Paws for Success

As usual, Crufts is always a bone of contention amongst dog owners, especially when it comes to showing. I attended on Friday and Saturday this year, so gundog and pastoral days. There were a few highlights to my trip, mainly meeting some of the amazing SSAFA team and the Guide Dogs Sensory tunnel which was a fantastic invention and really shows you how hard life can be without a guide dog for support if you go blind. 

 As always, there was much shopping to be done, but it was a shame that the Crufts goody bags had sold out by Friday afternoon! Madness!

 Onto the low side of things - the showing - as always had good and bad people involved. Most are good and care about their dogs, but there were a few incidents I saw that I felt were really poor etiquette. There was a Border Collie terrified by the noise and the people, darting back and forwards, desperate to hide or escape, only to have their owner act as if they couldn't see it panicking. All they needed to do was walk the dog around a bit, or move it away from the crowds for a bit for it to calm down, but nothing, they just completely blanked the poor dog.

 There was another collie trying to wend it's way through the crowds after it's child owner. The dog was staying to heel unless other people barged it out of the way in which case it ended up out of position. In response to this, the child (aged about ten) kept yanking it back, quite viciously, to the point that I actually had to have a word with her, cue many glaring looks from her mum. Disgraceful behaviour in my opinion. 

 My favourite bits of Crufts had to be meeting the PAT dogs and assistance dogs who do such a fine job and the pride with which their owners speak about them. One particular Pets as Therapy dog, a merle Border Collie rescue who was deaf (double merle) was just lovely. Such an amazing temperament, so chilled out and I can imagine the joy she brings to those she visits. 

 The breed area is always interesting and again, the German Shepherds, Pugs and Neopolitan Mastiffs in particular need the breed standard changing. The pugs I saw you could hear from a few breeds away, trying desperately to breathe. Give me my healthy crossbreed any day! I'll get onto the BoB blog later when I have more time.