Double Crufts success for Joe the Rottweiler

Joe the rottie, also known as Oleira Blaze of Gold, was among 28,000 dogs at the

Kennel Club's internationally-renowned dog competition last weekend and claimed the prestigious best of breed prize at Birmingham's NEC.

The three-year-old and his owner, Marie Monk, an assistant headteacher at Roughwood Primary School, also showed nerves of steel to win the best in working group before joining six others in competing for the best in show.

The pair missed out on the top prize to a seven-year-old Hungarian Vizsla but Mrs Monk (45) was full of pride for her and Joe's performance on the 120th anniversary of Crufts.

She said: "I am over the moon to have won. I have done 28 years of shows and this is the first time I have won best of breed at Crufts.

"And to come first in group in my first time in the group ring is just absolutely amazing. I am so happy."

Marie had to walk her winning pet around the ring before Joe was examined by a judge.

"I trod on Joe leading him into the ring and then in the group ring there was a Portuguese water dog and he thought, ‘I want some of that,' so that was a bit of a problem", she added.

"But I am delighted to win. I'm over the moon.

“It’s a major achievement, especially for a rottweiler. They have got this awful reputation over the years and it’s completely unfair really they are brilliant.

“Everybody just wanted to stroke him afterwards—he is like a celebrity now.”

Marie said it was rare for a rottweiler to win such a prize, with the achievement only having been done a couple of times before in the history of Crufts.

She added: “I have had e-mails from all over the world congratulating me and saying how wonderful Joe looked, which is really nice.”