Furge scoops Crufts Best in Breed award to joy of proud Melton owners

Seven-year-old Furge, who is seated in the centre on the bench in the photo, won the Best of Breed title. He is pictured on the bench with his son, Leonard, and fawn-coloured bitch, Peggy, who is nearly four and who has been with Kim (59) since she was a puppy. Laying down in front of them is Furge’s daughter, Lily.

Kim’s Pulis all achieved excellent places at Crufts, with their impressive haul of prizes including Best of Breed, four first places and two second places.

Furge won first prize in his open class, Lily came first (out of 13 entrants) in her post-graduate bitch and good citizen classes and Leonard came first in his good citizen class.

Kim, who had previously won a Crufts Best in Breed with a Komondor called Agatha in 2013, said: “It was the biggest entry of Hungarian Pulis for many years with 75 dogs entered, eight of which were from mainland Europe.

“Last year Furge came fourth out of 11 dogs in his open class. Obviously the judges were looking for something different this year. That’s the joy of it, you don’t know what you’re going to get.

“The judge on Saturday had given Furge an award before so I knew she liked him. I knew that gave him a reasonable chance but I still felt more nervous than at any other dog show I’d been at in my life.

“Furge is quite stocky and powerful and is in a Hungarian style. I think they liked the more traditional Hungarian type of dog. Some of the others were a bit more showy perhaps.

“I’m so proud of all my dogs but Furge is the star man and I’m delighted he did so well in his open class against 13 dogs, seven or eight of which were champions.”

Kim, who lives in the Melton area, is a retired teacher having taught at Melton’s King Edward VII School and Belvoir High School for many years.

He got his first Pulis about 20 years ago and currently has eight of the breed, as well as two Komondors. Kim’s dogs have also featuring in a number of adverts over the years.