Another successful Crufts has come to a close in Birmingham. Despite speculation by some that this year's event would be tarnished by the negative press it and the world of purebred dogs has been receiving, Crufts 2009 attained the 3rd highest entry in its history and was visited by 140,000+ during the 4 days of competition. The dog show's Youtube stream was the most viewed channel of the day at points throughout the weekend. Judge Peter Green's choice for best in show of course was Charmin, the Sealyham Terrier from America. He added this win to his astonishing record which includes bests at the US Terrier spectacular Montgomery County as well as the World Show in Stockholm last summer. Charmin is handled by Margery Good whose family's ''Goodspice'' prefix is known worldwide. Interestingly Charmin's litter brother was a former top dog all breeds in Canada, their country of birth. Huge congrats to all involved!
Reserve Best was the UK-owned and bred white Standard Poodle CH Afterglow The Big Tease, who retired from competition with his Crufts success. Donny is last year's #1 dog of all breeds in Britain.
The ''protest'' expected from vegetarian activists amounted to not much more than 20 individuals, who dispersed once rain rolled in late Sunday morning. There were a few reports of misconduct inside the show, including an dog sprayed with paint on its way through the benches. Note that there was no reported connection between these events and the Veggies.
Judging by the massive crowds that grew each day leading up to Sunday's finale, it seems clear that while the public and dog community agree that more can always be done to ensure health and welfare of our beloved companions, events like Crufts are a great way to celebrate the wonderful world of dogs and the joys they bring to our lives.
Click here for an interesting and refreshingly balanced view by Stanley Johnson, seen in the Telegraph.
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Huge congrats to all involved with Donny as well!
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