A Burnham-On-Sea dog owner has spoken of her pride after her much‑loved rescue dog, Bertie, took centre stage at Crufts this week — less than a year after arriving in the UK underweight, nervous, and in need of a fresh start.
Local resident Kate Burland adopted Bertie in June last year through Rescueddogs4life Somerset Wiltshire Dorset.
When he first arrived from Ireland, he was “very underweight and not very confident,” she says. With support from Burnham’s own pet shop Nommees, Kate followed a careful feeding plan to help him gain weight and rebuild his strength.
As Bertie settled into his new life, Kate made a surprising discovery.
“I realised he wasn’t actually just your normal Basset Hound,” she explained to Burnham-On-Sea.com. “He is a Basset Bleu de Gascogne, a French breed — and there are only around 100 to 120 of them in the UK. So he’s pretty rare!”
Keen to learn more, Kate joined the UK Basset Bleu group, run by a woman named Jenny. The pair had planned to attend Crufts together this year, but just two weeks before the event, Kate received an unexpected call.
“Jenny rang with this great idea that I should take Bertie to help showcase the breed in Discover Dogs,” she says. “Obviously I was grinning ear to ear!”
Bertie proved a natural. “I still can’t get over how he’s gone from this very sad, underweight dog to performing at Crufts,” Kate says. “He had so many compliments on his condition and his lovely temperament.”
Despite only owning him since June, Kate says the pair have already achieved more than she ever imagined.
Locals may well recognise Bertie from his regular walks along Burnham beach — often heard before he’s seen.
“People hear him coming because he howls so loudly,” Kate laughs.
From a timid rescue to a Crufts crowd‑pleaser, Bertie’s transformation has captured hearts — and has brought a proud moment for one Burnham dog owner who believed in him from the start.
