THRILLED members of a dog training club are celebrating after a successful showing at this year’s Crufts.

The Pebmarsh-based Halstead Dog Obedience Club had several owners and their pet pooches competing in the world’s most famous dog show.

Club members Liam Norfolk, Ricky Cox, Sam Ragus and Lesley Nichols and their four-legged friends were part of the South East and East Anglian team competing against six teams from across the UK in the competitive obedience.

Each of the seven regional teams was made up of a beginner, novice, class A, B and C competitors.

Sam and trusty Labrador Alfie are no strangers to success, having won two rosettes in dog obedience at Crufts last year.

They scooped a first place for the team in the Class A category while Liam and golden retriever Kenny picked up third.

They helped secure a second place finish for the team in the overall results, only being piped to the victory by the North.

Caron McLure and her hovawart Truffle also tasted success.

They weren’t content with coming second in the breed competition and went on to claim first place in the Kennel Club Good Citizen Breed Competition.

Crufts is the world’s largest dog show with more than 20,000 competitors and attracting 160,000 visitors to the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.

Chairman Elaine Fookes said she was proud of the Halstead club’s achievements.

She said: “Many members from Halstead Dog Club went along to support their fellow club members.

“The whole club is very proud of how they all performed on the day under the pressure of being at the biggest and best dog show in the world.”

Anyone interested in getting involved with the club can call the secretary on 07305 195560.