Well friends, Nick and I are completely pooped from yesterday's big day out to the Worlds Biggest Dog Show - Crufts! I know it is the "world's biggest" but nothing could prepare you for just how big it is. It took a good 15 - 20 minutes to walk from one end of the convention center to the other, dodging hundreds of sales people for EVERYTHING dog related, (I am still begging Nick to let me buy Heidi this goregous dog bed) and trying not to get distracted by the cute dogs that were competing for the prestigious best in show.
the whole day was massively jam packed with events, and we could have gone for the whole four days and not seen everything, but some highlights from the arena included...
The start of a canicross race... (we finally got our own canix hands free jogging belt... I'm pretty excited to not have my arm pulled off by Heidi everytime we go running...)
We also watched heelwork to music... which was pretty entertaining considering the winner was dressed as a giant frog.
We cheered at the neck and neck agility finals...
And learned a lot at the fantastic gun dog displays which we must get Heidi involved in ASAP.
But the best part of all was really just wandering between judging rings.. checking out people and their dogs. Like this cliche red head with her gorgeous Irish Setter.
The red and white setters really were stunning.
This made us laugh..
The Gordon and English Setter cuddling.
A poodle, a collie, a visla and a westie stopped to have a chat while their owners were buying them some well deserved toys...
A group of great danes hanging out at the Eukanuba stand.
This was our hands down favorite breed that we'd never heard of before - the Italian Spinone. Huge dogs, but soooo sweet and cuddly, I had one pretty much on my lap when I stopped to chat with his owner.
And of course, the real reason we have become so dog obsessed around these parts... The German Shorthaired Pointer... arguably the best breed ever.
What's not to love - playful, cuddly, low shedders, and soooo gorgeous! There were some incredibly handsome males around and I am seriously tempted to get Heidi a lil broski soon.
How could you not love those sweet faces?
And look at this little fella in his tweed with his GSP... I was cheering for him to win Best of Breed, but a lovely old lady won instead. I have to say I have never seen so much tweed in my life. Must be a gun dog owner thing. There were so many vendors selling tweed skirt/suit combos I was almost tempted to buy one and get in on the country dog showing lifestyle.
More German Shorthaired Pointers Competing for the big win at Crufts...
We really had the most fantastic time, and I can honestly say that before I went I was wary of the whole dog show scene - breeding for exaggerated features and creating mutant dogs that aren't truly healthy. But after yesterday I really got the impression that the Kennel Club is a great organization, that understands the value of dogs in our lives. They want you to get the most out of YOUR dog, purebred or mutt, and support activities such as Canix, Agility, heelwork, gun dog training, and obedience (which Heidi and I personally attend and I think is great...Heidi may have other thoughts..)
When I walked around the show rings at Crufts, there were so many happy healthy dogs, with their breeders and/or owners who loved them and were proud of them. There were dogs and owners cuddled up together, dogs being kissed and fussed over. While some of the judges and breeders may need to take a deeper look at the traits they are breeding for, The Kennel Club is developing more and more genetic tests which will hopefully eradicate some of the genetic problems we see today. Couple that with the introduction of the super strict vet checks and I think purebred dogs are back on the right track. Some of these people may have be misguided, but they still want the best for their dogs.
As much as I support adoption of mutts, I believe there will always be a place for responsible breeders in the dog world. Breeders who will stop to talk to you to tell you how great their breed is - but make sure you're not getting yourself a dog that isn't right for you. Breeders who will make sure no puppy will ever end up in a pound because they are strict about who they let buy their dogs. These are the breeders that expect you to send them pictures of your new dog on it's birthday, and will answer your emails when you just can't figure out how to break your puppy's bad habits.
Dogs are most certainly one of life's greatest joys. And I hope that all of you can experience the pure and unconditional love of a dog, whatever your breed (or nonbreed) of choice.
Paws Up!
-Kelly
