Cavan dog breeder tipped for second Crufts win
HE IS ONE of only a handful of Irish dog breeders to win Best in Show at Crufts. Now, 25 years on, Ralph Dunne hopes to do it again.
Mr Dunne, from Belturbet in Co. Cavan, collected the most prestigious prize in the doggie world when his Clumber spaniel, Raycroft Socialite, aka Garfield, won the show in its centenary year in 1991. This year he brings two of Garfield’s descendants to the Birmingham NEC to do battle again.
Eldridge, a dog, and Etta, a bitch, both of whom he bred himself, recently won Best in Show and Reserve Best in Show respectively at the breed’s national club show in England.
Irish breeders are now tipping them for success at Crufts. But Mr Dunne, who runs a farm machinery business, says he faces tough competition: ‘Every time you go to a show, you hope you will do extraordinarily well, but you can never tell until the day arrives.
‘We’ll have dogs coming in from Europe and the US and the standard, it goes without saying, will be sky high. But I’m delighted with my pair – they’re in great form and looking forward to the off. And whether they win or not, I’ll still have as much respect for them at the end of the show as I do now.’
There will be 301 Irish dogs on show at Crufts out of a total entry of more than 22,000.
Ann Collins from Clonskeagh in Dublin is also making the trip with her white standard poodle, Luda. Her dog, she says, won’t win but she’s confident he’ll give a good account of himself. She said: ‘This is my fifth year going and it’s a fantastic occasion for everyone, especially the dogs – they love it.’