Horsham teen to represent Team GB in dog agility

Yvie Thompson competed at Crufts for the third year and won the medium pairs in the dog agility category.

She will be competing in the Junior Open Agility World Championships with the Junior Kennel Club in Finland.

Yvie was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was nine but does not let that affect her chances at winning.

To secure her spot on Team GB, Yvie competed in the pre-selection qualifier in February and went through to the second round in March, which she did with her trainer’s dog, Epic, owned by Ashley Carter.

Yvie will be competing as part of the team and in the individual agility classes.

Chloe Thompson, Yvie’s mum, said: “Yvie started training Bella when she was eight years old – Bella was one then.

“They competed at Crufts in 2019 and won agility dog of the year and jumping for their age category, six-11.

“In 2019 she qualified with Bella and Epic (her trainer’s dog) at Dartford show which won them the chance to compete at Crufts 2020 luckily just before lockdown.

“She won with Epic overall jumping in all heights and age categories. They competed again this year after qualifying in 2021 where she came 1st in the pairs with her partner Max and his dog Woody. They have to either win at a qualifier or earn enough points at shows to be able to compete at Crufts.

“Bella is grade 6 and only needs two more wins to get grade 7 which is the highest grade. She is going to be 7 this year and thankfully is fit enough to carry on competing.

“There is no upper age limit as long as they are fit and sound. They usually compete against adults and only against juniors a couple of times a year.”

There are 14 individuals going to Finaland and they will have three team days together before they go.

Chloe said: “This has been a dream of Yvies and one that she wants to continue in the years ahead. She wants to teach agility as a part time job, perform dog therapy massage and travel and compete internationally for her country.

“As a parent I cannot tell you how proud I am not only because she is fantastic but she deals with the highs and lows of competing which do not always go to plan and never complains that her diabetes gets in the way.

“If her bloods are high they can make her feel very sick and tired and concentration is harder.

“If her bloods are too low this has an immediate effect that needs dealing with straight away. I cannot wait to see her compete with Epic her amazing dog.”

The cost is high, with the coach alone costing £14,000, and the team is on the hunt for a sponsor.

To support them, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ashley-carter-3?fbclid=IwAR3H2gQJmZRyoPZNaUshqiYKpZAICzJo373qwhkE2FwWmbR-AFhmHyJbm6E

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