Over the next few months I will be featuring some well known faces who have a deep connection with their dogs and share their lives with our furry friends who are certainly one of God’s greatest gifts to man !
Alex Best , 54 from Surrey is known for appearing on I’m A Celebrity get me out of here and other TV shows. She was also the wife of one of the greatest footballers of all time George Best. Although she has without doubt been through turbulent and sad times in her life, one staple was her love of dogs.
Have you always had dogs ?
Alex: Yes, I was brought up with a family who always had dogs , but a former boyfriend bought me my first dog that I owned by myself – a Golden Retriever, when I was 19. He was called Seve after the golfer Seve Ballesteros who my boyfriend was a fan of !
Do you have a favourite breed ?
Alex: I love all dogs but sometimes when you have owned a particular breed you learn their habits and they get in your heart and they become your favourite and for me it is Red Setters.
When did you get your first Red Setter?
Alex: When I met George we were living in London and George, who was in recovery from Alcohol Addiction, wanted to get a dog. He had always loved setters and he said he wanted to get a Red Setter and call him Red ! George had obviously thought long and hard about the name !!
So we got Red, but living in London wasn’t ideal for keeping a reasonably large and energetic dog , so we basically moved back to George’s native Northern Ireland because of the dog.
We lived in a place with lots of space and amazing walks and it was ideal .
We decided to get a friend for Red and soon Rua joined our family, who was another male red setter.
So did you stay in Ireland ?
Alex: No eventually I moved back to Surrey and I split with George who later sadly died. Red and Rua stayed and then I got Finn also a Red Setter
Are Red and Rua still with you ?
Alex: Oh no, that was a while ago and they have passed away. I now have a Red Setter called Finn. He is now 10 but still very fit .
Are you married or in a relationship ?
Alex: No, I’m single and definitely not ready to mingle ! I’ve been on my own for ten years now and I love it. My favourite thing to do and what I live for is to go walking with Finn for hours every day and sometimes I go to the beach for the weekend with my friends and the dogs run on the beach and love it .
What is your daily life like now?
Alex: I get up to let Finn out in the mornings then I do some work. I own some properties and rent them out and there is always something to do , but luckily I can work from home. Then later on I go for long walks with Finn. There are some amazing places to walk near me and I love it .
Have the dogs helped you in your life through tough times ?
Alex: Yes definitely, dogs give you structure in your life, they need feeding and walking and it’s a reason to get up in the morning. They also give you unconditional love and dog cuddles are so soothing dogs rely on us for everything so they give you focus in tough times .
Are you involved in any Dog Charities ?
Alex: Yes, I have supported Dogs Trust and a charity in Surrey and have worked with Epsom Canine Rescue .
Do you get your dogs birthday and Christmas presents ?
Alex: Yes, of course I wrap them up in paper and do the whole thing. They enjoy ripping the paper open. I think they enjoy that more than what’s inside.
Do you allow your dog to sleep on your bed ?
Alex: of course I do although since I bought him one of those big fluffy donut beds he prefers to sleep on that on the floor next to my bed , but he is very welcome to sleep on the bed he can go wherever he wants on the furniture anywhere !
I love the picture of Finn on the table. Is that a regular haunt of his ?
Alex: Yes, he loves the table. I’m on a Facebook group for Red Setters and they are such naughty dogs they get up to all sorts of Mischief. There is a setter on Facebook that sleeps on top of the wardrobe !!!
No really, you are having me on ?
Alex: No really he does, they can jump very high you know !
Have you got any funny dog stories ?
Alex: Yes, when we lived in Northern Ireland we had a house that had a very long driveway and The Women’s institute used to have outings in a bus and stop outside and say this is where George Best lives and sometimes they used to come up the driveway and even knock on the door in the hope that George would answer it. We also used to have a vicar that knocked on the door to try to convert George on a regular basis. On this particular day the vicar knocked and as I opened the door Red scarpered out the door. The Women’s Institute was also on our driveway and the window cleaner was cleaning the windows ! It was like a sketch from the Benny Hill show with the vicar, the window cleaner and a group of women from the WI all running after Red trying to catch him !
If your dog could talk, what would his ideal day be?
Alex: He loves Sundays. My parents come over for lunch and I cook lunch. He has all the trimmings and he loves the gravy , followed by a long walk in the woods .
Alex: no seriously he does
Will you always have dogs in your life ?
Alex: Yes definitely, I’m getting a bit older now and maybe I should get a less boisterous dog, one that is smaller and easier to train.
So you will get a little lap dog then ?
Alex: Probably not, I have pictures of Red Setters all over my house so I will have to get another Red Setter ! Also my parents are getting older and they cannot live without a dog in their lives ,so recently they got a puppy, Flat Coated Retriever, and he will maybe end up with me one day so Setters and Retrievers it is…
Photos: Alex Best Personal Archive
