'Crufts has been my world for almost 50 years'

A champion dog breeder has said she is retiring after nearly 50 years of her pedigrees clocking up hundreds of wins.

Di Stirling has been breeding dogs since 1975 and her pooches have won 240 champion awards since she began competing in 1977.

Crufts, which begins on Thursday at the NEC in Birmingham, will also see her judging the Norweigan Buhunds category for the final time.

Mrs Stirling, who lives in Whitton, North Lincolnshire, said: "This has been my world for 50 years."

Mrs Stirling, who first became a Crufts show judge in 2014, will be judging for only the second and final time on Sunday.

She said there would be a "hootenanny" to celebrate her retirement following the show.

"It will be a hoot. There will be a big party," she said.

Her kennel has been the most decorated of all time having won the highest number of competitions in the Norwegian Buhund category.

Her pooch Mia was the breed record holder, winning more champion prizes than any other dog, according to Mrs Stirling.

She puts her success down to her very high standards and describes her pooches as "kids".

"I try to be the very best breeder you can be," said Mrs Stirling, who is originally from Glasgow.

"I might have a lot of champions, but my kids are my family.

"They are looked after five-star all the way."

As well as producing Crufts champions, Mrs Stirling has also got a history of breeding dogs for the police and search and rescue teams, including German Shepherds, Dobermanns and Labradors.

"I'm most proud of the fact that my dogs have worked for society," she said.

Purchasing a dog from the champion breeder has meant sniffing out the new owners with a face-to-face interview, according to Mrs Stirling.

"Nobody comes in here with money to get one of my dogs, because first, last and always my kids are my family.

"If they're with me for eight weeks, they are with me for all their lives. Wherever my kids are in the world, if they are in trouble, I would be there."

She said people from as far as America and Norway had bought her dogs and she had stayed in touch with all of the new owners.

Some of them were expected to join the celebrations at her final Crufts show, she said.

"I'm very honoured that I've got owners flying in from all over the world just to be with me.

"My owners are like family."

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