Young Royal Kennel Club

Irina Pinkusevic

Irina Pinkusevic immigrated from Ukraine in 1989 and entered competitive dog grooming in 2006. Since then, she has won multiple Best in Show and Best All Around Dog Groomer awards.

Her achievements include the Lynne Carver Award in 2008 and 2010, the Liz Paul Memorial Award in 2010, the Winner's Circle Jackpot in 2011 and the World Dog Show's World Champion Award in 2017. She has also received several Barkleigh Honors Awards.

Irina was a member of Dog Groom Team USA from 2008 to 2013, representing the United States at the World Championships in 2009, 2011 and 2013. She is a national and international judge and speaker, specialising in Poodles and Kerry Blue Terriers. She also owns multiple champions.

Karen Sykes

I am honoured to be invited to judge the Heelwork to Music and Freestyle Competitions at Crufts 2027. I entered my first competition in 2001 and taught my first international seminar in 2004. In 2007 I became an international judge. That's an amazing 25 years I have been involved in Heelwork to Music! Since then, I have judged 18 international competitions, six as head judge, including the World Championships held in Denmark and Russia.

I have shared my life with four dancing dogs: Kes, Fly, Erin and Midge. I have competed in the Crufts finals 15 times and represented Great Britain in the Open European Championships twice. Together with my dogs, I have won an individual gold and three team golds at the OEC, as well as first place at Crufts.

I am now retired. My previous careers included paramedic, emergency driving instructor and dog groomer.

The loves in my life are my husband Allan, our dog Midge and wildlife. We love travelling around the UK, with Northumberland, the Isle of Mull, Anglesey and our home county of Derbyshire among our favourite places to visit.

Kay Allen

I have been extremely fortunate to have had dogs in my life for as long as I can remember. They have always played an important part in my life. Even as a small child, I can picture the little obstacle courses I would set up for our family dog and how much fun Lassie would have negotiating the courses to get a pat and a treat. She was a willing and fun dog.

I got my very own first dog when I left home at 18. Candi was a rehome, and it became apparent that she needed some training, so I joined a local dog club and the rest, as they say, is history.

Candi was soon joined by two Whippets who, although not easy to train, started me on my journey in competitive obedience. My first competition did not go to plan. It was in the local village hall, and the chairman of the dog club was watching. Charm, my Whippet, bypassed me on the recall and landed four square on the chairman's lap, knocking his tea and biscuits flying. He was not impressed!

In 1993, I acquired my first Border Collie, Fizz, who was also a rehome. Fizz was very dog reactive in the beginning but improved with training. I was fortunate enough to have the guidance of two talented trainers, Lyn Flanagan and Sandy Wadhams, who inspired me to become a judge. I also became a member of the Obedience Liaison Council for a few years before moving across to become an Accredited Assessor for Obedience Judges, a role I am still heavily involved with.

After Fizz came Cloud, an ISDS-registered Border Collie who was also a merle. He was very sensitive and not particularly toy-driven, which led me to explore other training methods. I attended a local workshop on clicker training with Jo Hill, sparking a new desire to learn more about this seemingly witchcraft-like method of training. I then began training with Susanne Jaffa and Ann Bussey. Susanne has been a long-standing friend, and we often chat about training and life in general.

Cloud was the first of my dogs to take me to C-only, but the journey was a tough one, with more seconds in both Novice and A than I care to think about. When he finally got his second Novice win, he went C-only within a year. My following three dogs also took me to C-only, with Tor being my most successful dog and my dog in a million. He was the first dog to work ticket and was just getting places when Covid hit.

The last five years have been dominated by a house and region move, meaning my dog training has taken a back seat. I have six dogs at the moment, four of which are home-bred and all competing in different sports. Hopefully, once my house project is complete, my motivation will return to competing. In the meantime, we will enjoy our lovely walks in the beautiful Cornish countryside.

I have been lucky enough to compete at Crufts three times, twice in the inter-regional Obedience team with Tor and once in the inter-regional Rally team with my amazing girl Lake, who has excelled in everything I have ever asked of her. Two of Tor and Lake's sons have also competed at Crufts in the inter-regionals, something I am proud of.

My daughter Jess competed at Crufts in the YKC competition in 2012 with her rescue Goldie, Teak, when she also won the Rebecca Pointer Annual Award. I know how much these events meant to her and the memories she has of the day. Although she no longer competes, she still enjoys training her own dogs and is an incredibly good obedience judge. I am extremely proud of all she has achieved with her lovely dogs. She is a naturally talented trainer and owner.

I hope all the young competitors have the best day at Crufts 2027. My team and I will do our best to make your day a memorable one for you and your families, and of course, the most important part of the team: your very special dogs.