A CREWE photographer has won the race to capture one of the top prizes for The Kennel Club's annual awards.

Cat Race, from Hough, just south of Crewe, will be rewarded for her dog-catching skills at Crufts, the world's largest dog show, on Saturday, March 7.

Cat, 29, won first place in the Puppy category of The Kennel Club's Dog Photographer of the Year competition.

"Driving to a shoot, I received a phone call to say that I'd won the puppy’s category in The Kennel Club’s Dog Photographer of the Year and I literally squealed with excitement.

“It is an international competition and received almost 13,000 entries over 7 categories – a record for the company.

“I have entered every category of the competition for the last two years because entering just seemed acutely appropriate.

“It involves my two key passions, which also happen to be the core elements of my business – Cat's Dog Photography.”

Cat’s winning photo was taken during one of her Dog Photography shoot, though the shoot did not exactly go to plan.

The Great Dane puppy in the shot, named Tinkerbell, was not the intended subject, but managed to get into the frame for a winning shot.

She said: “I knew as soon as I saw the puppy that I had to photograph her and as my previous clients shoot was coming to an end, I seized the opportunity.

“When the shot was taken, Tinkerbell had just begun to playfully stalk my Chihuahua Poppy, who accompanies some of our photographers while they are shooting."

The former University of Central student had previously worked as a family portraiture photographer before founding Cats Dog Photography.

Cat, who now lives in Preston, said: “It's an honour to be recognized by a reputable organization such as The Kennel Club.

“The prestige of this award has furthered the drive I have for dog photography whilst motivating me to continuously improve in my work. I can't wait to collect my award at Crufts."