A MUM and daughter are hoping for a double victory when they enter their top dogs in the canine competition of the year.

Kerry and Chloe Roberts will be parading their pointers around the arena today at this year’s Crufts contest, held at the Birmingham NEC arena.

It will be the second year in a row that 17-year-old Chloe has taken part in the show, and she will be hoping for success with her two-year-old pointer Anfona Isadora Duncan At Byphar, better known as Issy, in the Young Kennel Club 17-24 handling category.

Her mother Kerry, 40, will show off the family’s seven-year-old pointer, Hawkfield Seasiren, known as Seren, in the Veteran class, for which she has qualified entry for life.

Kerry, a laboratory assistant from Laverstoke, said preparation for the show begins in January, by making sure the dogs are as fit and healthy as possible.

She said: “In January we are thinking about what we need to do to get ready. A pointer isn’t coated so there’s not a lot you can hide. So if you need muscle in certain places you have to do certain activities such as an uphill hike or road walking to develop the muscles. It’s a bit like an athlete preparing for a race.”

Kerry said that there is fierce competition in the Young Kennel Club category.

Last year, her daughter, a student at Peter Symonds College in Winchester, came second with Issy, and she is hoping to do just as well, if not better this year.

Kerry said: “She just enjoys being with the dogs. It’s not a case of I do everything and she does the fun part, she’s very hands-on.”

She added: “It’s a lovely day out and something to work towards. It’s something to be proud of to qualify.”

A five-year-old girl from Oakley will also be in the spotlight at this year’s Crufts, when she demonstrates in the main arena.

Elsie Instone has been selected to demonstrate a sport called canicross, in which participants are attached to their dogs by a harness and run alongside them.

Elsie’s mother, Claire Spencer, introduced her daughter to the sport when she was just four-years-old, and Elsie has already had success at competitions, running 0.7 of a mile in four-and-a-half-minutes.

Basingstoke Gazette:

The North Waltham Primary School pupil races with Vinnie, an Australian kelpie, who is a rescue dog.

Claire, 37, from Oakley, who runs a dog walking business, said: “Crufts have given us 20 minutes in the arena so we thought it would be good to give a demonstration. Elsie is quite laid back about it.”