news - 06/03/2015
Crufts 2015 Sunday and Finals - United Kingdom
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by Karl Donvil
CRUFTS 2015,
Last summer I met someone who's ultimate dream it was to visit Crufts one day. For me it was like that years ago, but now it is the most natural thing to schedule Crufts every year in my agenda. Around 160,000 visitors were in the same position as me or the person I met. The total number of dogs that were entered was this year 21427. If I count the number of dogs entered in every group I get another total, 21284 and the total number of entries was 23492. It's not so very important if we count such or so, Crufts is so big that it is the biggest yearly show on earth.
And in many ways Crufts want to represent the world when it comes to dogs, and that is not easy. But you can also see it visa versa, namely that the rest of the world is conquering Crufts bit by bit. 2987 Dogs came from overseas out of 43 different countries, and if that is not enough, the resBIS was from Sweden and the BIS from Russia and that were not the only important wins. And these dogs bring along overseas supporters and visitors. Birmingham is easy accessible via its airport with direct access to the NEC, alike the railway with connections to all the big cities in the UK , certainly with London and if you come by car, it's also no problem with the Chunnel to France very nearby. The list of judges counts also 9 judges from abroad; a Fin, an Italian, a Portuguese, a Frenchman, one from Australia, two from Norway and 3 from Sweden.
Junior handling is one of Crufts' first International parts. 46 Countries were represented . But more and more critique arises about accepting certain countries that are represented by children who hardly know where the country is situated on the world map, let stand have won the Junior Handling competition in those countries. What' s most important , more nationalities or real representatives. Maybe it would be good to review the rules before those critiques undermine the competition. Junior Handling at Crufts is one of the most popular parts of the show and tighten up the rules and control will only benefit this popular sport for youngsters.
Most of us will remember the BBC documentary about pedigree dog breeding. Since then the British Kennel Club has become more aware of the fact that the wellbeing of dogs is more than just serving man's vanity. Numerous good things have since been done by the Kennel Club and it is time that we stand up for a big applause. Sure, there is still a long way to go and the end is not in sight yet, but we are far from 10 years ago too. When the Best In Show was known a demonstrator of PETA jumped into the main ring again to attack the Kennel Club. He didn't have much sympathy for his action. Protesting against certain things can be OK, but when things get much better, you need to be fair and give an applause. Welfare for dogs has become Crufts 'shadow. Almost all sports competitions are open for crossbreds, there are numerous initiatives to raise money for the different charity funds, a lot is done to fight hereditary diseases and since long there are training programs and schools to help a better relation and understanding between man and dog. Very important too is that many initiatives that found their origin under Kennel Club authority are copied overseas. Applause for my part. Unfortunately, there are still plenty of people who look in another direction and are more concerned about their own success than about the welfare of their pets. Is it fair to blame all the breeders of pedigree dogs? Is it fair to give the Kennel Club full responsibility for all the problems?
There is another reason why I want to applaud for Crufts and the Kennel Club, the Crufts Show Guide. I hold so much information for anyone who's interested in dogs or wants to buy a dog. It is such a fantastic guide if you want to sport with your dog, if you want to train him for some discipline or to help him to assist for anything dogs are used for. I holds information about health and where to find information. A catalog cost 8£ and you need for but it is only to any help if you come for the show competition. The Show Guide costs 8£ as well, but you need only one and you find certainly something in it that is worth reading and it's a perfect overview. But most of all it's worth keeping it instead of throwing it away after the show. This brings us to the price of visiting Crufts. Crufts is expensive, but you can reduce the price somewhat by buying a ticket online (about 2£ cheaper). The entrance is 18£ for adults, children younger than 12 have free entrance. Saturday and Sunday you pay 19£. This gives access to the daily group finals in the Arena except for BIS judging on Sunday as then you need a special ticket. If you are not living in the neighborhood and need to stay over, it is getting very expensive. Low fare hotels like Etapp triple their prices and it is cheaper to stay in a 4 or 5 star hotel in Birmingham city centre, but then you have extra expenses for train and taxi. And still, Crufts have each year around 160,000 visitors and many more from all over the world follow the show on Channel 4, Youtube and Facebook. For dog people all over the world Crufts is the highlight of the year.
For those who like a little bit of history on Crufts, Crufts started in 1891 and had 2437 entries. It was only in 1948 that Crufts came under Kennel Club Auspices and in 1950 the show was on BBC and became immensely popular. In 1987 it was so popular that the show needed to be spread over 4 days and in 1991, and in 1991, Crufts celebrated its 100th anniversary for the first time in the NEC of Birmingham. In 2002 www.123dog.net started to cover Crufts and passed this year the barrier of 50,000 photo's with 51188 photo's over 14 years/reports and now probably the biggest online photo-library on Crufts in the world.
New breeds this year are the Portuguese Pointer, the Beauceron and the Griffon Fauve de Bretagne. New in the list of dangerous breeds, and this is remarkable, is the Welsh Corgi Pembroke. This breed was very popular in the sixties as teh Queen's favorite breed. The peak in 1960 was almost 9000 registrations while in 2014 there were only 274 puppies registered.
Most foreign dogs came from France with 377 dogs. Italy came next with 325 dogs followed by Germany with 303, the Netherlands had 299, Ireland 264, Sweden 226, Belgium 192 and Russia with 159. Brazil, South Africa and South Korea had dogs this year for the first time ever.
The first group to open the show was the Gundog Group, the largest group with 4818 dogs entered. To fill rest of the evening program there was the Young Kennel Club Agility Dog of the Year competition, followed by the Gamekeepers Competition Final Judging. After that there was the usual Gundog Display with famous Adrian and Caroline Slater and their stars (Labradors and Springer Spaniels). They are always very entertaining and it's amazing what they can do with their dogs. Impressive is the Kennel Club Breeders Competition that follows before the first group, the Gundogs are on term. The Gundogs were judged by Mr.Chris Atkinson. Some impressive numbers: 208 Gordon Setters, 390 Flat Coats, 532 Golden Retrievers, 539 Labradors, 343 Cocker Spaniels and 200 Welsh Springer Spaniels.
Friday had a total number if 5234 dogs, 2380 in the Working Group and 2854 in the Pastoral Group, judged respectively by Mr.Robert Gregory and Mr.Vic Salt. The evening program started again with an Agility competition followed but the Scruffs Final for crossbreeds. I think it would be nicer to turn it into a real kind of competition as now we she only 4 dogs that were elected via tele-voting. There must be a way to turn this into something more interactive. Maybe next year. Scruffts is a relatively new item. Impressive numbers on Friday are: 206 Bernese Mountain Dogs, 301 Bearded Collies, 320 Border Collies, 258 Rough Collies, and 303 Shetland Sheepdogs.New breed in this group Was the Beauceron, represented by 20 specimen.
The Terriers and Hounds were on term on Saturday, probably the loudest day of Crufts. The evening started with another Agility competition followed by Heelwork to Music, an International competition and a part that is always much appreciated by the public., but not as much as Flyball . That is what makes Saturday the loudest day as the public is so enthusiastic that the screaming is going far over the pain threshold. I just wonder how the dogs can stand it. Much quieter but very popular is the International Junior Handling Competition followed by our two group finals. There were 2253 Terriers and 3156 Hounds, a total of 5409 entries. Mr.Martin Phillips judged the Terriers while Mrs.Carla Molinari from Portugal judged the Hounds. High numbers in the Terriers were the Border Terriers, 289 dogs and 375 Staffordshire Bull Terriers. In the Hound Group the Afgan hounds were well represented with 258 and of course the popular Whippet with 435 Dogs.
Sunday is the big day of the finals and attended by a lot of people. The Arena was completely sold out. It's always divided up in one part open for anybody, just like the previous days, but the Finals itself, the Best In Show judging was reserved for ticketholders only. They paid extra but for that money you get a nice and exclusive program. Sunday is the day that people will know who won the Friends For Life competition. It's the yearly tearjerker that moves just anybody. There were 4 nominees. Pal and Claire Pearson. Pal watches over Claire who is a diabetic patient type 1. Elly May is the joy of many dementia that she pays visits on a regular basis. Folly is Katy Evans' help. Katy is disabled and in a wheelchair and thanks to Poly she managed to graduate from University. Winner was Miracle, Kyle Leask 's dog that was saved from the slaughterhouse of Thailand and was rescued by Amanda, mother of Kyle Leask who is disabled and became Kyle's best friend. It was Pen Farting who gave the trophy. Pen is known for his rescue program for street dogs in Afghanistan. Two groups had still to be judged, the Toy Group with 2839 dogs and the Utility Group with 2984 dogs. In total there were 5823 on term . Mr.Stephen Bardwell judged the Toys while Mrs.Zena Thorn-Andrews judged the Utility Group. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are still very popular. Here we had 313, but the Chihuahua is the most popular with 407 dogs. Outstanding breeds in the Utility Group are 261 Bulldogs, 223 Dalmatians, 205 French Bulldogs and 218 Tibetan Terriers.
After that there was a pause before the great finals. Mary Ray was rescheduled earlier and I was disappointed as I missed it, still busy with the photos of the previous group. A shame as Mary Ray is "the highlight" of Crufts when it comes to entertainment. Right after a demonstration of the Police Dog Team Operational it was time to have the winners of each group entered. Best in Show judge was the former chairman of the Brittish Kennel Club, Mr. Ronnie Irving. He finally chose two foreign dogs as his Best en. The nice Flatcoated Retriever from Sweden, NOUCH CASTLEROCK SIMPLY, won reserve Best In Show. Owner is Miss A Dyrin. Mr.Irving's Best In Show was the Scottish Terrier CH MCVAN'S TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE, owned by Mrs M.L.Khenkina from Russia.
Text and photos: Karl DONVIL
Results: BKC
Crufts 2015 Results
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Best In Show Judge: Mr Ronnie Irving
Scottish Terrier Bitch
Owner: MRS M L KHENKINA
PHOTO NUMBER: KD61907, KD89575, KD89468, KD89742, KD89773, KD89827, KD89792, KD89836
Flat Coat Dog Owner: MISS A DYRΘN
PHOTO NUMBER:
KD89752, KD89792, KD89725, KD 89548, KD61907
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G R O U P R E S U L T S Gundog Group
Judge(s): Mr Chris Atkinson
1st pl SEU(U)CH/NOUCH CASTLEROCK SIMPLY MAGIC FIV-12 SEV-13 GBSHCH CIE NORDV-14 SEV-14
Retriever (Flat Coated)/ Dog
Owner: MISS A DYRTN
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61459
2nd SH CH WILCHRIMANE ICE MAIDEN JW WW2013
Pointer/ Bitch
Owner: MRS A G SIDDLE
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61425
3rd SH CH FERNDEL AERON MAGREGOR
Spaniel (Welsh Springer)/ Dog
Owner: MR J S THIRLWELL
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61445
4th SH CH GUNALT DE ICE AT STRIDVIEW
Weimaraner/ Dog
Owner: MRS K WHITEHEAD
PHOTO NUMBER:/KD61449
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G R O U P R E S U L T S Hound Group
Judge(s): Mrs Carla Molinari [Portugal]
1st SE/NO/FI CH QIRMIZI OVATION FIW-13 NORDW-13 NOW-14 NORDW-14 AW-14 [ATC AS00401SWE]
Saluki /Dog
Owner: MRS I & MR N ERIKSSON
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61696
2nd IR CH DEMERLAY ARMABAY BILLIE JEAN
Whippet/ Bitch
Owner: MR A & MISS D RITCHIE & RITCHIE-SMITH
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61714
3rd INT CH YEGOROV HOTTER THAN JULY [ATC AR02305FIN]
Borzoi/ Dog
Owner: MRS M LAZAREVA
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61679
4th CH KINABULA BIN THERE DONE THAT
Rhodesian Ridgeback/ Bitch
Owner: MRS M L FARLEIGH
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61687
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G R O U P R E S U L T S Pastoral Group
Judge(s): Mr Vic Salt
1st pl CH VICTORY WIND'S GHOST WHISPERER FOR SNOWMEAD JW (IMP FRA)
Bearded Collie/ Bitch
Owner: MS J L WALDRON
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61557
2nd VI'SKALY'S HARLEM SHAKE [ATC AQ02390SWE]
Pyrenean Mountain Dog/ Dog
Owner: MISS N DANIELSSON
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61562
3rd CH VENEZE ELLIE
German Shepherd Dog/ Bitch
Owner: MR J & MRS P CULLEN
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61535
4th VANDREEM IMPERIAL CRUZ
Samoyed/ Dog
Owner: MRS A, MISS N J KIRKWOOD & CARRUTHERS
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61530
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G R O U P R E S U L T S Terrier Group
Judge(s): Mr Martin Phillips
1st MCVAN'S TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE JWW EW [ATC AM01305USA]
Scottish Terrier/ Bitch
Owner: MRS M L KHENKINA
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61657
2nd CH KING ARTHUR VAN FOLINY HOME [ATC AP00922BEL]
Fox Terrier (Wire)/ Dog
Owner: MR V, MR R & MRS D MALZONI JR, DE MUNTER & UITERWI
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61667
3rd CH BRACKENFELL BOK TO BACH JW
Border Terrier/ Dog
Owner: MR C & MISS L HALL & ELLIS
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61624
4th CH/IR CH GRASCO'S HONKY TONKY JW [ATC AR00139ITA]
Bull Terrier (Miniature)/ Dog
Owner: MR M SCOTTON
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61638
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G R O U P R E S U L T S Toy Group
Judge(s): Mr Stephen Bardwell
1st IT/GRE/ROM/FI/SPA/PORT CH CINECITTA' SASHA BARON COLEN [ATC AR02698ITA]
Maltese/ Dog
Owner: MR S PAOLANTONI PROSPERI
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61887
2nd CH/IR CH BELLIVER THE ULTIMATE CREATION
Pomeranian/ Bitch
Owner: MR S & J CARROLL & NEWMAN
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61878
3rd WITCHSTONE CHINA GIRL FOR POSHPINS
English Toy Terrier (Black & Tan)/ Bitch
Owner: MISS L A, MR A J & MR R L FROST, LEONARD & ROSS
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61859
4th CH YAKEE OOH AAH CANTONA
Pekingese/ Dog
Owner: MR A & MR P EASDON & MARTIN
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61866
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G R O U P R E S U L T S
Utility Group
Judge(s): Mrs Zena Thorn-Andrews
1st AM CH MONTSERRAT CABALLE [ATC AR01858NOR]
Poodle (Miniature)/ Bitch
Owner: MR A & MRS E GJETNES & STORESUND
2nd SAREDON BORN A STAR FOR RISEPARK
Miniature Schnauzer/ Bitch
Owner: MESSRS R P & B D NEWMAN & DAY
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61852
3rd CH SEALAVILLE HE'S TYLER
Bulldog/ Dog
Owner: MR P & MRS H SEAL
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61819
4th CH VANITONIA AS YOU WISH
Poodle (Toy)/ Bitch
Owner: MR T & MRS A ISHERWOOD & EVANS
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61830
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G R O U P R E S U L T S
Working Group
Judge(s): Mr Robert Gregory
1st CH CHAYO MY PREROGATIVE
Alaskan Malamute/ Dog
Owner: MS S ELLIS
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61503
2nd SE/FI/NO/NORD CH NAMUPALAN BLING SMACK CHAP SEJW-13 SEW-14 NOW-14 NORDW-14 [ATC AR01767FIN]
Leonberger/ Dog
Owner: MISS J JUNEHALL
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61518
3rd AUS SUP CH COSTOG MOMPESSONS HOME BRU
Bullmastiff/ Dog
Owner: MS R OMA
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61496
4th CH CHANDLIMORE SPARKS WILL FLY OVER SAMHAVEN
St Bernard/ Bitch
Owner: MISS A & MR T GRAINGER & NAGRECHA
PHOTO NUMBER:KD61523
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