Teenage Denny dog trainer taking part in Crufts show for first time

Shannon Hannah (17) will pit her wits against the cream of the crop when she takes her toy poodles, Buddy and Sammy, to Crufts today for the first time.

The Denny High School pupil will make her way to the four-day event in Birmingham accompanied by her grandmother — and fellow dog lover — Polly, who has backed the teen every step of the way since she started training pups five years ago.

Though Shannon concedes to feeling some nerves ahead of the event — which sees more than 20,000 pooches compete for prizes — she is relishing the prospect.

Having taken on training responsibilities for both Buddy and Sammy, Shannon has been honing her craft via sessions at Stirling Agility along with Polly.

The training she has received from its founder, Lisa Duggan, has proved instrumental in enabling Shannon to progress the dogs through the ranks.

In the lead-up to this week’s main event, Shannon has been preparing Buddy for a tilt at the Young Kennel Club (YKC) jumping title, while she is also going for the YKC Agility Dog of the Year award with Sammy.

The teenager, who lives with her grandparents Polly and Alan in Denny, said: “I’ve never been to Crufts to compete so I’m quite nervous but I’m looking forward to it.

“I ended up competing at a show down in England and myself and my training partner qualified there.

“My gran’s support is really important to me because without her I wouldn’t be doing it.”