Walking off the train and towards the NEC arena, Birmingham, I am surrounded by enthusiastic dog lovers and dog owners, just like myself.
When you're surrounded by posing dogs, you won't stop smiling all day
A couple of young kids in front of me excitedly jump up and down telling their parents how excited they are to see the dogs, and if I weren’t representing a professional brand, I would probably be doing the exact same too.
It was my first time at Crufts. I’ve always wanted to go but it's one of those situations where every year I say "I must go next year" and then life gets busy. Thankfully, one of the perks of being a writer for Female First is that these are the types of events are exactly what our audience wants to know all about. And on that note, let’s get straight into it.
If you’ve ever been to an event at the Birmingham NEC before, you’ll know to expect a lot of people selling things, even more people visiting, and on this occasion, plenty of canines.
I was once bitten by a dog as a child and spent years and years of my life with a dreadful fear of what are now my favourite furry friends. It was only when we got our family dog that I warmed to animals. It’s quite crazy to think that once upon a time, this environment would’ve sent my fears into overdrive, but as I write this, I am already missing walking around the arena surrounded by happy, friendly dogs.
It’s the biggest dog show in the world, so not only are these dogs perfectly groomed, but they’re very obedient and well-behaved too. I was worried that when speaking to dog owners I might let slip that I am not an expert in every breed, but each person I spoke to was more than happy to tell me about their specific breed and detail what they had competed in.
I must’ve met hundreds of dogs, most of them I still couldn’t reel off their specific breed, but what I can say confidently is that they were all to die for. If you love dogs, you must go to Crufts.
In each hall were different mini events throughout the day. I went on Sunday and was privileged enough to be there when The Kennel Club's Most inspiring dog announced.
The stories behind the nominees for most inspiring dog had me filling up, sat there, front row with my camera. There’s nothing more heart-warming than hearing about a dog that’s had its life turned around by selfless people, who adopt them and take their time to work with them – building their confidence and social skills.
Of course, you want to know which wonderful dog won the award. Well, it was little Rupert, and this is his story...
About Rupert:
Rupert’s age is unknown and was rehomed by Katie Foster. Over 7 years ago he was picked up as a stray and was not claimed. He wasn’t house-trained, had no manners, both inside and outside the house, and no social skills with people or other dogs. By getting involved in the Kennel Club’s Good Citizen dog scheme, Rupert turned a corner and went on to pass his Kennel Club Bronze Silver and Gold GCDS awards. Rupert enjoys attending fun obedience classes and gun dog training.
I also got to meet the wonderful Lucy and Trip Hazard, who were one of the finalist acts on Britain’s Got Talent. They were joined by Indie, and together performed some tricks that had the crowd cooing.
If you haven’t seen it already, check out the day in pictures by clicking here.