OH, YOU MUCKY PUP!
Big beast hopes for Crufts glory (after a wash)
HE is over 6ft tall, described as ‘blond and nutty’ and enjoys being in front of the camera.
Meet Boris – one of more than 70 Pyrenean mountain dogs hoping for glory at Crufts this week.
And getting a big blond hound ready for judging is a huge task, as his owner Susan Reilly knows.
Boris needs a shower, blow dry and comb after long muddy walks, as pictured here, to keep his shiny coat in tip-top condition.
He is due to compete at the highest level – the ‘open class’ – for his breed at the world’s most famous dog show on Saturday.
Miss Reilly, from Bracknell, Berkshire, said a win at Crufts for threeyearold Boris would be special because it would be exactly 50 years since his breed was judged best overall at Crufts.
In 1970 the best in show prize was awarded to Bergerie Knur, who beat 8,397 other dogs to come top.
Miss Reilly, 59, has written to Boris Johnson and received a reply agreeing that her pet was more handsome than the Prime Minister.
She said: ‘The thing with Boris is he is a natural showman. He loves the camera. He’s blond and nutty so I was always going to call him that, after Boris Johnson.’
Boris the mountain dog’s upkeep costs around £150 a week and includes fillet steak and chicken – but his owner said it all helps to keep her 7st 8lb pet in peak condition.
She said: ‘He won’t eat anything else and to be honest he is a bit spoilt... But to look at him he is amazing. His coat has never looked better.’
Despite winning awards internationally, Miss Reilly said Boris will face stiff competition as there are 78 dogs entered in his breed’s event alone.
How to help a poorly pet – Centre pages