Crufts 2020: Top barking mad facts about the Birmingham event
Dashing dogs and hound lovers alike are set to go barking mad for Crufts at Birmingham NEC.
The annual show, held at the attraction from March 5 to 8, will see masses of perfectly-preened pooches compete in a variety of categories, from agility, to freestyle heelwork, flyball and more.
Almost 20,000 dogs will compete this year, including 3,171 dogs from overseas.
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Leading this way once again, with more entries than any other overseas country is Italy with 366 dogs, followed closely by France (317), Germany (289) and the Netherlands (286).
Dog lovers can look forward to a record-breaking 15 hours of television coverage when Crufts returns to Channel 4 and More4.
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Ahead of the four-day event, we take a look at these weird and wonderful facts about Crufts:
1. Crufts began in 1891.
2. Hundreds of crossbreeds take part in Crufts, through agility, flyball, obedience, heelwork to music, Scruffts and Friends for Life competitions.
3. There have been 82 Best in Show winners, with 44 different breeds winning the title over the years.
4. The cocker spaniel has won the most Best in Show titles, with seven wins, followed by the Irish setter, poodle and Welsh terrier which have won on four occasions each.
5. The first Best in Show was won by a greyhound.
6. Vulnerable British and Irish native breeds have won Best in Show at Crufts a total of eight times.
7. Crufts covers more than 25 acres of the NEC in Birmingham. This includes five halls, and the Resorts World Arena.
8. 5,041 people volunteered at Crufts 2019, from stewards to breed experts in the Discover Dogs area and more are expected to join this year.
9. The most popular entries in each group by breed are:
Working: Siberian husky - 184.
Pastoral: Border collie – 303.
Terrier: Staffordshire bull terrier – 341.
Hound: Whippet – 388.
Toy: Cavalier King Charles spaniel – 286.
Utility: Bulldog – 235.
Gundog: Labrador retriever – 543.
10. This year has seen an increase of 50 per cent or more in the entries for the laekenois Belgian shepherd dog, maremma sheepdog, Glen of Imaal terrier and Portuguese podengo compared with 2019.
11. In contrast, the basset bleu de gascogne and the foxhound have drawn just four entries apiece, which highlights the fact that the show is a true celebration of all dogs, from the well-known to the highly unusual.
12. The oldest dog to win Best in Show was a flat coated retriever, Jet, aged nine years and seven months, in 2011.
13. The youngest dog to win Best in Show was a bulldog, aged one year and three months, in 1952.
14. Only one parent and offspring pair have won Best in Show at Crufts – Irish setter sire and son in 1993 and 1999 respectively. Both had the same owner, Jackie Lorrimer.
16. A small number of exhibitors have won Best in Show at Crufts twice, but only one kennel has bred two winners. Mike Gadsby and Jason Lynn bred a standard poodle which won in 2014 and an American cocker spaniel which won in 2017. Both were handled and co-owned by Jason.
17. Competitors from 42 different overseas countries have entered Crufts this year.
18. The star of the 1948 show - a Leonberger German mountain dog - was bought from a farmer in Austria by a British soldier passing in a tank for 10 bars of soap.
19. Judging for the gundog group at the 2010 show was interrupted by a streaker who ran around the presentation area with the 'i streak.com' emblazoned on his naked torso.
20. In 1998 it was calculated that 340kg of canine fur would need to be cleared from the NEC in Birmingham following the show.
