It’s the annual show dog lovers go barking mad for – and the competition is ruff, make no bones about it.
This year the proud owners of 24,000 four-legged friends representing 200 breeds will coax their pets to compete for the Best in Show trophy at Crufts later this week.
From March 9 to 12, the biggest global event in the canine calendar will see top dogs from all over the world strutting their stuff at Birmingham’s NEC.
Broadcast over four days on Channel 4, labradors will lead the pack of the primped and preened mutts – a staggering 537 have entered, the largest number for any breed.
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And The Kennel Club – which runs the enormous event and is devoted to the welfare of dogs – is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, making 2023’s show extra special.
“Crufts remains the absolute pinnacle of competitions and this year really feels like the first year things are back to normal since the pandemic,” says 2008 Crufts judge and bull terrier breeder, Bill Lambert.
“It’s the World Cup equivalent for the dog world and it’s become part of British culture, recognised worldwide and drawing in people from many other countries.
“Last year was successful but people were still a little hesitant because of Covid.”
As a nod to The Kennel Club – which became Crufts organiser in 1948 – there will be a special competition where winners of dog championships from the past year will compete for the first time.
This Goliath of the world of doggie shows had its humble beginning in 1891, founded by Charles Cruft, a travelling dog biscuit salesman.
Held at the Royal Agricultural Hall in Islington, there were 2,437 entries and 36 breeds.
“You could say Charles Cruft was the Simon Cowell of the dog world,” says Bill, who is also The Kennel Club’s health, welfare and breeder services executive.
“He was a showman who wanted his event to be a great extravaganza, but you could argue it’s only really achieved that in more recent years. At the beginning it was very much a shop-window for breeders competing against other breeds.
“Winning Crufts would increase the popularity of the breed but now things are different. Over the years it’s evolved into a competition more open to everyday dog owners, not just breeders.”
There’s a tried and tested format to the main event. After the best of each breed is chosen at the show, dogs compete against others in one of seven groups: Toys, Gundogs, Utility, Hounds, Working, Pastoral and Terriers to find the Best In Group.
The seven group winners then compete for Best in Show and Reserve Best in Show. Bill says: “It’s still a dog show at heart, but other activities surrounding it have eclipsed it. We have so many other things – agility, heelwork to music, hundreds of stalls for dog lovers.”
The coveted Best in Show wasn’t introduced until 1928, 10 years before Charles’ death at 86.
The first winner was a fawn greyhound called Primley Sceptre, owned by Herbert Whitley, who found further fame after opening Devon’s Paignton Zoo.
And today, the award carries even more prestige. “Everyone in dog shows dreams of winning Best In Show at Crufts,” says last year’s Norwegian winner Patrick Oware, whose flat-coated retriever Baxer was a crowd favourite.
After a six-year hiatus for the Second World War, the show’s popularity soared.
In 1979 rising entries meant it moved to London’s Earls Court.
In 1991, it moved to its current home at Birmingham’s NEC, where it was recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest dog show.
“We had to cap numbers of people about 20 years ago. We were getting bigger and bigger,” says Bill. And with dog ownership up 30% in the pandemic, our enduring love for pooches shows no signs of slowing.
“Even more people have seen how owning a dog changes lives,” says Bill.
“They can make such a positive difference, and Crufts is a celebration of that.”
Scary tails of murder and fake testicles
In the dog-eat-dog world of Crufts, it’s not just the wins that have notched up column inches. In 1974, the show was even mentioned in a murder trial.
An Old Bailey jury heard how a man started an affair with a woman he met at Crufts, then was stabbed by his wife with the knife he used to cut up their dog’s food.
In 1992, Surrey-based breeder Natalka Czartoryska claimed her prize Anatolian shepherd bitch Maral had been fatally poisoned at that year’s Crufts by rivals envious of the pooch’s white coat.
The following year, a champion Maremma sheepdog called Abby, which had starred in Pedigree Chum adverts, was said to have been drugged with beef spiked with the sedative Mogadon.
At one show, judges were shocked when they found a third testicle on a terrier.
The owner had implanted a fake one (just one of the dog’s testicles had descended into the scrotum and the judges required two on display), only to have the retained testicle drop during the show. The owner was banned from showing dogs for several years.
In 2003, fluffy Pekinese Danny was crowned Crufts champ, beating 22,000 other dogs, but an official investigation was launched after organisers were tipped off that Danny had undergone a secret ‘facelift’ the year before. Despite the furore, Danny’s owners were found to be innocent.
In 2004, Kerri, a pedigree Doberman pinscher, began shaking and wobbling minutes before she was due to enter the show ring. Owner Clive Evans claimed that a jealous rival could have drugged Kerri by giving her sedatives.
More recently, in 2015, the competition was overshadowed by rumours that up to six dogs were poisoned, following the death of an Irish setter named Jagger. The pooch collapsed shortly after arriving back in Belgium, having come second in his class. An inquiry found Jagger had been poisoned but a later toxicology report revealed he was fed a fastacting poison once in Belgium.
That year was also hit by animal rights protests.
How Westie Devon’s big day was won
It was nearly gall over before Crufts started for Marie Burns and her West Highland terrier Devon, which won Best In Show in 2016, as the event celebrated its 125th anniversary.
“Winning Crufts still feels unreal. I still pinch myself and think, ‘God, I can’t believe that happened to me,’” says Marie, of Bishop Auckland, Co Durham.
“But if it wasn’t for my sister-in-law, Catherine, I’d have never even made it there at all that year.
“The day before, I was in excruciating pain with a gallbladder issue. Catherine said she’d drive me if I didn’t feel well next morning – and she stuck to her word.
“Fortunately I felt fine by the time I got there. Devon was only 20 months – to her it was just another day because we socialise our dogs from a really young age.
“When I got shortlisted to the last eight, I was just thinking, ‘I’m going to be on the telly’ . When it came to going back into the ring for Best in Show I was so relaxed. I was thinking, ‘I’ll probably never get to the final seven at Crufts again in my life, so enjoy it.’ It wasn’t until the last few seconds when I thought, ‘Actually, I have a really outstanding, prestige dog here who has shown beautifully, so maybe it is possible’.
“Only three Westies have ever won Crufts, of which Devon was the only female. But she is a descendant of Olac Moon Pilot who won Crufts in 1990. I remember her kissing the trophy as we stood on the podium in the centre of the ring. The rosette is framed in our kitchen but I’m not even sure I’ve cashed the £100 prize cheque.
“I felt like some sort of celebrity. I had to drive to Manchester early next morning for a TV interview. When we got stuck in traffic, Devon and I got out of the van and ran the last mile. Everyone in their cars recognised us and tooted.
“I had letters from all over the world from fans. Some were just addressed ‘Marie Burns, Co Durham, Crufts Best In Show Winner’ and the postman knew exactly where to send them. We’ve had a few famous people take Westies off us too, like JK Rowling, who got one Westie before I won Crufts and another after.
“Nothing can compare to that feeling and the tears – you’re bursting with pride.”
Biggest winners
The English cocker spaniel is the breed with the most success at Crufts, winning overall seven times.
Other successful breeds are the Irish setter, standard poodle and Welsh terrier, which are four-time winners.
The English setter, German shepherd, greyhound, labrador retriever and wire fox terrier are three-time winners.
The most successful group are the gun dogs (23 wins), followed by terriers with 21 victories.
