A young Angus dog trainer is fast proving herself the nation’s top dog in the world of junior agility.
Ashleigh Boag from Montrose has already experienced the thrill of the Crufts arena, and in September will fly the flag for Angus and Scotland as a member of Team GB in a major international event.
The 18-year-old has won competitions across the country and as she continued a hectic summer schedule at a weekend Scone Palace event, she revealed how she hopes to command even greater success.
Her Team GB debut will be in the agility for juniors European cup event in the Netherlands at the end of September, the first time a group has been sent abroad to compete by the national body, which aims to encourage young handlers into the demanding, and highly entertaining sport.
Ashleigh, from Montrose, won the prized place in the overseas line-up with overall victory in a Scottish open junior agility championship earlier this year, guaranteeing automatic selection as the group’s only young handler from north of the border.
She triumphed with her Mearns coach Sarah Osborne’s seven-year-old border collie, Tig, and will be competing with him in the Netherlands on the testing obstacle course, against the clock.
“I took up agility about five years ago, and I also have my own dog, Key, who I am training to compete with,” said Ashleigh, a social sciences student in Aberdeen.
“Key is three years old now and quite fast. He is doing quite well at the moment and we are at competitions most weekends during the summer.”
Ashleigh is also hopeful she may make a swift return to the world’s most famous dog show with her canine pal.
“When Key is a bit older I would like to try and get to Crufts with him.
“I qualified for it in the junior team event, but it was our first time there and I think we were all a bit nervous but it was still a great experience,” she added.
“Dogs are given grades as they get better and they have to be quite high to qualify for Crufts, so I will keep practising and competing to try and get there,” she said.