Mar
Dancing With Dogs at Crufts ‘Welcome’ from the Show’s Founder
Well if ever the show needed an authoritative ‘endorsement’ for its dancing with dogs / heelwork to music events and general razzle dazzle which it has recently come under fire for, look no further than today’s Sunday Times.
DANCING WITH DOGS: While watching dancing dogs at Crufts last week, I could not help wondering what my great-grandfather, Charles Cruft, would have made of it (Focus, last week). Then I remembered that he was not only a showman, but also a businessman, so anything which encouraged greater attendance at Cruft’s would probably have been welcomed by him.
Elizabeth Moore (née Cruft)
Bath.
Well that should certainly blunt the knives of some of the dissenters arguing the show is moving away from its traditional dog show roots and more toward activity based canine entertainment.
One wonders what Mr Cruft would make of some of the breeds who are struggling to live past the age of 8years old thanks to shrunken genetic pool and ill conceived inbreeding practices? Perhaps he would support a move for the show to move even more in the direction of recognising dogs for what they can do rather than what they look like?
Crufts 2008 Heelwork to Music Display from Kath Hardman and her dog Tip, who was rescued at 18 months after suffering a poor start in life. Just look at him now though!
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRbU29CHYZg&autoplay=0 400 400]
Thanks for featuring my dog Tipp on the HTM Crufts 2008 article. OIt would be good if you could add my name and Tipp’s “Reflexions Of Ginger”. I’m very proud of him – I welcomed him into my home at 18 months old and he had been subject to negligence and ophysical abus – at 9 yrs old he made 5th place in the HTM Final