Crufts 2013

LONG POST ALERT!

This year we decided to go to Crufts. The thought of getting to meet hundreds of gorgeous dogs and to watch them perform was just too good an opportunity to miss, so we ended up booking tickets for the Gundog day, which was on Saturday.

When we first arrived, we couldn't believe our luck. There, in the reception area was Mugly! Now, Mugly won the title of being 2012's ugliest dog. I would like to vouch that this simply isn't true! I find his look (albeit, individual) so endearing! His skin is so soft and he really is the sweetest little thing.

Apologies to the lady in this photo- I hope she doesn't mind being on the blog!

So, we were off to a good start. We then took a quick look round the shops in the arena area and then went to watch some of the 'dancing to music' competition, where owners and their highly skilled dogs created routines to music. We really enjoyed this part as the creativity and skills shown were truly inspirational.

The Crufts Arena

Spot the dog! This pair did their own interpretation of The Lion King. 

We then carried on looking around the 100's of stalls that were set up, selling everything from tasty dog treats, beds, clothing and toys to urine remover. It took us a whole day to get round all of the stalls, taking us slightly longer as we regularly stopped to say hello to the lovely doggies!

We then watched some of the group competitions, where the winners of each breed where picked. We stumbled upon a Weimerarner and Labrador competition and watched that for a while.

Weimararners being shown. 

Some Labradors being shown.

What I really enjoyed doing was walking through the parts where all of the competition dogs were waiting to be seen. Although they were all exhausted, it was surreal (and lovely at the same time) to see so many of the same breed of dog in one space. As you can see from the pictures below, some of them were so sleepy!

Love this pic- Labs waiting for a treat. 

Some seriously sleep and cuddly Vizslas!

We then headed over to the Discover Dogs part, where they had 200 breeds of dog that you could go and meet and find out more about. We met so many lovely dogs and owners- I could have stayed in that part all day. I also met a lot of breeds that I wouldn't meet in real life. Not only was it amazing meeting some fantastic dogs, but I learned a lot about different dog breeds.

A new favourite breed of mine- the Sussex Spaniel. 

We finished the day by watching another show where the award for the best breeder group was announced. We then headed home to catch up with our own pooch, and give him the multitude of treats we bought for him throughout the day.

Not a very good pic, but you gotta love Pugs!

Another favourite of mine- the Bernese Mountain Dog. 

If you'd like to visit Crufts next year, you can find more information here. I'll see you there!