It's the biggest - and probably most prestigious - dog show in the world...

And despite her relative youth, 10-year-old dog lover Abbi Taylor is about to fulfill her dream to be a part of it.

The youngster, from Newcastleton, north of Carlisle, has plenty of experience, having been involved in dog sports for years, competing alongside her grandfather Derrick Archibald in sheepdog trials, dog agility events, and the competitive team dog sport known as flyball.

But like so many dog owners the world over, her dream has always been to compete at Crufts at the NEC in Birmingham - and on Saturday, March 10 her wish will be granted.

Abbi and her dog Mist, a four-year old border collie, are members of the Carlisle Canine Flyball Team and normally race with their adult team mates.

But last year, Abbi was head-hunted by Wirral-based Dynamic Dolphins, a juniors-only team, which aimed to qualify for the prestigious Young Kennel Club flyball championships at Crufts.

The youngsters achieved this goal on their first attempt and have, since then, been pacing their training to ensure the team dogs will be on top form at just the right time.

At Crufts, Abbi will be racing Pyper, a border collie owned by Julie Burns.

It is not the first time she has handled dogs owned by other flyball enthusiasts, and the pair recently achieved a second place at a competition where they were racing against adult handlers.

“Although I love racing Mist, it's a real honour to be trusted with someone else’s dog,” said Abbi.

Having competed successfully against adult handlers at a competition near Dundee a few weeks ago, Abbi feels confident that she and Pyper now have the bond necessary for them to hold their own at Crufts.

The youngster said she cannot wait to walk into the Main Ring at the world’s largest dog show, to run the race of her and Pyper’s lives.

The Young Kennel Club (YKC) is the Kennel Club’s organisation for dog-mad children and youngsters aged six to 24. The organisation encourages its members to enjoy a number of different activities with their dogs, and promotes good dog ownership, good sportsmanship, responsibility and cooperation.

FLYBALL FACTS

Flyball is a fast and furious sport which came to the UK from the USA.

It made its debut at Crufts in 1990.

At competitions, four-dog teams race in parallel lanes, with dogs negotiating hurdles to reach a machine.

Once triggered by the dog, the machine launches a tennis ball which the dog must catch and return to its handler.

Just like in any other relay race, speed and timing is everything, with dogs passing each other shoulder to shoulder in a space no more than four foot wide.

The current world record for completing a four-dog relay race is 14.182 seconds.

To keep the sport fair and open to all dogs, teams are divided into divisions according to their previously recorded times.