大象传媒

The Reverend Kate Bottley, a Church of England priest in North Nottinghamshire:

I鈥檓 not the only leggy blonde that lives at my house, there鈥檚 also our greyhound, Buster. An ex-racer he failed miserably on the track. During his one and only race it was discovered that while he went like a Ferrari in a straight line, he cornered like a tractor and ran straight into the wall. A little battered and bruised he found his way into our home and our hearts.

Last weekend we had a day out at Crufts, the biggest dog show in the world. Spending the day on a retired greyhound stand with Buster, promoting the breed and encouraging others to adopt these 35 mile an hour couch potatoes. In a well-earned break from napping, being fussed over and eating treats I took our Buster for a walk around the show. At first it was fine but then quickly I realised that while to me Buster is the most beautiful of hounds, the pampered pooches on display at Crufts were in a different league. Perfect legs, glossy coats and toned muscles, the super models of the dog world. Buster鈥檚 head began to drop, not one to see my beloved hound body shamed I saw an opportunity and seized it. The show ring was temporarily unguarded and so I lead our Buster out for his moment of glory, we trotted round, a grinning face and a waggy tail, a security guard applauded.

I鈥檓 constantly comparing myself to others and while this might be a natural thing to do, it鈥檚 not always helpful. The scales in our bathroom can only tell us what we weigh not how much we are worth. And a mirror is only one reflection of who we really are. It sometimes takes someone else to help us see God鈥檚 beauty reflected in ourselves. Buster might not be the most perfect of pooches but to me he鈥檚 best in show, whoever your best in show is make sure to tell them today won鈥檛 you? They might just really need to hear it.