A TOUCH of grace has earned a local primary school pupil and her trusted four-legged friend a place at next year's Crufts.

Grace Dall and her dog Zoom will be competing in March after qualifying for the iconic show.

The St Patrick's RC Primary School pupil earned her spot at Crufts in August through the Young Kennel Club.

Her mum, Kirsty, is delighted with the pair's affinity and Grace's incredible progress with Zoom.

She said: "The two of them have a unique bond. There's a real understanding there.

"Her dad and I always tell her, 'Just enjoy yourself, honey', and she always does. She loves running with Zoom and the pair of them are amazing to watch.

"Dogs are her life and she loves doing this.

"We're so chuffed for her as she's absolutely smashing it right now. We're so proud."

Grace, 8, bonded with Zoom, 5, during the pandemic and after spending time together, they competed in agility events with numerous rosettes and prizes coming soon after.

They train once a week at the family's Woodbank Dogs and even though she has made considerable development in a short space of time, Kirsty never thought she'd see her daughter competing at Crufts next year.

"When we entered her for the qualifying events, we thought it would just be great experience for her," she said.

"We weren't expecting her to win both of the classes she entered!

"We didn't tell her that these events would see her qualify for Crufts, so you should have seen her face when we told her the news.

"Her wee face was beaming. She thought we were joking.

"She was telling the whole showground the news as a lot of the family are into agility. She was saying, 'I'm going to Crufts, granny!'

"She then went into the school with her rosettes; she was so happy.

"It's an amazing achievement for her and we hope that a few years from now, she can really appreciate and recognise this as a big achievement."

After taking in her rosettes to show her classmates at the school, she was then asked to carry out a demonstration at Launcherhead Park in Lochgelly.

Fiona Millar, acting headteacher, commented: "This was an opportunity we couldn’t miss! Grace is a very dedicated girl, and we are so proud that she has qualified for Crufts 2023.

"Grace and Zoom have a very special connection. "Grace loves spending time with Zoom and training her and Zoom absolutely adores Grace and would do anything she asks!"