A SOUTH Lakeland girl whose ambition is to set up a dog hotel was one of the local success stories from this year's Crufts.

Ellie Beach, 10, from Burton-in-Kendal, won first place in the Good Citizen Dog Scheme category with her three-year-old Lancashire Heeler called Angus.

"I was also really happy when I got first place, I thought I had come second," said Ellie, who has competed at Crufts twice before.

She also came fourth in the Young Kennel Club (YKC) junior handling competition with her four-year-old Rottweiler, Elsa, and fifth in the YKC's Pastoral Stakes with Angus.

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"When I grow up, I would like to set up a dog hotel, where owners could leave their dogs when they go on holiday," said Ellie. "There would be kennels and grassy areas."

"I'm really proud of Ellie, she has worked really hard," said Ellie's mother, Nina. "She has been interested in dogs from a young age. When she was about three, she would join me while training and walk her pretend dog behind me."

Helen Lister, from Windermere, won the best in breed for the second time in a row with her Italian Greyhound, Tiffany.

"It is quite unusual for a same dog to win best of breed two years in a row," she said. "She comes from a family with a long history of doing well in competitions."

Two-and-a-half year old Tiffany, who is home-bred, also made it to the last eight from more than 3,000 toy dogs.

And Tiffany's mother, Scarlett, came second in the veteran bitch category, and her cousin, Claudia, was runner-up in the yearling bitch category.

Miss Lister, who runs an Italian Greyhound rescue charity and has shown at Crufts since the 1970s, said: "I love Italian Greyhounds. They are not lap dogs, they are small hounds. You can walk for miles with them, and they still want to to go on. It's a very affectionate, very loving breed."

Sandy Hall, from Kendal, and her 15-month-old Ibizan Hound, Twinkle, secured first in the junior bitch category after competing at Crufts for the first time together.

"Crufts was a very exciting day, and Twinkle did very well," said Ms Hall. "I'm so proud of her, getting first place on her first year. She's a lovely dog. She's having a nice rest now, and we'll be doing more shows together later this year."

Other local winners included:

- Carol Dunford, Grange-over-Sands, won the reserve bitch challenge certificate with her six-year-old Manchester Terrier, Polly.

- Sandra Bowker, Ulverston, won the reserve dog challenge certificate with her five-year-old Pyrenean Mountain Dog, Gaston.

- Michelle Brennand, of Bonningate, near Crook, placed third in the Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme with her Bernese Mountain Dog, Rufus.

- Penrith student Niam Clarke, 16, and her two-year-old Shetland sheepdog, Willow, won the over-12 years medium jumping Young Kennel Club title.