Flight Lieutenant Claire Crichton has won the Kennel Club Large Novice ABC (Anything But Collies) Agility competition at world famous Crufts dog show 2023.
Away from her usual role as a RAF Physiotherapist based at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Flight Lieutenant Crichton trains with her agility dog, Aspen, who is also an incredible therapet for patients at the Centre.
It is just what dreams are made of. Aspen is my first agility dog and she has gone from strength to strength. She is so honest, so genuine and she owes me absolutely nothing! Aspen is quirky, cheeky but so loyal it's unbelievable.
Flight Lieutenant Crichton
RAF Physiotherapist
This was the first time Claire has ever competed at Crufts, making the win even more impressive against the eight other finalists who battled for victory in the ABC Agility, a competition for owners with different breeds of dog.
She discovered her love of agility after trying it out at her local dog training club. Claire then became the proud owner of crossbreed Aspen, who is now 8 years old and has been training in agility since she was 2.
Claire is a Physiotherapist who has been in the RAF for 12 years. Together, they provide therapy sessions to patients at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre during their rehab journey. Aspen works as a Pets as Therapy (PAT) charity dog, as well as training with Claire and competing on weekends.
Some of the areas she assists with are Speech and language therapy (voice projection and general commands), LL and UL dexterity (feeding treats, throwing/kicking balls), and helping those in a wheelchair), multitasking (physical and mental task combinations), mental health (distraction, general interaction with an animal) and assistance with cognitive tasks (route planning, session activities).
Congratulations to Aspen and Claire for their exceptional performance in the final today. The pair really demonstrated how hard they have been training and the wonderful bond between them was evident. We wish them luck in future agility competitions.
Vanessa McAlpine
Crufts Show Manager
