BORDER Terrier Grimley proved every dog has its day even in the face of adversity after he carried off a top dog award at Crufts.

The two-year-old pedigree, who lives in Northallerton with owner Colin Hall, carried off the Best of Breed title at the prestigious show. Grimley was one of 22,000 canines from across the country taking part at the event at Birmingham’s NEC arena.

But it was not just the cream of the crop competition from the Border Terrier world that Grimley had to overcome. Mr Hall said they had a nightmare just trying to get to the competition for the main event in the first place. Their car broke down the day before, so they had to return to Yorkshire and set off at 4am on the morning of Grimley’s main class. But being a true professional he refused to let the stress of the journey interfere with his performance and carried off the coveted award.

“It was a hectic day. But despite the ordeal, it was completely worth it to be in this position,” said Mr Hall. “I am immensely proud of Grimley, he was brilliant and it is an excellent experience that we absolutely did not expect at the start of a long day.

“I am going to savour the moment because these times don’t come around very often. It was all a bit nerve-wracking, but we love it at Crufts and it was another fantastic year at the event."

Grimley's father won Best of Breed at Crufts last year.