If you follow me on Snapchat or Instagram, you’ll have seen that I went to Crufts over the weekend. For those of you that don’t know, Crufts which originated in 1891 is the world’s biggest dog show and is held at the NEC in Birmingham over four days each March. The show attracts people from all over the world and rather than just being a dog show, it is now more of a celebration of all dogs. I went along on Thursday which was the first day of the show and then Sunday which was the final day. I stayed to watch the judging of the Best In Show which was televised live on Channel 4 and is the prize that everyone showing their dog over the four days is ultimately hoping for.
My favourite thing about Crufts is walking around and seeing all of the different breeds being shown. On Sunday I sat and watched the Samoyeds, St Bernards and Finnish Lapphunds in the rings and I saw so many beautiful dogs. All around the rings there were other breeds being prepped for their big moment in the ring and most of the owners were more than happy to talk about their dogs and let you take photos. It’s amazing how well behaved these dogs are and it’s wonderful to see them in the rings. 
As you walk around the halls, there are plenty of different stands offering everything you could ever need as a dog owner; there were plenty of stands selling discounted dog food, dog beds and toys as you would expect but there were also a number of charities such as The Dogs Trust and the Birmingham Dogs Home. There’s something for everyone in the Marketplace, there were even artists who specialise in pet portraits and I saw some lovely artwork by Claire Thorogood which I think is really worth checking out if you have a dog of your own. 
In the Discover Dogs section, there are over 200 different breeds of dogs with their owners/breeders and you can go around and meet the dogs and ask any questions that you may have. I used this as a chance to learn more about some breeds that I either didn’t know much about or had never heard of before. I was particularly taken with the Shiba Inus which I learnt can live to be 16 or 17 which is a fantastic age for a dog!
At around 4pm on Sunday I headed to the arena to watch the agility finals, the judging of the Working and Pastoral groups and then finally Best In Show. The agility is always so exciting to watch, it’s amazing just how fast and well trained some dogs are and I thoroughly enjoyed every second. I was so pleased that I got to see Pudsey from Britains Got Talent doing his last ever agility competition, unfortunately he didn’t win but he did very well!
The famous Best In Show started at 8pm and I have no idea how the judge managed to pick a winner out of the seven finalists, they were all winners in my eyes! I was especially in love with the Newfoundland and the Old English Sheepdog.
The finalists were:
Terrier Group
Lakeland Terrier named Alan
Hound Group
Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen named Frosty
Utility Group
Miniature Poodle named Frankie
Toy Group
Yorkshire Terrier named My Precious JP Kagayaki
Gun Dog
American Cocker Spaniel named Afterglow Miami Ink
Working Group
Newfoundland named Bentley
Pastoral Group
Old English Sheepdog named Pegasos
The overall winner of Best In Show was the American Cocker Spaniel, Afterglow Miami Ink. I was surprised to see that his owner Jason Lynn was also the same guy that owned the winner of Best In Show in 2014 which is the last time that I attended the show. The reserve winner was the Miniature Poodle, Frankie.
I had such a brilliant time at Crufts 2017 and I highly recommend you go next year if you’re a dog lover. There’s so much to see and if you don’t come away covered in dog hair then you’re not doing Crufts right!
This would be such a fun event to attend. The different events would be great to watch, especially the agility event. It would also be wonderful to be able to walk around and meet the dogs and learn about all of the breeds. Definitely a great event for dog lovers x
This looks fab, those dogs are so cute. Crufts is deffo on my list of to do’s 🙂 x
I’ve always wanted to go to crufts but haven’t, it looks like you had a great time! x
A day out at Crufts would have been so much fun! Super jealous!!
I went to crufts years ago and loved it, I love your first picture of a Samoyed, we had one of these and he was my baby x
Omg! I would love to attend this! I love dogs so much! I always wanted to put my dog Humphrey in a dog show but he’s not a pure bred.
These are gorgeous, but being dog broody i couldn’t go haha. Often would have liked one of my dogs to have entered though x
I have never been to Crufts before but just looking at all the dogs had me cooing, what an enjoyable show x
I haven’t been to Crufts before but it looks like it could be great fun and the dogs all look soooo cute 😉
Look at all the adorable dogs, so cute. I’ve actually never watched Crufts before x
Ahhhh, I would love to go to Crufts next year. I watched it on TV this year and absolutely loved the retriever round!
Aw Crufts is definitely a must-see event, looks like you had a great day!
Oh I would love to visit crufts one day. My parents went a few years ago (as our dog just died) and came back with two shih tzu. They said they met a lady who was looking for looking for new owners for her two dogs as she can’t keep em. It was quite a surprise. xx
Looks all the adorable dogs, I want to go n a show like that but I don’t have a chance,
Aw, I love watching Crufts on tele. It’s incredible to see so many breeds and types of dogs all under one roof. x
Oh my gosh, those dog are all so cute! I had no idea about the ‘Discover Dogs’ section, it sounds like tons of fun.
Such a cute post!! All those doggies.
I’ve never thought about going to Crufts but I’m glad you had a nice time and I really liked this post.
It looks like you had so much fun! I have never attended Crufts but have watched it on the TV a lot, the agility course is always my favourite bit. I really loved the best in show, thought it was a stunning dog!
So many cure doggies! So cool that you saw Pudsey xo
ooooh i wish i had known, was visiting birmingham at that time!! so cuteeeeeeee!
This sounds so fun! I didn’t realise Crufts had the other things like meeting dog breeds and shopping stands. Your photos are so good too. They little pups melt my heart haha. 😀
Ashton xx
This looks like so much fun, all the dogs are so cute!