"I love dog shows and I love Penny": Freddie and family excited for big day out as Bobbington toddler and his friend Penny get ready for Crufts

Freddie Osborne will take to the floor of the NEC in Birmingham on Thursday, March 6 with his seven-year-old smooth fox terrier Penny as he competes at Crufts.

He and Penny qualified at National Terrier at Stafford Showground in April last year and the five-year-old from Enville will go up against much older competitors on Terrier Day.

Freddie, who goes to school at Corbett Primary School in Bobbington, said he was very excited to be taking part in Crufts with his best friend.

He said: "I love dog shows and I love Penny because she's nice and I've had her my whole life, so it will be nice to walk her around the ring.

"Penny is great because she gives nice cuddles and she's not just my dog, she's my best friend.

"My friends and my teachers have said they are proud of me and I think that if any children want to do dog shows, they should do it."

His mum Kimberley said that Freddie had been given permission to take the day off of school to compete at Crufts and he was following in the family footsteps around dog shows.

She said: "We breed smooth fox terriers under the kennel name Forgevale and we are in partnership with a lady called Margaret Hughes from Ledbury who has trained myself and Freddie to success. 

"We have taken farm terriers to the green carpet and have won many accolades as a kennel such as the Gold Cup."

Ms Osborne said that Freddie was competing in the category he was in as he was too young for the Young Kennel Club as competitors had to be six-years-old and Freddie would only turn that age three weeks before the competition.

She said that she was really proud of her son for being able to take on the challenge of dog showing and be able to take part in something he had always loved and wanted to take part in.

She said: "Freddie is competing against adult handlers in his section and has worked very hard to learn and handle his dog independently and only needs help to lift her onto the table.

"I'm really pleased that he has managed to have the concentration to pursue the dog showing as he's had to do a lot of watching due to not being old enough to do it in the past.

"This year, we felt that he was confident enough to to handle the dog on his own in the ring, because we're not allowed to help him, and he's competing against adults.

"He turned five last May and he was able to handle Penny and pilot her to success at Birmingham National and qualified for Crufts first time out."

To find out more about Crufts and the other competitions taking place, go to the Crufts website.