Lauren Hypson, 40, from Ystradgynlais, spent almost two days driving across Europe to pick up Oji, her seventh Shiba Inu.
After a debut on the famous green carpet last year, Oji will be competing alongside another of Hypson’s dogs, Kimiko.
“I did actually drive all the way to pick him up in Europe, because we were let down by the transporter,” Hypson said.
“I had to completely abandon work and drive flat out to get him.
“I drove to Bosnia to pick him up. I left here on Tuesday afternoon, about half past 4, and I arrived in Croatia on Wednesday evening, at about half past 9, with only stops for rest for about an hour.
“I stayed overnight in a hotel and then drove on the next day to pick him up on Thursday morning. It took me a good few days!”
Hypson had grown up with poodles, taking part in dog display teams alongside her mother, but had never shown dogs before.
But after getting her first Shiba Inu just before lockdown in 2020, she soon got the bug and by the end of 2024 had seven dogs and had already shown at Crufts three times.
She added: “Their personalities, you will find wildly varying accounts of them, they are such a complex breed.
“They are so contrary, you think they might be one thing, and they can be something else entirely.
“Something I love about them above all is their loyalty, they are a fiercely loyal breed, but that does not translate into they have to be clingy at all times. Their independence is another thing I have loved.
“I love that they are all of these things and are a really complex breed, and they go and do something completely stupid and act like goofballs because they are supposed to be quite dignified.”
Oji competed at Crufts last year, while Kimiko, who Hypson bred herself, made her debut two years ago.
Despite placing third in her class with another of her dogs, it is the times when things haven’t gone to plan she remembers best.
“I know my worst, which is why Kimi didn’t go last year! I don’t know why I am taking her this year; hopefully, it is a bit of a redemption arc.
“She played up so much in the ring. She had done so well over the course of the year campaigning her, because I have worked with her since she was a young puppy.
“We walked into the ring at Crufts, and she acted like she had never been in a ring a day in her life and actually tried to pull my skirt down in the ring.
“Last year, we nearly lost Oji because his collar snapped midway through. We were waiting for the judge to come down the line, and as I pulled his collar up, the ring clip snapped, and I had to lunge forward and grab him.
“But in general, anytime being there with our dogs is a highlight, getting to attend Crufts at all with a dog that you own and live with is such an accomplishment and an honour.”
Crufts, run by The Kennel Club, is a unique celebration of happy, healthy dogs and of the loving relationship that they enjoy with their owners. Crufts is held from 5-8 March 2025 at the NEC Birmingham. Viewers can follow all the action and highlights on Channel 4 and More4, and for further information and tickets visit crufts.org.uk