Crufts

Crufts
Formation1891
FounderCharles Cruft
TypeDog show
HeadquartersBirmingham, England
Location
  • United Kingdom
Official language
English
Websitewww.crufts.org.uk

Crufts is an international dog show held annually in the United Kingdom, held since 1891, and organised by The Kennel Club. It is the largest show of its kind in the world.[1]

Crufts is primarily a championship conformation show for dogs, and includes a large trade show of mainly dog-related goods and services, as well as competitions in dog agility, obedience, flyball and heelwork to music. Winner of the annual Friends for Life competition which celebrates unsung canine heroes is also announced, and Crufts also hosts the final of Scruffts, a crossbreed competition. It is held over four days (Thursday to Sunday) in early March at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Solihull, England.[2]

Crufts comprises a number of separate competitions. The main competition is for the Best in Show award, which is hotly contested by dogs and their owners from throughout the world.

The Kennel Club was criticised on the BBC programme Pedigree Dogs Exposed for allowing breed standards, judging standards and breeding practices which are said to compromise the health of purebred dogs. The programme led various sponsors to withdraw. The BBC dropped Crufts 2009 from their coverage after being unable to agree to terms with The Kennel Club, with Channel 4 broadcasting the event since 2010.[3]

  1. ^ "Crufts, the worlds biggest dog show | CEVA Logistics". www.cevalogistics.com. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  2. ^ Sayce, Rebecca (3 March 2020). "Crufts 2020: Inspirational dogs and their owners up for Friends For Life award". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference JuliusK9HistoryCrufts was invoked but never defined (see the help page).