A Portland woman and her canine companion won first place at one of the most prestigious agility competitions in the world.

Beating hundreds of dogs and their handlers, five-year-old Papillon Cross Border Collie called Vegas and owner Dawn Weaver, from Portland, have won the Medium Agility Stakes final.

Dawn began her career as a veterinary nurse, moved onto dog training and dog grooming and now teaches agility full-time. She has also written an agility training manual entitled Knowledge Equals Speed which has been printed both in the UK and the USA

Ms Weaver and Vegas competed in agility qualifying heats across the country before winning the medium final at the Kennel Club Olympia Agility Stakes, held at the London International Horse Show.

Proud owner Ms Weaver said of her achievement: “I have been competing for over 20 years at Olympia and I am thrilled to have won.

“Vegas is an amazing dog, there will never be another like him. He is a very fast little boy with a very sweet, loving nature"

Vegas has a very impressive resumé. He is a two-time World Agility Champion and has also won silver and bronze medals at the World Championships.

Dawn and Vegas were also been called up to be part of the 2017 Team GB Squad.

William Delamore, Sales and Marketing Director at Skinner’s, commented: “The standard at Olympia was world-class; every year we look forward to the competitions and we are thrilled to be part of such a prestigious event.

“Congratulations to Dawn and Vegas for such a fantastic performance and we’d like to wish each and every competitor the best of luck for 2019.”

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary said: “Congratulations to Dawn and Vegas, we saw so many talented dogs and handlers over the weekend.

“The Olympia Stakes is true testament to how popular and exciting agility is as a canine activity.”

For more information and a full list of winners visit the kennel club website.

To find out more about Dawn and her dogs, visit her website https://www.dawnweaveragility.com/about-dawn

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