A TEENAGER and her black Russian terrier will be flying the flag for Jersey at the world’s largest dog show this weekend.
Katya Lynnyk-Ali (16) and three-year-old River are making their third trip to Crufts, which concludes tomorrow at the NEC in Birmingham.
The trip comes after success at last month’s Dog of the Year show in Jersey, with River awarded the Reserve Best in Show category – equivalent to overall second place – from around 80 eligible dogs.
While River takes part in the “good citizen” and open classes at Crufts, Katya will also be competing for the Young Kennel Club handling award for participants aged 21 and below.
The Birmingham trip has marked a short break from routine for Katya, who is studying for GCSEs at Jersey College for Girls. After an overnight boat to Portsmouth on Thursday night, yesterday was taken up with the drive north and an intensive day of canine bathing and grooming before going on parade at 8am today.
As well as representing Jersey, Katya will be proudly flying the flag for Ukraine. Her mother, Oksana, who works as a nurse at the Hospital, was born and brought up in Ukraine and the family have lived in Jersey since 2019.
