Summer 2023Darcie & Domino: taking the dog-showing world by storm

Whoever said diamonds are a girl’s best friend – and that dogs are man’s best friend – hasn’t met Darcie and Domino: a formidable duo taking the dog-showing world by storm, despite being relatively new to the scene.

10-year-old Darcie Fleming has already realised one of her life dreams, after showing her own dog at the world-famous Crufts Dog Show.

Her family have been attending the prestigious show as spectators since she was six years old, with a young Darcie telling her parents that she wanted to be there one day with her own dog.

With the family already owning two Patterdales and a Chihuahua, it was decided that a whippet – a child-friendly breed suitable for showing – would be perfect for Darcie to call her very own.

After looking online for a breeder, Domino came to join the family for Darcie’s eighth birthday, and got her name not only for her distinctive black-and-white colouring, but also because Domino’s pizza had been enjoyed that evening!

In order to qualify for Crufts, Darcie and Domino – known as Kentwone Darkest Star at shows – began competing in the Young Kennel Club handling classes.

Darcie began showing Domino when she was just nine months old (the minimum age limit is six months) and quickly gained enough points to qualify, even bagging herself a sponsor, Wellies.com.

“I didn’t think I’d get to Crufts in my first year,” Darcie said. “It was a lot bigger than the other shows and I didn’t think I’d get round it all.”

Her mum, Lucy Abbott, added: “I think she was a little overwhelmed because it was so different.”

Darcie appeared at Crufts in March, showing Domino in the Young Kennel Club handling hound category.

Young Handling classes are comprised of showing a particular breed; whippets are to be shown on a table (Darcie and Domino are more than happy to demonstrate, with Domino jumping onto their home practice table immediately).

Whippets, she informs us, should be “stacked and square” and moves Domino into the appropriate position. Whilst she’s found training Domino fairly easy, the hardest bit has been keeping her still when Darcie has to move round her for the judges.

After the judges have checked over the breed, they are required to perform a piece of pattern work, which will get harder as Darcie moves up the age ranks.

“I was scared in the ring, and I thought we had done rubbishly. I didn’t think we’d be shortlisted, but when they said my name over the tannoy, I started to think that maybe we’d done well. I didn’t think we’d make it into the top six,” she explained.

“When they were waiting, Domino was sat on Darcie’s knee, and it came over the tannoy that ‘that whippet is having the time of its life,” Lucy said.

When asked how she felt to place fourth out of 13 contestants at her first Crufts show, Darcie said: “I was so happy and excited – and I was so proud of Domino. I gave her the biggest hug!”

The pair have already qualified for Crufts 2024 – as has her new edition who is a papillon called Checkers – after winning a string of shows since March. At the time of writing, Darcie returned from the National Dog Show in Stafford with a fourth and fifth place with Domino, plus a second place for Checkers.

If that hasn’t been keeping them busy enough, Darcie also raised £285 for bone cancer research by walking a mile after school over two months in honour of her grandad, who has the disease.

When asked what her goals for the future are, Darcie said: “I want to win Best in Show at Crufts, and I’d like to be a vet who specialises in dogs, or a professional groomer.