Jeanette Brache brought her two Finnish Lapphunds, Oreo and Talli, to the show, winning third-place prizes in the Finnish Lapphund Good Citizen and Junior Bitch classes, while Derryn De Carteret and her English Springer Spaniel, Daphne, secured a fifth place in the Yearling Bitch Class.
‘Achieving a placing at Crufts is always special and an accomplishment, so to get a third placement on both dogs is fantastic,’ said Mrs Brache.
Mrs Brache has been showing for some seven years now, although 2026 marked only the third year that she has been showing Oreo, and was 15-month-old Talli’s very first Crufts.
Talli had qualified by achieving Best Puppy in Breed at the Paignton Championship dog show in August last year.
Mrs De Carteret, meanwhile, has been showing spaniels since the 1990s, though this was also Daphne’s Crufts debut.
‘It felt brilliant – I’m so pleased with how Daphne did as she is still a young dog at just over 18 months,’ Mrs De Carteret said of her spaniel’s success.
Daphne was one of 112 English Springer Spaniels at the competition this year, while Oreo and Talli went muzzle-to-muzzle with 73 other Finnish Lapphunds.
Oreo subsequently went up against even greater competition when he competed with his brother and sister as a team in the Breeders Competition.
‘It was very exciting and a privilege to be part of the Elbereth breeders team,’ said Mrs Brache.
‘The 40 teams were comprised of all breeds, but we were the only Finnish Lapphunds.
‘We have previously competed together at the Helsinki World Dog Show in 2025.’
Elbereth is the UK’s top Finnish Lapphund breeder, run by breeder Toni Jackson, who competed alongside Mrs Brache with Oreo’s sister, Uni.
Of all breeders of all dog breeds, only 40 will qualify to enter the main arena with their teams of canine competitors, eight of which will be shortlisted before a triumphant breeder is chosen.
Oreo and his siblings made the shortlist – the only dogs from the pastoral group to do so this year – although, this time, they progressed no further. Mrs Brache said she would look to return next year.
‘Of course we want to show at Crufts again – it’s the world’s biggest dog show after all,’ she said.
Approximately 28,000 dogs from across the world are entered into Crufts every year, with thousands entered across all groups – gun dogs, hounds, pastoral dogs, working dogs, utility dogs, toy dogs and terriers.
It has been running since 1891, and was the first dog show to accept entries from across all breeds.