Northern Ireland woman becomes the first-ever female UK Crufts chief obedience steward

A Northern Ireland woman has become the first-ever female UK Crufts chief obedience steward.

During a special service to mark the end of Crufts 2024, Kate McCartney from Lisburn was officially honoured with the prestigious title after Richard Kebble from England stepped down.

Kate explained: "When Richard approached me to become his assistant in 2022 I was totally gob-smacked. It was such an honour for me and also being the first woman in the assistant job was just truly amazing as well.

"I knew it would be hard work, but I loved every minute of it. Now Richard has decided to retire and leave me in the driving seat. He’s going to be a hard act to follow. I wish him all the best in his retirement and I know he’ll always be there in the background helping guide me in the right direction!”

One of the biggest canine shows of its kind in the world, Crufts welcomes tens of thousands of dogs and their handlers to show off their prized pooches.

However Kate isn’t daunted about her new role ensuring the smooth running of the entire prestigious obedience section.

She explained: "I’m really looking forward to it, the first woman ever! I’m so proud to have been chosen. I've been learning the ropes for the last two years so hopefully it’ll be a seamless transition.

“I come from an obedience background and have been lucky enough to have judged the Crufts Obedience World Cup and the Crufts obedience finals. I’ve also been involved in a few ring parties for Crufts teams, as well as being an assistant for the Northern Ireland Inter Regional Obedience team, so I have some knowledge of what happens behind the scenes.

"I’m also excited about my judging appointment at Crufts 2026 when I'll be judging the creme-de-la-creme of obedience. I’d agreed to this before I became chief obedience steward so I’ll have to step down that year but my husband, who’s my assistant, will take over just for the 12 months.”

Alongside husband Michael, also chairman of the Kennel Club Obedience Liaison Council for the UK and manager of the Northern Ireland Crufts team as well as son Crawford, Kate has been running Glen Craig Canine Training for the past 36 years from their Lisburn home.

However her love of dog training started from a young age, saving her birthday and Christmas money for a pet of her own.

She explained: “I’ve always had dogs. I found out about a local dog training club when I was around 13. Our family dog, Petra, was too old to go so I took my neighbour’s dog. I loved it from day one.

"I pestered my parents to get me a dog and by the time I was 15 I had saved my birthday and Christmas money and got a part-time job. My parents gave in and along came Sophie, a German shepherd who had been kept by her breeder to show but her ears never went up. Sophie was my shadow. She wasn't that keen on training as she was nervous, but with the help of the trainers we got there and she won a mountain of rosettes. My love for obedience was then well and truly cemented.”

Originally from Scotland, Kate moved to Northern Ireland in 2007 to start a new life and fulfill her dog training ambitions.

She added: "I've been so lucky to have some wonderful people supporting me over the years, none more so than my husband. Life is good and busy, I'm currently training a few dogs including five of our seven pets - two have retired – as well as my son’s dog.

“As well as my family, I would like to thank my first trainer John Clark, who is still my close friend and one of my biggest supporters along with my close friends and trainers Sharon Dunstan and Linda Rutherford.

“I began judging when I was only 17 years old, so to come this far is absolutely fantastic. Even though Crufts has just finished, it’s now all about preparing for 2025, it’s going to be a busy few years, but I’m just going to lap it up (sorry).”