Three years after making her Crufts debut whilst fighting stage 4 cancer, Freya Harris has returned to the world's largest dog show as a healthy 11-year-old.
The youngster from Horncastle in Lincolnshire is once again competing alongside Echo, her Australian shepherd, who provided vital emotional support throughout her gruelling treatment.
Freya was just eight when she first appeared at the Birmingham event in 2023, having recently been discharged from hospital.
Her mother Gemma said her daughter was "doing well and back to being a normal little girl".
Echo is among 18,698 canine competitors taking part at the NEC this week, with over 200 pedigree breeds vying for the prestigious Best in Show title, to be broadcast on Channel 4 on Sunday.
Just before Christmas 2021, Freya's family received devastating news: she had Wilms' tumour, a form of kidney cancer affecting approximately 80 children annually in Britain.
Her treatment involved the removal of a kidney, lung surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Her parents purchased Echo, the final puppy in a litter, to be their daughter's companion during her illness.
On Thursday, the pair competed in the Australian Shepherd class but did not secure a rosette, though neither appeared disappointed by the outcome.
Echo is among 18,698 canine competitors taking part at the NEC this week
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"She didn't place, but she did really well. She was very calm," Freya said.
Speaking about her bond with Echo, she added: "If I am having a bad day, she will have a bad day with me, she will snuggle up on the sofa with me."
Another competitor with an inspiring story of resilience is Evgenyia Samarska, a Ukrainian refugee who escaped Odesa with her two children in May 2022.
Shortly after reaching safety in Britain, she received a devastating diagnosis of stage three breast and ovarian cancer.
Freya endured three years of treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital
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The former dog trainer endured three years of intensive treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, finally completing her care just last week.
Despite everything she has faced, Samarska is determined to compete in the Utility category with her two schipperkes, Alien and Amina. The breed, originating from Flanders, was traditionally used to control vermin on Belgian canal boats.
Now living in Fulham with her son Kyrylo, 18, and daughter Zlata, 11, Samarska's appearance at Crufts represents the fulfilment of a deeply personal vow.
When the family fled Ukraine, Samarska was forced to leave her beloved dogs behind. They were finally reunited with their pets last summer.
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| GETTY"I promised myself that if I survived, I would make it to Crufts and now I get to keep that promise," she said.
The journey to this moment has been extraordinarily difficult. "There were times when I could not eat, could not sleep and could not see my family," Samarska recalled of her treatment.
Throughout her ordeal, dogs remained a source of motivation. Staff at the Royal Marsden even arranged for a therapy dog to visit her during her hospital stays.
"I feel like I did in the past, healthy and happy," she said. "I will be there like nothing happened, no war or cancer."