Hunting dog Baxer wins Best Dog award at Crufts: Flat-Coated Retriever named ‘Best in Show’

Hunting dog Baxer wins top dog award at Crufts: flat-coated retriever is named ‘Best in Show’ – before enjoying the taste of his rosette!
- Baxer, the flat-coated retriever, won Best Gun Dog and Best in Show at Crufts
- The dog’s victory left owner Patrick Oware of Oslo, Norway in tears
- The results came after 12-year-old Ellissia East-Hickman impressed the judges on her debut
He wowed the Crufts crowd by winning Best Hunting Dog last night – and then also winning Best in Show.
And Baxer, the crowd-favorite flat-coated retriever, didn’t just get the winner’s rosette — he wanted to eat it, too.
The dog’s victory left owner Patrick Oware of Oslo, Norway in tears.
Mr Oware told the National Exhibition Center in Birmingham: ‘It’s amazing. I’m really, really proud of him.
Baxter’s victory at Crufts left owner Patrick Oware of Oslo, Norway in tears. Mr Oware told the National Exhibition Center in Birmingham: ‘It’s amazing. I’m really, really proud of him’
The results came after a 12-year-old girl with a rare and incurable gastrointestinal disorder impressed the judges on her Crufts debut – scoring first place with Shih Tzu Pebbles in the Minor Puppy Bitch section on Saturday.
The nine-month-old pup was one of six dogs Ellissia East-Hickman showed at Crufts – all of whom placed fourth or higher in their sections.
The schoolgirl, from Marden, Kent, wore a colostomy bag under her smart button-up jacket in the ring to help her cope with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction, a condition which has seen her go in and out of the Great Ormond Street Hospital for much of his life. .

Ellissia East-Hickman, who suffers from a rare and incurable gastrointestinal disorder, wowed the judges on her Crufts debut – scoring first place with Shih Tzu Pebbles in the Minor Puppy Bitch section on Saturday
Ellissia, who has autism, said it was a “great achievement” to arrive at Crufts less than a year after she started entering dogs in shows.
She added: “I find dogs to be soothing, and it’s interesting to read about different dogs and get to know them. You can’t just say “a dog is a dog”, they all have different personalities and mindsets.
Mum Cheryl East, 44, who runs beauty businesses, said: ‘It’s still not really sinking in, we’re thrilled and so proud of Ellissia, we can’t believe it! In some categories there were Best Breed Group winners, but Ellissia’s dogs ranked higher.
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