Teen 'very happy' after winning award at Crufts

A teenager has spoken of the "exciting" moment she was named Young Person of the Year at Crufts.

Faith and her autism assistance dog Ember, a St Bernard, were announced as the category's winner at the dog show in Birmingham on Sunday.

The 17-year-old, from Crewe, Cheshire, received the award in recognition of her and Ember's efforts to highlight the role of autism assistance dogs.

Faith, who is autistic and has a heart condition, told BBC Radio Stoke she was "very happy" because she was surprised at how many people were aware of their work.

"That was very exciting," Faith added.

The pair were automatically shortlisted in the Young Person of the Year category, which was decided by a public vote, after they won the Kennel Club's awareness award.

Faith and Ember often attend dog shows and events to educate people about the work of autism assistance dogs.

As well as helping Faith with her autism, Ember can also detect when her heart rate gets too fast or when she might be on the verge of fainting.

Asked about her relationship with Ember, Faith said: "It's not really like a dog and a person anymore. It's like we're a family."

Her mother Rosanna said she was "so proud" of the pair, describing the moment they won the award as "amazing".

"They took all the finalists in the ring and explained why they were there…they called out Faith's name and it was absolutely fantastic," she said.

Asked what it was like to be at Crufts, Rosanna said it was "very hectic" at the show at Birmingham's NEC, but the family would never forget the experience or the acknowledgement of Faith and Ember's achievement.

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