As the biggest ever Crufts draws to a close, fans hail the 135th year of the world famous dog show as the best in living memory. The Mirror was there to capture it all
A carnival for the barking mad, over the last four days, almost 20,000 dogs (and 160,000 humans) have strutted their stuff through Birmingham’s NEC for the 135th year of Crufts, making it the biggest in the event’s history. The Mirror was there to bring you all the action. The excitement – and strong smell of dog – hung in the air.
For Dog’s Sake presenter, Pete Wicks, invited us for a Guinness. Said Pete: “I don’t like people, but I’ve never met a bad dog. Whatever love you give to them, dogs give it back tenfold. I’ve got a bit of a weird connection with dogs. There’s a purity there that you don’t find in people.” The Strictly star, 37, attended with dog food brand Pooch & Mutt, but sadly left his own four legged friends at home – six month old rescue rottweiler puppy Rodney, and 12-year-old French bulldog, Eric, a “blind, deaf loaf of bread with legs”.
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He continued: “People look for what benefits them – that’s human nature. Whereas animals, they just live for the moment. That’s a really special place, to be in the here and now. The only time I really get an opportunity to do that, because I’m a bit 100 miles an hour, is when I’m around animals.”
Crufts, operated by The Royal Kennel Club, is the world’s largest dog show and was founded by Charles Cruft in 1891. Broadcast on Channel 4, this year it was hosted by the fur-mazing Clare Balding, Ellie Simmonds, Radzi Chinyanganya and, new for this year, Claudia Winkleman. Over 200 breeds attended from sheepdogs to shizhus, dalmations to dobermans.
The totally mutts Olympics of the dog world, contenders furiously competed with their nervous owners in agility, freestyle, obedience, flyball races, grooming and more, showcasing their skills in a bid to win Best in Show.
Both pets and owners looked fetching, with almost as many diamanté skirt suits on show as dogs. Competing owners this year were as young as three and as old as 87 and it was a great year for British dogs, as most “best in group” winners were from the UK, despite a record-breaking 4229 entries from overseas.
Olympic cyclist Dame Laura Kenny, 33, was beside herself to be there. “We have two dogs, Sprolo and Pringle, which are Sproodles (Springer Spaniel/Poodle cross),” she told the Mirror. They have heaps of character and we love the energy they bring to our home. Dogs are there through so many of your biggest moments. I’ve always loved dogs – there’s something so special about the unconditional love and loyalty they give you. Crufts is an incredible celebration of dogs.”
Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds, 31, baked dog cakes for the canine competitors. I love animals, especially dogs, and I’ve grown up watching Crufts. I’m going to try and foster a dog – I’ve put my application in,” said Ellie. Her dog of the day was “the Eurasier”, and she loved the “small but mighty” Toy and Pastoral groups.
Being at Crufts fulfilled a childhood dream. She told the Mirror: “Sadly my dad is super, super allergic to dogs. So we could never have a dog growing up. We had everything else: guinea pigs, birds, cats. We had a horse. And I always said to my mum I really would love a dog. Can we not trade dad for a dog? I so wanted one.”
Clare Balding said: “I am in heaven when I’m at Crufts,” she says. “If you think about it, it’s a live sporting event. Every time I come to Crufts, it’s such a great opportunity to see all the different breeds. Although I grew up with boxers, so I’ve always got an absolute soft spot for boxers. They’re the clowns of the dog world.”
And Claudia Winkleman, who absolutely loved her first Crufts experience, and was even offered a fringe trim at the groomers said: “I’m emotional. I thought I’d mess it up and, indeed, I did. I cannot bear that this is going to end. It’s just the greatest place -it’s like Glastonbury for dogs.” We couldn’t agree more, Claudia, Crufts 2026 has been totally pawesome.
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