'My pet dog Tayto had rare cancer but still won top prize at Crufts'

A teenager from Edinburgh says he hopes to return to Crufts every year after his pet dog took home a top pedigree prize despite having a rare form of cancer.

Diarmuid Sim’s fluffy one-year-old Samoyed – named Tayto after the popular Irish crisp brand – won the “good citizen” prize at the international dog show.

Vets discovered last year that Tayto had a rare form of cancer and removed a tumour the size of a small melon.

She had two operations during her cancer treatment overall and has gone on to make a full recovery, making her success at Crufts all the more remarkable.

Diarmuid told STV News: “I really hope we’re going to be able to go to Crufts every year and you never know, she could get on quite well, she’s got it in her blood and she’s quite well-behaved

“You have to teach your dog how to stand and you’ve got to teach her how to behave in the ring and not go completely feral and jump up on others.

“You’ve got to teach them how just to be the perfect dog.”

Diarmuid and Tayto. Beat Media/The Kennel Club

Diarmuid’s dad Colin, 56, beamed with pride at his son and Tayto’s success saying that he and his wife, Nuala, can’t get over how well the pair have done.

Colin said: “We actually didn’t know if she was going to make it, so there was one day we were super worried, we thought this could be the end for our time with our lovely puppy.

“Just in the last couple of days she’s had another test and the fantastic news is it’s been clear, so it seems the cancer isn’t there at the moment.”