean winning at three major shows outside the United Kingdom and after recently winning in Holland, his prospects are good.
Rusty manages a grooming parlour on Sam Road in Diggle and runs dog training sessions at Northern Alsatian and All Breeds Training Club in Greenfield. She is happy to help anyone wishing to train or show their dog and can be contacted on: 01457878747.
