A husky from Macclesfield has returned from Crufts a hero among hounds after winning Best Bitch in Show.

Sasha the Siberian husky, five, who lives with owners Sophie Blyth and Dougie Russell, proved she has both brawn and beauty when she was honoured for her good looks at the national event just days before she competed in a ‘mushing’ rally.

Owner Sophie, 40, who keeps 11 huskies at her home in Macclesfield, said: "How fabulous that she won!

"She was at Crufts on Thursday and then I was racing her on Saturday, she’s pretty and talented! We’re really pleased."

Mum of Alfie, four, Sophie prefers the excitement of husky racing than the showmanship of a dog show, but was persuaded to show Sasha by a friend.

She said: "We had no plans to show Sasha, I would be too nervous for that, I much prefer the racing side of it. We took all the dogs with us when we went to visit the breeder in Hampshire, and as soon as Sasha got out of the van she said ‘you need to show this dog’, and her son Krystian offered to do it for us."

"We had to do a little bit of etiquette together, but she took to it really well, and then Krystian does the rest. But we didn’t expect to win!"

The boisterous nature of huskies sometimes leads to them being abandoned by overwhelmed owners, and Sophie currently volunteers as a welfare fosterer for abandoned dogs.

But their nature also makes them ideal for racing with a ‘rig’ – a sledge with wheels.

Sophie added: "They absolutely love to race and it’s great fun, they have an enormous amount of energy. We struggle to find somewhere to train in Macclesfield because we’re not allowed to do it in Macclesfield Forest, which would be fantastic."

Sophie and her team of trusty huskies, including Sasha, six-year-olds Rocky and Eddie, and Links, three, race around the UK and train in Rushton Spencer, reaching speeds of up to 25 miles an hour.

They were lucky enough to compete at the famous Aviemore rally in Scotland this year, where for the first time in 15 years they raced on snow, coming 13th in their class.

Sophie added: "It was absolutely fantastic. We did really well and it was great fun, and it was great to be racing on snow for once!"