Yesterday, my humans went to experience all the madness of the world's biggest dog show and, man, what a fantastic day they had.
Welcome to Crufts!
Show offers- one of the best things about the dog show. And the main reason why my humans usually come home with many random purchases.
Following the bit of shopping they did pretty much the second they entered the NEC, the humans visited the Dog Activities area to meet the dogs who participate the many dog sports on offer. Look at these gorgeous Gundogs...
Just look at the size of one of the FIVE halls that make up Crufts. Each of the halls are half-full of stands to buy hundreds of doggie things from and half cater for the breed competitions, which gradually whittle down the best of each breed for the Group Judging at the end of the day.
Handler and dog looking very smart as they show the judge what they've got.
My humans are HUGE lovers of heelwork to music so there was not a single chance that they were going to miss the International Freestyle Heelwork to Music competition in the Main Arena. This year's competition was of particularly high standard, with themes ranging from pirates, to golf, to grooving on a hoverboard...!
Whilst England won the competition, my humans thought that the Japanese representatives were equally as deserving of first place. They could not have performed more accurately!
And now for the agility. Always a favourite at Crufts, this year's course proved difficult, with many of the competitors racking up at least five fault points. However, the standard was, again, very high.
The crowd were loving the thrill of agility!
Just when you thought things couldn't get more intense, the flyball semi-finals were held.
Absolutely crazy.
It was so unbelievably noisy in the Main Arena- both the humans AND dogs were getting into the full swing of the competition!
The West Midlands Police Dog Team performed an exceptional display of their work.
Special mention to my fellow English Springer Spaniel (below), who also goes by the name of Jasper!
Believe it or not, the German Shepherd in the picture below is only 11 months old. The puppies are trained from a very young age to become police dogs but they certainly do not hold back in those early stages!
Oh, yes. Following a range of exciting competitions and displays, it was finally time for the magnificent Southern Golden Retriever Display Team. They sure did not disappoint!
What my humans love the most about this display team is the obvious adoration had by both the handler and dog towards each other. Even if the Goldie starts running laps around the arena (yes, that may have happened...!), the bond between each pair never fades.
After a four-hour stint in the Main Arena (my humans are pretty hardcore when it comes to dog shows), the humans went to stretch their legs and came across Clare Balding recording interviews for Crufts' airing on Channel 4. And just look at that Best in Show trophy!
The last photograph the humans took from their day is this one of the final judging of Best in Breed for the Border Collies. Simaro Cold as Ice, shown here, went on to win Best in Breed and then Best in Pastoral Group, earning himself in the Best in Show final. So gorgeous!
My humans had a truly marvellous day at Crufts and we are all devastated that it is nearly over for another year. Feel free to send me any pictures or messages you have from your time at the show- I love looking at them!
Well done to all the competitors from this year- here's to Crufts 2017 and, who knows, maybe an English Springer Spaniel will take home Best in Show...?!
Talk soon, Jasper x
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