Two Aboyne sisters and their enthusiastic pooch Buck are celebrating a win at Crufts this weekend.
Erin and Abbie Lang scooped third prize at the prestigious event’s junior flyball showdown with their team the Tartan Tails.
The youngest members on the only all-Scottish team competing in the Young Kennel Club Flyball showdown this year, their mum Lynne Laing said they handled the pressure well on the day.
The mum-of-two admitted she was more worried than the girls.
“It was mad I was absolutely shaking,” she said.
“All the mums had to get away and leave the kids to it because we were getting far too nervous.”
Bouncy Buck was ‘cheeky in the ring’
Other team members included the Angus sisters Sophia and Jessica Herald, aged 16 and 14, Erin Scorgie, 22, from Brechin and 13-year-old Emma Fowler from Inverkeithing in Fife.
Erin, aged 12, handler of their “enthusiastic” family dog Buck – also named Deesidedly Bouncy Buckaroo – had her hands full.
She admitted her furry friend was “being very cheeky in the ring” while Abbie said holding his focus at times seemed like a “nightmare”.
Their mum said Buck started the warm up with “a lap of honour charging about and being very silly” before the flyball showdown– a relay race for dogs and their handlers – began.
She said: “Everyone got a bit worried and then Erin got a hold of him and she lined him up and she handled him so well and he ran perfectly for the rest of the day.
“It was really exciting. I’m just so proud of them. They did so well it’s unbelievable.
“I’ve got to say I didn’t expect them to do so well because the teams they were up against, it’s incredible to come away with third.”
When posing for the photos on the podium with Saltire flags, kilts and temporary tattoos, Mrs Laing said there was “no doubt” what country they were representing.
Ready to return to friends and family
After celebrating the win with a well-deserved burger, Mrs Laing said the trio were shattered by the evening.
“It was so sweet,” she added. “I came back and the two kids were completely sound asleep in bed with Buck lying at their feet on the bed.
“He was lying there guarding his girls.”
Treating themselves to a bit of shopping the next day – with Buck receiving a new sparkly lead – the sisters said they were “very happy” with the result.
While Abbie, who is the team’s “ball ninja”, said they enjoyed the road trip to The NEC in Birmingham, they were looking forward to getting home to Aboyne.
“It was really fun,” she said. “This is the furthest we’ve been from home but we’ve missed our friends and our dad and Nacho, our puppy.”
When asked about going back to school, the 10-year-old said she could not wait to tell her friends.
“I’m going to talk about it forever,” she added.
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