Crufts 2018 was extra exciting for us at The Insurance Emporium as we once again sponsored Hayley Telling and her Shetland sheepdog, Teal, in their adventures on the green carpet. We caught up with Hayley at Crufts and had a chat after the adrenaline had died down to see how they got on!
Busy weekend
Hayley and Teal certainly had their work cut out down at the NEC, competing in various events over the weekend, “it was a very busy one, we qualified for four events over three days” says Hayley. Such a busy weekend could have taken its toll on the duo but luckily they’d prepared well in advance, “we had worked especially hard on both of our fitness in preparation and this certainly helped us keep up our speed over the four events!” The old adage of ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ was clearly taken very seriously!
British Open champions!
The first event for the duo was on Thursday, where they competed in the British Open. Teal managed to win both the jumping and agility rounds, making him the overall winner for the second consecutive year! “I was incredibly proud of him for showing such brilliant skills at speed and for defending our title for the second year,” gushed Hayley. The following day they competed in the Crufts Singles however Teal missed his weave entry in the jumping round which, although followed by a brilliant agility run, left him in second place.
The main event!
Day three was the Championship Event and, after two great rounds, Hayley and Teal found themselves in the final. After pushing themselves to the limit, they finished in a very respectable fourth place behind three collies – just 0.6 seconds behind the winner! Collies are like the Lionel Messi of the dog world and are almost unbeatable, so we’re incredibly proud of our guys! Hayley was thrilled with Teal’s efforts on the day and absolutely loved the event, “The atmosphere was incredible for our first championship final, Teal put in such an incredible round and I was so proud of him!” Hayley says, “My only goal for Crufts was to run as fast as we could and have a lot of fun! We certainly achieved that!”
What next?
Hayley and Teal have already qualified for the 2018 Olympia semi-finals which take place in August and also compete in the final part of the FCI World Championship try-outs soon. They also recently competed in the try-outs for the International Mixed Breed World Championships, where Teal gained two first place finishes. They’ll find out about these selections in April! For Hayley, it’s now all about looking to the future, “I am now looking forward to 2018 and hopefully qualifying for Crufts 2019 throughout this year!”
Hayley also told us “we would like to thank The Insurance Emporium for their continued support, it means so much to us to know that Teal is insured with such fantastic cover”. If you’re looking to protect your pet then it could be worth considering getting some Dog Insurance. At The Insurance Emporium, all new Dog Insurance policies receive a 20% Introductory Discount* and have a range of Optional Benefits such as a European Cover** to choose from. Head to The Insurance Emporium today to find out more!
*20% Introductory Discount only available for the first year of new policies.
**European Cover not available on Public Liability Only or Accident Only policies.
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