The world's premier dog show, Crufts 1999, which took place at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, on the 11th to 14th of March, welcomed an international audience to the largest celebration of dogs on earth.

Innocence Abroad: Our First Crufts
By H. Cavanaugh

Introduction

Because we both had to work the evening before, our trip to Crufts began in Boston early Thursday, March 11, 1999, which meant that we would miss the first day's shows. Nonetheless, three days of intense dog watching and photographing would prove sufficiently thrilling, awesome, and completely exhausting for our first trip to the world's biggest dog show. Even sleep deprivation and jet lag couldn't dampen our enthusiasm for our first Crufts. A little dazed and time warped, we arrived in the car park of the National Exhibition Center (NEC) in Birmingham, after a two-hour drive from London, excited and eager to photograph as much of the show as possible, with an emphasis on the numerous rare breeds recognized in England. It would prove a formidable task. Part of our observations, however, were not just the differences in the dogs but variances in the show itself. As veterans of American shows, we found several notable distinctions between US shows and this British one.

The enormity of Crufts is nearly impossible to fathom much less adequately describe. We had been told to expect a huge show, but huge doesn't begin to cover it. Five great halls with from two to eleven rings go nonstop from 8:30 in the morning until 5:30 in the afternoon, after which group judging begins, two groups an evening, except for the first night. This is to accommodate the 1999 entry of 21,503 dogs from 142 breeds. Even American specialties don't see nearly the numbers that are shown at Crufts; for example, 1,092 Golden Retrievers were entered, 760 Rough Collies, and 540 Boxers. Less common breeds also have colossal entries: 225 Irish Red and White Setters, 246 Leonbergers, and 40 Swedish Vallhunds. When a single judge often cannot handle an entire breed entry, males and females are evaluated by separate judges. English classes are also different. More classes are available, each with its special differentiation, but at the end of judging, only one male and one female receive a challenge certificate (called a ticket, three of them at championship shows under different judges making up an English champion). As at American shows, these two are then judged against each other for BOB. Since English champions are shown in the classes along with non-champions, getting through to the challenge certificate and BOB at Crufts are formidable tasks and spectacular wins. We do not indicate a reserve BIS show winner as is done at English shows, this year the Akita standing next to the smashing Irish Setter.

More from "Innocence Abroad" ...

Judging
The Exhibitors
Spays and Neuters
Facilities and Amenities
Discover Dogs
Additional Events
Spectators
Cell Phones
Gleaming Brass Horns
Photographers
Final Thoughts
History of Crufts