A DUDLEY dog owner is ready to continue his Crufts family legacy as he steps on the famous green carpet for the first time in Birmingham.
Jack Mills, aged 28, is following in his father Nigel’s footsteps at the world-renowned dog show at the NEC Birmingham – 20 years on from when his dad’s English bull terrier won best in breed.
In just his first season of showing dogs, Mills qualified for the event with his English bull terrier, Rightstuff Black Knight, or Murphy, and is now excited to start his own Crufts journey.
He said: “We were going through the loft at home and I came across his rosette, and I went downstairs and I asked him to tell me more about it.
“And then as I as he started to talk about it, we went and found all his trophies and my own interest started to develop, and I thought ‘I really want to give this a go.
“And it was that weekend I thought, I’m gonna message the same breeder and I want the same prefix.
“So that’s what I did and now I have Murphy.”
Nigel and his own English bull terrier, Rightstuff Time Lord, won a class of 17 dogs to take home a Crufts rosette in 2004.
Despite Mills having already upstaged his father by winning a Reserve Challenge Certificate at the Ladies Kennel Association Championship Show last year, something Nigel never achieved, he is still receiving all the top tips and tricks on dog showing.
He said: “Dad is really excited for me, and he’s looking at the dog all the while telling me what to do.
“He looked at a video of Murphy the other day and told we I had actually placed him too wide and the judge had made him narrower.
“Even though I won the class, he will still pick a fault to help me learn.”
Even though it is Mills’ first season of showing dogs, he is not starting from scratch.
The dog lover has been showing horses since he was just 10-years-old and has some impressive success to his name, including coming runner up to animal royalty.
He said: “I came second at the Royal Windsor Horse Show to the Queen’s horse, which is my greatest achievement so far in showing.
“It has definitely helped me with the dog presentation because it’s exactly the same as showing a pony.”
Mills will head to Birmingham with his English bull terrier Murphy with the expectation to just enjoy themselves.
It will also be an opportunity for Mills to celebrate his love of animals and dog shows after they helped him through a tough mental health battle two years ago.
He said: “In 2023, I had a nervous breakdown and that really knocked my confidence.
“Then all of a sudden, I started going competing again and I realised that while I was in the ring, everything else got forgotten, and I just worked on being a showman.
“It’s really helped me with my anxiety and my overall nervousness.
“So Crufts is so special because it’s meaningful to me, my dad and my whole family.”
Crufts, run by The Kennel Club, takes place at the NEC Birmingham from March 6 to 9. Viewers can watch on Channel 4 and More4.
For information and tickets visit crufts.org.uk.
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