A TRALEE dog owner and his pet have brought home an award from the world renowned  competition, Crufts, held in Birmingham last weekend.

First time Crufts competitor Tim Galvin and his rottweiler Rocky, finished second place in the junior dog category in his breed.

Second place meant the 18 month old pup finished just two steps away from the highly prestigious ‘Best in Show’ final event.

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“I was all nerves, because it was my first time,” said a delighted Tim Galvin of Gallys Bar and Restaurant, still basking in the glow of events over the weekend.

“The competition out there is just so tough, the simplest thing could let your dog down,” said Tim. “But once I got into the ring and saw all the other owners and their dogs it got me thinking ‘my dog doesn’t look half bad here”.

Crufts was held between Friday and Sunday last weekend. Tim and Rocky competed in the ‘Work dogs’ breed group which is the largest in the competition.

Being a current Irish junior champion, Rocky, had a bit of form heading to Crufts, his father is also an Irish and international champion.

Over the course of three days, around a half a million dog lovers come to Crufts which is held in the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham and also acts as a canine trade event for the weekend.

Each day the competition lasts, on average, eight hours with dogs and owners filling the exhibition centre from dawn til dusk.

Crufts is known for its reserved etiquette, but as soon as the judge pulled out Rocky for second, Tim couldn’t hold back and let out a joyous leap.

“It was just fantastic,” said Tim.

After a half an hour of intense judging, under the watchful gaze of a few hundred spectators, the judge picks the five best dogs out of 18 to come forward. Then after closer inspection their placings were decided.

“The owner and dog that came first was behind me, the judge than called us next, it felt like a win to me!”

The judging process is a team event, with both owner and dog having to be at their best under high pressure surroundings.

“The judge said she loved Rocky and she would have given him first prize, only he has to mature a bit more, so we’ll be back again next year.”

The travelling doesn’t stop there for Tim and Rocky; next up they are off to the Windsor and Manchester championships in England.