TWO dogs and their owner are set to compete at one of the most prestigious canine events in the country.

Dawn Weaver, from Portland, will be taking her Papillon/Border Collie cross dogs Vegas and Summer, both aged three, to the Kennel Club Olympia Agility Stakes finals in London.

Vegas will be competing with Dawn in the medium dog competition and Summer will be competing in the small dog competition.

Dawn, 53, has been taking part in agility for 30 years and has attended Olympia for many years, competing with a number of different dogs.

In 2003, one of Dawn’s Papillons, Dreamer, was the first and only Papillon to ever win one of the finals at Olympia.

Proud owner Dawn said: “Olympia is always an exciting place to be around because of the Christmas spirit – the atmosphere is amazing. My dogs mean everything to me. Their unconditional love transcends everything else and puts it into the shade.”

As well as her experience at Olympia, Dawn has represented Team GB in the IFCS (International Federation of Cynological Sports) World Championships. She is also a published author.

The country’s most talented agility dogs and handlers have been competing in qualifying heats at agility shows across the country in an attempt to gain a place in the finals, which take place from December 14 to 18 as part of the London International Horse Show.

The Kennel Club Olympia Agility Stakes are held in association with Skinner’s pet foods and will see dogs and their owners compete in five finals in the following categories: small, medium, large, large novice and large ABC (Anything But Collies). There will also be two semi-finals, for the large and large novice dog categories, which will see around 40 dogs in each category whittled down to ten who will go on to compete in the grand final. For medium, small and large ABC dogs, ten dogs for each category have already qualified for the Olympia final.

Kennel Club secretary Caroline Kisko said: “Olympia is one of the highlights of the agility calendar and each year we really look forward to watching all the talented dogs and their handlers in action. With such an excellent atmosphere, Olympia is certainly not one to miss for any dog lover. Good luck to Dawn, Vegas and Summer – we hope they enjoy every moment of it.”

The judge for the 2017 Kennel Club Olympia Agility Stakes will be Kennel Club championship show and agility judge, Lynne Shore. 

The semi-finalists and finalists for this year’s Kennel Club Olympia Agility Stakes can be found online at www.thekennelclub.org.uk/activities/agility/agility-at-olympia/