That magical time of year when every dog lover, owner and professional flocks to the NEC in Birmingham to celebrate all things dogs! I love it. I didn’t make it last year so I was extra excited this time, and my big reason for going was to support friends who had made the top level of their discipline and were to be competing at the largest dog show in the world.

I’ve been coming to Crufts each year for about 5 years now, and even in that short space of time I’ve seen massive improvements in the dog sports I love. In Flyball they have added electronic timers and allow dogs a running start, and in Agility there appeared to be much fewer dogs slipping and good, consistent, running contacts seem to be becoming the norm. Plus the newest rule change to 5 metre minimum distance.  It’s fantastic to see how we are progressing for the best!

Away from the arena I love strolling around the stalls and stocking up on gifts, treats and toys that you don’t often see at your average pet shop.

Here is my haul from the day…

I prefer the cage balls for playing with Guinness as he can run along and grab them off the floor easier than a tennis ball or a Frisbee, which is better for his joints. I bought the Pet Munchies and Akela treats to try out as I really need some cheap, small training treats for when we’re out and about, as I seem to go through them so quickly. Sometimes you need that bit extra than using their kibble.

And the cow pictures… awww!! At Olympia Horse Show in 2015 I saw this artist Karen Crook and fell in love with her pictures, especially the cows. However I had nowhere to put them. In 2016 I saw her again, and this time we were just about to move in to the farm, however I still didn’t know where to put them and wanted Ash to see them first. Then yesterday at Crufts I saw her and found the three perfect pictures and bought them! Since Olympia we had moved in and decorated and I’d found the perfect spot to have three in a row… it was just a case of buying them, which we hadn’t done yet. So when I spotted her stall at Crufts and she had the three I wanted I knew it was meant to be.

I briefly told Karen the story as I was purchasing them and she seemed quite touched! It was a lovely moment. I can’t wait to get them framed and hung on the wall now, slowly making this house feel much more like a home. http://www.karencrookart.com/

The day goes so quickly and it was really busy being a weekend, we’re definitely going to aim for a weekday next year. The queue to get in to the arena was shocking so we watched the Flyball on the big screen in Hall 5 with a coffee, cheering on Carry Ons as they had some really close running, much to the amusement of people around us!

You can catch all of the highlights on Youtube and watch todays arena performance lives here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqm1G9nQp00