Category – Human Animal Bond (with a little bit of fun and rule breaking!)
Welcome to Dog Stories 2020, we are opening the series with the story of a very special rescue dog called Kratu, a Carpathian-Mioritic Shepherd who was rescued from Romania as a puppy by Tess Eagle Swan.
Tess describes Kratu as “a natural clown who has always has been naughty from a puppy to now. He is also a dog full of unconditional love and compassion. He is a therapy dog at a local school and my assistance dog, as I am autistic.
He has made history with inspirational achievements; attended European Parliament, The House of Commons, performed on stage for Autisms got Talent as well as being an ambassador for The All Party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group (APDAWG) https://apdawg.co.uk/ and Wetnose Animal Aid https://wetnoseanimalaid.com/.
He has changed my life since I rescued him as much as I have changed his. Together we show the world the impossible is possible, he has brought sunshine back into my life”
Away from his ambassadorial and charity roles Kratu loves learning new tricks and keeping himself busy on the agility course. He made his debut at Crufts three years ago in the Wood Green Rescue Dog agility display team, and has gone from strength to strength each year, giving his best and final retirement performance in March 2020.
Kratus big personality and disregard for mainstream rules first went viral during Crufts 2018 when he charmed viewers with his fun performance, choosing to ignore obstacles, hide in the tubes and have a fun run around, clocking up over 13 million views on YouTube. He went viral again with millions of views in 2019.
His spectacular goodbye performance in 2020 was by far his finest, in addition to ignoring obstacles and having fun in the tunnels, he decided to grab one of the hurdle poles in his mouth and have a run around with it, sending YouTube and the judges into melt down again with his heart-warming, hilarious performance.
There were many wonderful participants and winners at Crufts, yet the one who broke the rules has yet again become a YouTube sensation, featured in national and international press and on TV stations around the world, whilst bringing a smile to many faces all in the name of charity.
In a world where many strive for perfection Kratu has shown us that its ok to be different, in fact it’s great! The team at PAAW embrace those who challenge the status quo and dare to be different, good job Kratu, don’t change anytime soon, we love you.
You can read more about Tess and Kratu at: https://www.kratutherescuedog.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/kratutherescuedog/ https://twitter.com/Kraturescuedog https://www.instagram.com/kratutherescuedog/