As animal lovers go, 33-year-old Louise Jacobs must surely fall into the barking mad category.

Attempting to talk over the din of a yapping cockapoo she is grooming mid-telephone call, Miss Jacobs tried to talk about just how many four-legged furry creatures she looks after.

When the cockapoo made a mess on her table only a few minutes later, she sounded ever so slightly less enthusiastic.

“You know how you just asked me about my love for animals? Well, I’ve just lost it,” she joked.

And when she lists just how many rabbits, dogs, chickens, and horses she looks after, one quickly realises that nothing would come between her and her animals.

“I had a border collie when I was growing up in Tiptree,” she said.

“I wasn’t able to get out much with my friends, but I did have my dog, Buster.

“He was only about four months old when we got him, and he died when he was about 17 – which is the equivalent of being about 90 years old as a human.

“As a kid, I wasn’t really interested in anything else.”

Miss Jacobs’ devotion towards her pets has not diminished one jot since her childhood, with much of her time now dedicated towards running her dog walking and grooming business, Whizer’s Walks and Teddie’s Trims.

On top of this though, she also takes Teddie, a 10-year-old crossbreed, to dog shows around Essex, East Anglia, Kent, and London

This was not something she had planned on getting involved in, however – instead, she felt she had to get involved in to build up Teddie's confidence, after he was attacked by other dogs at Old Heath Recreational Ground.

“I took him to our local dog park one day and Teddie was just playing with a ball – then suddenly he was fending off a shepherd and a husky.

“Then a dalmatian joined in, then a beagle joined in – I think there were seven dogs involved in the scuffle in total,” she said.

“After that, he was very nervous of other dogs and I spoke to someone who was taking dogs to dog shows because it built up their confidence.”

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It was not long after this that Miss Jacobs decided to organise dog shows of her own – but not with the goal of seeking out the next winner of Crufts.

Rather, she runs them to instil more confidence in dogs and dog owners, as well as raise money for charity.

“Dog shows can be for any dog – whether they’ve got three legs or four legs, it’s just open to everyone – we have so many classes for different dogs and all the money we raise goes to charity."

Miss Jacobs’ dog shows have raised £46,000 over the years for numerous charities, including St Helena Hospice and Essex Air Ambulance, and she says she owes it all to Teddie.

“Without Teddie, I wouldn’t have raised the money I have,” Miss Jacobs said.

And even though she has managed to qualify for the semi-final of Scruffts – which is essentially Crufts crossbreeds – Miss Jacobs says she still treats dog shows very much as a social occasion.

“For me, it is about socialising – everyone at a dog show has the same interests.

“It’s nice to socialise with likeminded people and it does a lot for your mental health.”

And that’s not to mention her four horses, four rabbits, and 12 chickens – the latter of which reside in what Miss Jacobs refers to as Pluckingham Palace.

With her array of animal related talents and commitments, nobody could describe Miss Jacobs as a one-trick pony.