A BARROW woman described participating in Crufts as the 'pinnacle' of her judging career. 

Jo Sugden has judged many shows over the years prior to her involvement in Crufts, which took place at Birmingham National Exhibition Centre between March 7 and March 10.

She also had to train to become a breed specialist in Alaskan malamutes. 

"When you get to the top as a breed specialist, it's your ambition to judge Crufts," she said. 

Not only has Jo judged at Crufts, her Malamute Elise has also won best of breed in a previous edition of the UK's most famous dog show. 

Jo admits she is a busy woman as the hours she puts into her hobby fit around her job as a technician and team leader at the North West Ambulance Service in Barrow.

The Mail: Jo with Midas, who is owned by Anne Nevinson in Ulverston and won 'best veteran' Jo with Midas, who is owned by Anne Nevinson in Ulverston and won 'best veteran' (Image: Submitted)

She arrived on Friday but did not start judging until Saturday, which gave her some time to soak in the atmosphere. 

"It was great," she said. "It was a bit overwhelming, I was full of nerves and anxieties. The whole experience was just amazing."

Describing what she looks out for when she judges, Jo said: "Each breed of dog has a breed standard you are judging to. They [Malamutes] are like shire horses of the breed. Quite heavily built and strong."

Malamutes typically pull sleds over endurance distances so Jo was looking for dogs that would be best suited for this task. She said her job was to weigh up different factors when comparing dogs. For instance, a Malamute with bright eyes but a weak build would not win over a dog with opposite attributes. 

She admitted there are levels of subjectivity in the voting when looking at the 'finer details' but her two decades of judging experience had led her to this point. Jo judged dogs from all over the world, including Luxembourg and the US, as well as those from Britain. 

When asked if she would judge again, Jo said 'No'.

"Crufts is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I've had my time, I've been judging Malamutes for over 20 years - without doubt this is the absolute pinnacle," she said.

Jo praised Ulverston dog Midas, known as Champion Chawo Golden Touch. She said Midas got 'top honours' in her competition. The nine-year-old dog has competed in Crufts three times.