Crufts 2012: Pete Wedderburn's roundup
Pete Wedderburn looks back on the controversy over the Best in Show competition at Crufts 2012.
The judging of Bulldogs at Crufts 2012*Photo: PETE WEDDERBURN
By Pete Wedderburn12:58PM GMT 12 Mar 2012 14 Comments
The pedigree dog show world has been stunned by landmark decisions made at Crufts this year: six dogs that had been chosen as best of their breeds (Bulldog, Pekingese, Clumber Spaniel, Mastiff, Neopolitan Mastiff and Basset Hound) failed the new veterinary health check. As a consequence, the prize-winning pooches were banned from proceeding to the Best in Group judging. And so ended six dog show enthusiasts' dreams of winning Best in Show at Crufts, the ultimate accolade for a show dog.
Health inspections by an independent veterinary surgeon were a new feature this year at Crufts. In response to criticism that not enough was being done to promote good health in prize winning dogs, the Kennel Club instituted a compulsory health check for all dogs that win Best of Breed in fifteen “high profile breeds” (these are breeds that have been particularly criticised for conformation that does not allow a dog to enjoy full health). If any dog fails this health check, it is effectively given a red card, being withdrawn from the remainder of the competition.
Up until now, some people may have felt that this health check was going to be lip service to the critics by the Kennel Club. The decisions at Crufts this past weekend confirm that the Kennel Club is serious about enforcing its stated ideals of “celebrating happy healthy dogs”.
The inspecting veterinary surgeon specifically assessed four areas of concern on the health front: eye disease, respiratory problems, skin disease and mobility issues. The specific grounds for failure of the disqualified dogs have not yet been announced but the bottom line was that an independent vet decided that their appearance was inconsistent with full, normal health.
Ironically, the Bulldog that was judged to be second-best-of-breed was the pre-booked guest on the More-4 Crufts television discussion on Thursday evening. The reason for her tv appearance: she's an example of the “new, healthy” type of Bulldog, with a longer nose and less congested breathing. There's an obvious question: if she had pipped the winning dog at the post for “Best of Breed”, would she too have failed the health test? Is the Bulldog, as a breed, capable of passing health tests?
RELATED ARTICLES
New battle over dog inbreeding 26 Feb 2012
Crufts dog fails at last hurdle 12 Mar 2012
Crufts stages talent show for dogs 10 Mar 2012
Crufts 2011 11 Mar 2011
I don't know much about the winning Pekingese which was then disqualified, but I do know that when a Pekingese called Malachy won Best of Show at the prestigious Westminster Dog Show in the USA last month, he had to sit on a special cooling mat to prevent dangerous overheating when he was displayed to the media. It's this type of madness that the Kennel Club is trying to stamp out.
Dog breeders have reacted with fury to the disqualification of the six Best of Breed dogs. The Kennel Club Crufts Facebook page was flooded with angry comments, with statements like "Animal Rights terrorists are controlling the judging".
On the other side of the argument, long standing critics of the Kennel Club like Jemima Harrison (the director of the BBC's Pedigree Dogs Exposed documentary) are full of praise, describing the dog show as "one of the most extraordinary Crufts ever".
What will happen now? The hope, of course, is that breeders will start to produce show dogs that are healthy enough to pass the veterinary checks. The fear, used by the Kennel Club in the past as justification for not taking this type of action, is that the breed clubs will instead start to do their own thing, Breeders could continue to win dog shows with their unhealthy animals at international events in Europe and the USA, where the strong line taken by the Kennel Club is not applied. And in the UK, they could run their own shows.
This year's Crufts was extraordinary, and whatever happens, next year's Crufts is going to be very interesting indeed. Watch this space.
Just thought I'd share...seems 2 of my favorite loves: bulldogs and yoga can't seem to get any good press....just saying....
Pete Wedderburn looks back on the controversy over the Best in Show competition at Crufts 2012.
The judging of Bulldogs at Crufts 2012*Photo: PETE WEDDERBURN
By Pete Wedderburn12:58PM GMT 12 Mar 2012 14 Comments
The pedigree dog show world has been stunned by landmark decisions made at Crufts this year: six dogs that had been chosen as best of their breeds (Bulldog, Pekingese, Clumber Spaniel, Mastiff, Neopolitan Mastiff and Basset Hound) failed the new veterinary health check. As a consequence, the prize-winning pooches were banned from proceeding to the Best in Group judging. And so ended six dog show enthusiasts' dreams of winning Best in Show at Crufts, the ultimate accolade for a show dog.
Health inspections by an independent veterinary surgeon were a new feature this year at Crufts. In response to criticism that not enough was being done to promote good health in prize winning dogs, the Kennel Club instituted a compulsory health check for all dogs that win Best of Breed in fifteen “high profile breeds” (these are breeds that have been particularly criticised for conformation that does not allow a dog to enjoy full health). If any dog fails this health check, it is effectively given a red card, being withdrawn from the remainder of the competition.
Up until now, some people may have felt that this health check was going to be lip service to the critics by the Kennel Club. The decisions at Crufts this past weekend confirm that the Kennel Club is serious about enforcing its stated ideals of “celebrating happy healthy dogs”.
The inspecting veterinary surgeon specifically assessed four areas of concern on the health front: eye disease, respiratory problems, skin disease and mobility issues. The specific grounds for failure of the disqualified dogs have not yet been announced but the bottom line was that an independent vet decided that their appearance was inconsistent with full, normal health.
Ironically, the Bulldog that was judged to be second-best-of-breed was the pre-booked guest on the More-4 Crufts television discussion on Thursday evening. The reason for her tv appearance: she's an example of the “new, healthy” type of Bulldog, with a longer nose and less congested breathing. There's an obvious question: if she had pipped the winning dog at the post for “Best of Breed”, would she too have failed the health test? Is the Bulldog, as a breed, capable of passing health tests?
RELATED ARTICLES
New battle over dog inbreeding 26 Feb 2012
Crufts dog fails at last hurdle 12 Mar 2012
Crufts stages talent show for dogs 10 Mar 2012
Crufts 2011 11 Mar 2011
I don't know much about the winning Pekingese which was then disqualified, but I do know that when a Pekingese called Malachy won Best of Show at the prestigious Westminster Dog Show in the USA last month, he had to sit on a special cooling mat to prevent dangerous overheating when he was displayed to the media. It's this type of madness that the Kennel Club is trying to stamp out.
Dog breeders have reacted with fury to the disqualification of the six Best of Breed dogs. The Kennel Club Crufts Facebook page was flooded with angry comments, with statements like "Animal Rights terrorists are controlling the judging".
On the other side of the argument, long standing critics of the Kennel Club like Jemima Harrison (the director of the BBC's Pedigree Dogs Exposed documentary) are full of praise, describing the dog show as "one of the most extraordinary Crufts ever".
What will happen now? The hope, of course, is that breeders will start to produce show dogs that are healthy enough to pass the veterinary checks. The fear, used by the Kennel Club in the past as justification for not taking this type of action, is that the breed clubs will instead start to do their own thing, Breeders could continue to win dog shows with their unhealthy animals at international events in Europe and the USA, where the strong line taken by the Kennel Club is not applied. And in the UK, they could run their own shows.
This year's Crufts was extraordinary, and whatever happens, next year's Crufts is going to be very interesting indeed. Watch this space.
Just thought I'd share...seems 2 of my favorite loves: bulldogs and yoga can't seem to get any good press....just saying....
