Southampton therapy dog crowned top dog at Crufts

Eight-year-old golden retriever Leo and owner Lyndsey Uglow won the Friends for Life competition in the children’s champion category at Crufts, which was decided by a public vote.

Leo heads up a team of therapy dogs who visit the Southampton Children's Hospital to provide animal assisted intervention.

Leo and friends have been visiting up to five times a week for the past seven years. The team is made up of six dogs and four very experienced handlers and have helped more than 10,000 often critically ill children.

Leo, was one of five hero dogs shortlisted for the Friends for Life competition in February. The finalists shared their unique stories of the impact that each dog has made on their life, with the nation voting for their favourite. The winner was announced in the Resorts World Arena on the final day of the world’s greatest dog show by James Middleton.

Lyndsey was AAI adviser to the Royal College of Nursing for its Working with Dogs in Healthcare Settings protocol with national guidelines published in May 2018.

She also led a pioneering study into the use of AAI at Southampton Children’s Hospital with the results published in the British Journal of Nursing last April.

Speaking about their win, Lyndsey said: “I know it is just Leo and I up here, but we are a team of four handlers and six dogs.

“The fact that the public have recognised us in this way is quite overwhelming and absolutely lovely. We will share it with the staff and patients at the hospital too, who we are privileged enough to work with.”

Crufts took place at the NEC Birmingham over March 5 to 8 and more than 21,000 dogs appeared at the annual event.

The award celebrates the unique relationship people have with their dogs and Leo’s category recognises a dog that has supported and had a positive impact on a child.