Edinburgh taxi driver hoping for Crufts success with his English Mastif Doris thanks to City Cabs sponsorship

An Edinburgh taxi driver for 32 years, Peter Corsie, 57, from Gilmerton, will head to Birmingham’s NEC Arena on March 9 with his 22-month-old dog Doris to take part in the working dog category, after she finished second in her category last year while making her Crufts debut.

Crufts 2024 attracted 24,000 dogs and over 155,000 visitors, with 8.7 million viewers tuning in from around the world. The international dog show, which has been held annually since 1891, and organised by The Kennel Club, is the largest show of its kind in the world.

Edinburgh taxi driver Peter Corsie from Gilmerton with his 22-month-old English mastif Doris, who will compete again at Crufts this year, with sponsorship from City Cabs. | Submitted

Peter and Doris are heading south in March hoping for glory, thanks to a kind sponsorship deal with Peter’s taxi firm City Cabs to cover his costs.

He said: “You have got your entry fees, petrol money and hotel to pay for. So with City Cabs launching a new app, they kindly agreed to sponsor us going to Crufts this year. I have to thank City Cabs. So basically it is not costing us anything to go this year, which is really great.

“I’m grateful to City Cabs for helping us. We were going anyway, it’s my little hobby, but this is a huge help. They were very happy to help. They have never done anything like this before, it’s quite unique.

“I took Doris last year for the first time, as a puppy, and she did well to come second in her class. If you finish in the top three it automatically qualifies you for the next year’s event.

“So I’m confident this year. She has never not finished in the top three in every event she has competed in. We have been to championship shows up and down the country and she is more confident now.

“So we are looking to go down there this year and smash it.”

Peter and Doris will head to Birmingham in March to compete for the second time at the world's biggest dog show, Crufts. | Submitted

Revealing how he and Doris prepare for competing at dog shows and how the competitions work, Peter added: “It was my first time ever at Crufts last year. It’s a massive place, it blew me away. There’s TV cameras everywhere and the atmosphere was amazing, it was just fantastic to be a part of it.

“So to walk away with something last year was great. Some dogs have been going to Crufts for years and never won anything.

“Doris’s first ever show was in Darlington and that qualified her for Crufts last year, at just six months old. There are not many English Mastifs going about, so she is quite unique.

“We go to ring craft once a week, she has been a member at Broxburn ring craft since she was six months. So she has had plenty of practice.

“I love it. I first started competing with a poodle I had 20 years ago, but didn’t do much. However, now with Doris, I really enjoy it and get quite competitive.

“Presentation has a lot to do with it. I take her into the ring against maybe 10 dogs. She has to stand properly and then the judge will maybe ask me to walk her in a triangle and then in a circle.

“Then we just all stand in a line and the judge picks the best dogs.

“You get rosettes and certificates. You don’t get prize money or anything, it’s just a hobby, but I love it, and Doris does as well.”

City Cabs chairman Gary McFarlane told the Evening News he was happy to help Peter and Doris in their quest to achieve success at Crufts 2025.

He said: “We tend to look out for all the guys who work at City Cabs, and if any of them have something coming up we can help them with, then certainly we do that.

“And it gives us some advertising as well. We are in our 100th year now so it’s good to keep spreading the word.

“This was an easy one to say yes to when Peter came to us. We hope they do well at Crufts. This just helps Peter with costs, and like I say, we get advertising out of it. It’s a win-win situation.”