Assistant County Adviser Ellie Edwards and her team mates featured in the high octane flyball competition at Crufts where the best British and international teams clashed on national television.
Ellie, who lives in Staffordshire, is currently vice-captain of Barking 4 Balls which is based in Stoke-on-Trent and reached the last eight in the fiercely fought competition.
“As a small team we were really proud to qualify for the quarter finals at Crufts 2026,” she said.
“This is our third time competing at Crufts with our first time qualifying only in 2024."
“It’s always such a privilege to be a part of that atmosphere with your own dog and I’ve been so lucky to experience that for three years, especially last year when both of my dogs ran.
“Obviously, we were disappointed to go out in the quarter finals on the Friday, but Crufts is a cruel mistress and being only out of three heats doesn’t let you have much room for mistakes.
However, we have to acknowledge that it is a huge achievement to reach that stage of Crufts in the first place, especially with a couple of dogs who are only two years old.”
“The atmosphere is phenomenal when you step out onto the famous green carpet and the louder the crowd cheer the faster the dogs will run!”
Ellie Edwards
It’s been a quick rise up the ranks for Ellie, who only started in competitive flyball in 2022. She has two dogs that compete: five-year-old Nell and two-year-old Roo, who is collie x whippet.
What is flyball?
“Flyball is a high adrenaline, energetic and fast paced sport for all ages, abilities and breeds. It is the ultimate inclusive sport for both human and canines alike,” said Ellie.
“I have been in it for four years and first got into it when we got our border collie, Nell. She came from a hill farm in Welshpool and started to show us that she was pretty quick and we should do something with her.
“I looked for our closest flyball team after watching it at Crufts and, as they say, the rest is history!”
Team GB call up
This is an exciting year for Barking 4 Balls as they have some huge events coming up.
“In May we’ve been selected to represent Team GB at the Flyball Open World Cup 2026 that is being held in Norfolk, we then have a few National Championships over the summer before we head to Germany in August to compete in the European Flyball Championships,” said Ellie.
It takes dedication to compete at Ellie’s level.
“We train every Sunday for half a day with every dog getting the individual attention required for their racing career.
“A huge amount of training and dedication goes into our team with every member helping out with each dog.
“We also compete twice a month from March to October with competitions located across the country.”