SEY ST O... LLYWOOD

They won the nation’s hearts on Britain’s Got Talent. Now dancing dog Pudsey and owner Ashleigh Butler are off to dazzle America – and, she tells Jenny Johnston, he’s going to be as big as Lassie

place in muddy fields,’ she says, picking her way down the red carpet and shrieking when Pudsey mistakes her scarlet dress for more carpet and leaps onto it.

It does rather beg the question of whether it’s Pudsey or Ashleigh hoping for a slice of Hollywood action. ‘That’s a tricky one. We’re a double act. Pudsey wouldn’t have won Britain’s Got Talent without me, and I know that if I’d got up there to sing or dance on my own, I wouldn’t have won. But the options are open. If we take a film role for him I may not be in it. Then again, they might want me too! I wouldn’t turn that down.’

If our most unique showbiz duo do end up making it big in the States, it won’t be overnight success. What has been lost in all the coverage of Pudsey is that he’s already a professional. ‘He’s represented Britain in dog agility contests,’ Ashleigh points out. ‘It’s not as if we started this with a view to getting on TV. It’s what he does.’ It was Ashleigh’s mother Penny who first introduced her to the world of the dog show. She remembers being wheeled round per- formance rings in a pushchair, and by the time she was four she was itching to have a go. When she was given Pudsey for her 11th birthday, Ashleigh was already used to training and showing dogs. Her weekends were spent travelling to dog shows, or in her garden in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, tempting Pudsey to do tricks by offering him a ‘prize’ of bits of cheese or bacon.

Today, it’s Penny who’s in charge of the treats. She stands with a Tupperware container full of Cheddar and pieces of hotdog. Every time Pudsey is required to hold a position he’s offered a piece. Doesn’t he risk turning into Marlon Brando in the girth department, rather than the acting talent one? It’s been rumoured he put on half a stone during Britain’s Got Talent. ‘He more than gets the exercise he needs,’ says Ashleigh. ‘He’s an athlete – I treat what he does as a sport. He limbers up. I even massage him to get his muscles ready. Come to think of it, I spend more time getting his muscles ready than my own.’

Pudsey’s physical condition is a serious matter these days. Until recently, the Butlers were paying £16 a month to insure him. Then – as the champagne corks were popping – the family had their routine yearly phone call from their insurance providers, asking if they wanted to continue with the current level of cover. Penny, who took the call, had to pause for a minute. ‘By this time the offers for work had been pouring in,’ she says, ‘so much so that we were reeling, so I thought, “Hold on, we need to think about this.” I explained to the woman on the phone that Pudsey had just won Britain’s Got Talent and that we might need more insurance than just the bog standard cover for vets’ bills. There was this silence – I don’t think she’d ever seen Britain’s Got Talent – and she said, “We don’t really do things like that.” She must have thought I was mad. But a bit later there was a phone call and the head office were on the phone saying, “You’re Pudsey’s owners? From Britain’s Got Talent? Of course we can help!” I then spent two hours on the phone talking about potential earnings and risks. It brought home how mad this new world we’re in is.’

So now Pudsey’s going to have his assets insured, much like David Beckham’s legs or Kylie Minogue’s bottom. The Butlers won’t be specific about how much they are seeking to insure Pudsey for. Is it millions? ‘Let’s just say the premiums are going to be a bit

more than £16 a month.’ It’s all mind-boggling, especially since no one could accuse this family of going into the business with pound signs in their eyes. ‘You don’t go into the world of agility for the money,’ laughs Ashleigh. ‘It’s a hobby you have to pay for. I think my dad would have had a fit if he knew what it cost. Every show you go to costs £ 40 for entry, then you have to pay for petrol, food, and hotel costs. Even winning Crufts only has a cash prize if you’re Best of Breed, and as a crossbreed [including bits of border collie, Chinese crested powderpuff and bichon frise] Pudsey was never up for that.’ Ashleigh funded most of the costs herself. Three years ago, when Pudsey needed a rabies jab to compete abroad, however, she simply didn’t have the cash. ‘My Gran came to the rescue. She gave me the £ 60 as a birthday present. Some people might think getting excited about a rabies jab as a present was nuts, but I was delighted.’

So how did it feel to pocket the £500,000 BGT winnings? Ashleigh talks of ‘going a bit mad with the shopping’ in the days after her win. But it’s all in perspective. She blew ‘probably £300 in one go’ in Top Shop and New Look. ‘I’m not sure I’m the sort to ever go mad in Gucci,’ she says. ‘I’m actually quite sensible with money. I know there are no guarantees so the best thing will be to make sure my family are OK, and to put the money away for the future. It feels odd to have earned it doing something I’ve always done, though.’

Has Pudsey benefited financially yet? You can buy all manner of expensive accoutrements for dogs these days, from £2,000 four-poster beds to their own Jacuzzis, and wardrobes of clothes. She just laughs. ‘He did get a new bed, but it certainly wasn’t a four-poster one. He has a coat for when it’s very cold, but he doesn’t dress up, and I find that whole thing a bit odd. He’s a dog. Some people seem to forget that.’ Indeed, immediately after winning BGT, Ashleigh insisted things were not going to change at home for Pudsey. He still wouldn’t be allowed upstairs, or onto the sofa. But the family has had to adapt. Ashleigh says the fear of Pudsey being abducted means they’ve installed an elaborate security system. And his walkies are also under wraps. ‘In the old days, someone taking Pudsey was never a fear. Now he’s never on his own,’ says Ashleigh. ‘We don’t use public places to train him. We go to a private park we have access to. It’s very secure, and he can run free.’

Ashleigh seems much older than her years. Sometimes it’s easy to forget she’s a 17-year-old in the middle of her AS levels. But was it wise for her parents to allow her to take part in BGT, and now head off to the States, rather than concentrate on further study? ‘I’m trying to do both,’ she explains. ‘Some people have said, “Why do you even need to finish school now?” but I’m not daft. I want to get my exams and my teachers have been really supportive. They can see these things don’t come along many times in a life.’

Dancing with a dog on stage may seem like a curious thing for a teenage girl to do, but if there were any sniggers to contend with, Ashleigh handled them at a much earlier stage. ‘I’m sure my friends thought me being into dogs was odd. I don’t think they got it. My dad didn’t really get it either. But what BGT did was bring it out there into the world, and I think people understood for the first time. Training a dog to that level really is the most amazing thing. When you’re up there, working as a team, it’s a brilliant feeling. And the bond between me and Pudsey, well, it just makes it extra special.’

She doesn’t have a boyfriend, but given the reaction today, it will only be a matter of time before Ashleigh is fending them off. Whether suitors can get past Pudsey is another matter. ‘Boys will come and go, but Pudsey will always be there, and he’ll always come first. Anyone who gets involved with me will have to understand that,’ she says, as Pudsey once again jumps into her lap.