Crufts 2025, Love it or Hate it?

I love the little terrier - but I am Biased😊

🏆 Sì!

Good that the winner is a breed that hasn’t changed in hundreds of years ( probably longer) and thankfully has very few medical problems ( eye and heart problems are checked by all the breeders I know; unlike in Dobermans where fatal heart conditions are prevalent). There’s nowhere, conformationwise to hide with a Whippet. What you see is what you get. But I doubt if many people watching what appears to be a rather worried looking timid kind of dog is probably the naughtiest dog that anyone could own.

I have a soft spot for whippets since I met Hugo so I was very happy that the whippet won although who could resist the Jack Russell.

I think that the people who criticised the judges decision, on social media, should remember that she must be very knowledgable and experienced to be allowed to judge BIS and also she examined all the dogs closely before making her decision. Although, if it had been cutest dog in show, the Jack Russell would have won paws down.

I am sure some of the dog lovers among you will be able to tell me if I am correct in thinking there is an Italian Greyhound breed which is a small greyhound looks like a whippet.

I had the whippet pegged as the winner from the moment I first saw her. DH disagreed, and thought it would be the jack russell.
As a past owner of two parsons I had a soft spot for the jr, but the whippet stood out for me as everything the breed should be.

I was impressed by the happy Jack Russell
Felt for suzie the fabulous spaniel when her confidence dropped briefly due to noise from spectators - not criticising by the way

I am sure some of the dog lovers among you will be able to tell me if I am correct in thinking there is an Italian Greyhound breed which is a small greyhound looks like a whippet

There are indeed similarities. My daughter has an Italian Greyhound. Such a gorgeous pup. They often look terribly worried though but that's part of the charm I think!

We have had many JRs, fabulous little dogs. The one we have now we got from a rescue centre. She had been surrendered by her owners. She was 1. Her previous owners had left a bag with bits and bobs for her. It was evident they thought they were getting a cutesie dog. Her collar was pink with diamantes spelling her name . Hearts and flowers on her bowl. They hadn't done research on the breed. But we're thrilled we were able to welcome her into the family. She's 12 now and rather overweight.

Rula - your rescue Jack reminds me of the poodle crosses our rescue helps. They often have matching harness, lead, pretty bowls, cuddly toys and behavioural problems. Sadly treated like fur babies rather than the clever sensitive dogs they usually are

I love the dogs but hate the cruelty of various sorts put on them and some owners over the years saying ''if my dog had lost I'd have had it out down''.

Italian greyhounds look similar to whippets but from what I’ve heard are difficult to house train. I’ve just watched a short film on Ch4 about Hustle, the flyball whippet. I hadn’t realised that, before Hustle, flyball was totally dominated by Border Collies and she completely changed the sport.

Ive never heard of show dogs being put down for losing
The people I know involved in shoring really love their dogs .

The only breeder who showed her dogs at crufts that I knew personally was the person we bought our cairn from.

Visiting her home at the time we got him, she had a little bitch in her kitchen tucked up in a warm blanket. The little dog had given the breeder a couple of litters, but now suffered from cancer and was being cared for by her until her death.

So my observation of breeders based on a very small%😊 was that they are very very caring people who adore the dogs that they choose to breed.

I have heard of so called 'Puppy Mills' where breeders keep bitches in cages and use them as breeding machines to churn out as many pedigree puppies as possible but I don't think that dog showing community is involved in this.

I believe that the puppies from mills are often interbred and not properly cared for or socialised. They often have serious health problems as a result.

Puppy Farms should be shut down.
The show breeding community is generally full of people who specialise in one breed and are knowledgable about their specialism. Their bitches aren’t over bred, the dogs live in or spend a lot of time in the house not shut away in kennels
Puppy farms cross any poodle with any dog. No regard for health or temperament
😞

I’m afraid not all breeders/showing people are ethical, however much they appear to love their dogs. My favourite breed, Cavalier King Charles spaniels are beset by health problems which appear to be getting worse since I had my first in 1978.

Vets across the world drew up breeding protocols in 1996/98 that said Cavaliers should not be bred before the age of 2.5 and preferably not before 3, and then only for healthy dogs with clear screening results. This is to try to reduce the prevalence of early onset mitral valve disease and syringomyelia both of which are endemic in the breed. Experts estimated that if these protocols were followed they could significantly reduce the incidence of these health problems in two or three generations. Sadly, it has not happened. So serious is the problem that in 2022 Norway banned the breeding of Cavaliers.

The 2023 Crufts winner of the toy group was an 18 month old dog who had already sired 7 litters. I’m sure his owner would claim to love him, and I’m sure she is not the only breeder ignoring guidelines/ protocols across the world. So until Crufts uses its influence to improve the health and welfare of all dogs I’m afraid it’s not something I have any respect for.

I worked undercover for the NCDL quite a few years ago, they were trying to get stronger laws on puppy farms introduced.
I read adverts for puppies, did concentration on some areas, I
would view accompanied by a photographer, what we witnessed was horrific, I will not give details , there was some success but ! Money, money , money , and to a lesser extent in
the world of show dogs, best in show receives £200 but so much money to be made and where there’s money
people will do much harm

I posted agreement with your comments nihtowl, especially about the exploitation of the toy winner
My posy disappeared
Of course money the route of evil

The 2023 Crufts winner of the toy group was an 18 month old dog who had already sired 7 litters.
I'm shocked. Poor little thing.

Crufts should be setting standards, not giving awards for such abuse of animals.

Although perhaps he had the easy part.

Yes indeed Allira. But the worry is that he sired around 30 to 40 (or more) puppies whose risk of those diseases was unknown because he was too young for meaningful testing. Multiply that by the number of breeders ignoring the protocols in the pursuit of ribbons and the money to be made, and that’s why nothing is changing for this lovely breed.

Anniebach what you saw must have been heartbreaking. Well done for doing so much to help animals and to make a difference.

He wasn't even properly adult, just an adolescent.

Yes indeed Indigo8, you are correct.
Anniebach, thank you from a dog lover for doing what you did. Poor defenceless animals like children need a voice from normal caring people. Without humanity is in trouble.

Even more shocking nightowl
Yes thanks annie

Completely indifferent.