A FAMILY of Wyre Forest dog lovers is keeping its fingers crossed for success at the world's most famous event for top pooches.

The Bettises, of Pound Lane in Rock, will make the journey to the NEC in Birmingham with nine of their pets for this year's Crufts show.

Mother and father, Denise and Len, who have been showing dogs for 28 years, will be joined by three of their children at the four-day championships, which start on Thursday.

Twenty-one-year-old Gemma, who has been making the trip since she was just two, will make her first appearance in the grooming category.

The former Bewdley High School pupil and her six-year-old Irish Red and White Setter, Bailey, successfully made it through the qualifying rounds at London's Earls Court in November to book their place in next week's showpiece.

Trainee hairdresser Gemma, who works at Lisa Shepherd's Kidderminster salon, admitted she gets pre-show nerves before the big event.

She explained: "I do get nervous because the crowds are much bigger at Crufts but you just have to get on with it.

"I think it probably affects me a lot more than the dogs. We take them there when they are puppies to get used to the atmosphere."

The Kidderminster College student was shocked last year when she became the face of the show after appearing on thousands of leaflets and posters with her Sealyham Terrier, Deri.

She said: "I did not know anything about it because they used a picture of me from the previous year.

"It was nice because it went all over the world and quite a few people noticed and mentioned it to me," she added.