A teenage Cumbrian dog handler and Team GB took second place when they competed at the European Open Junior Agility Championships for the first time.

Katie Arnold says she is delighted with the result – which saw them come in just one second behind the winners.

It was the first time Katie, 15, who lives near Wigton, has competed at the championships which were held in Samorin, Slovakia, in early July.

“I was shaking, honestly I couldn’t sit still I was so nervous,” she said.

Before her team was due in the ring, Katie watched teams from other countries practising and was impressed by the standard.

About 487 dogs were at the competition, which team GB was competing in for the first time.

Mum Trish, herself a keen dog handler, was also surprised by the level of ability, saying: “It was jaw-dropping stuff. It was like, ‘Oh my goodness, how can they move so fast?’.”

When it was Katie’s turn to take on the obstacles, she took a few deep breaths and walked away from four-year-old border collie Thames to get in position.

“Everything else sort of goes,” she said. “People are talking and cheering but you don’t hear any of it because you’re so focused on what you have got to do.”

The course was the toughest Katie has ever had to do, but she and Thames completed a clear round, as did her other three team members.

Katie said: “We didn’t really expect it, when we went clear we were obviously so happy, but we didn’t think we would be on the podium.”

Trish said: “I don’t know how they did it. I have done agility all my life, I could never have done what she’s done. I could never have held my nerve.”

Katie, who goes to Nelson Thomlinson School in Wigton, feels she has returned home with a lot more experience and has already started training for next year.

She is training a couple of hours every day and travels up and down the country to see specialist trainers.

Next time she competes, Katie wants to take her own border collies: six-year-old Mist and Skye, five.

Thames, who Katie has been competing with for the past three years, belongs to a friend in Hexham.

Katie said: “I think there was so much more pressure on me because it was someone else’s dog.

“I had the pressure of what they would think, whereas if it’s my dog I can laugh it off.”

Border Collies are Katie’s favourite dog breed because they are very determined, have a good work ethic but also have an ‘off switch’ so they can relax at home.

Katie now hopes to interest others in dog handling and is offering lessons to youngsters keen to learn how to do it.

Her life as a dog handler began at the age of five when she started working with her parents’ dogs.

She thanks those who sponsored her and says she will continue to look for sponsorship to make sure she can compete at such a level again in future. In December, Katie and her dogs will try out for the GB team again. As winter is usually down time for her dogs, she is hoping someone willing to help her with hydrotherapy will get in touch.

To contact Katie, email emeraldcollies@yahoo.co.uk.