Crufts 2013 Best in Show winner Basset Griffon Vendeen Jilly and her owner Gavin Robertson pictured. Credit: onEdition.
145,000 people were expected to attend Crufts at the weekend, and for the first time ever we were one of them. Now for those who’ve never been to Crufts, this is really is the mother of all dog shows! Covering more than 25 acres of Birmingham’s NEC, the show spans five giant exhibition halls, which are packed to the rafters with over 27,000 dogs, stalls selling everything you could possibly imagine for your four-legged friend, countless show rings, activity arenas (heelwork or agility anyone?) plus several charities sharing their cause with the dog-loving crowd.
A Poodle being groomed at Crufts. Credit: onEdition.
A seasoned Crufts-goer will tell you that a day is not enough to take in all the show has to offer but being a newbie, we decided that one day would provide a gentle initiation into the wonderful world of Crufts. We had a simple and specific agenda for our visit …
Boston Terrier Fancying
Friday was the day for the Utility dog competitions, which meant that the Basil doggy-doppelgangers were out in force so we’d died and gone to squishy-faced dog heaven. While sat ringside we met Dudley the Boston (pictured below), also a Crufts virgin, who’d travelled down from Scotland to make his debut. His owner wasn’t convinced of his chances of winning but she fancied giving him a crack at the big time all the same. Based on his sweet nature alone Dudley won our Best in Show.
Pedigree Spotting
As pedigree dogs go you can’t get better than Crufts so we knew were in for a real treat in the dog-spotting department. Bo the Poodle and Pandora the Shiba Inu were just two of the pretty ladies we encountered as we wandered through the various halls.
Learn About Good Causes
We find that dog shows offer a great opportunity to hear about the work of the various dog charities, and often unearth a charity we’ve not heard of before. In our case, this time round is was Nowzad – a charity set up by Royal Marine Sergeant Pen Farthing to rescue stray and abandoned animals in Afghanistan. Penn’s philanthropic work for Afghan dogs started back in 2006 leading to his landmark achievement in 2011 when the charity opened the first and only officially recognised animal shelter in the war-torn country. Since its early beginnings, Nowzad has reunited over 400 soldiers from across the globe with local dogs they befriended during their tour of duty, as well as assisting local people by way of providing vaccinations for their cats and dogs and education on how to care for their pets. Find out more at Nowzad.com
Discover New Products & Gift Basil
Our retail-nose got busy sniffing out the great and the good from the hundreds of stalls sprawled out across the five halls. A new product discovery came from dog treat company Billy + Margot, who have just launched Popcorn for Dogs, which has been seasoned with seaweed for added drool-factor. A pack was promptly purchased for Basil for movie nights.
We’ve recently been on the hunt for a travel bowl to keep Basil hydrated on his walks and we found just the ticket from Hugo & Hennie with their eco-friendly version complete with a handy clip and its own carry bag.
Now that Basil is a little older and less ‘chewy’ we also wanted to upgrade his lightweight nylon puppy collar and lead to something a little more fancy – plus grandma was paying so we weren’t holding back! We found what we were looking for from Dogs & Horses (D&H) with their Colours Collar & Lead set made from saddlery leather in chocolate brown and a beautiful, soft, perforated leather in baby blue. Pictures of Basil modeling said items coming soon to Instagram @Barkarama.
Our efforts only scratched the surface of all that this dog-extravaganza has to offer so it’s already decided that next year we’ll be making a weekend of it. For all the highlights of Crufts 2013 and to stay updated on next year’s event, visit Crufts.org.uk
