Crufts 2015 Best in Show

[corgiology]

AIBU to think handling a dog by the neck and tail is sending the totally wrong message to children about how to handle pet dogs?

Yes, it's a terrier and is bred to cope but this dog is a show dog, not a working one and the show is being broadcast nationwide so inevitably some people will think it is acceptable to handle their own dogs like this.

Very disappointed with the poor handling and poking of the dog. The flat coat retriever handler was so much better at handling and had a great connection with her dog. He was a worthy winner.
The Scottie was my favourite but with a poor handler shouldn't have won.

Did you see the guy they are looking for who was seen beating his Border Collie outside the show???

Wrong dog won, Bart should have, Sue adores her dogs and Bart is an amazing boy and a perfect example of an Alaskan Malamute.

On standing scottie tails naturally droop. You only get that upright carrot tail when on alert (which in this house is when anyone walks past or the postie comes). By stroking and poking at her tail she was keeping it up in show position. I wasn't keen on the way she picked her up either though.

At the end of the day Knopa is a show dog. My scottie looks just like her (without the longer skirts) but bounces when he walks, tail going 90mph and 'speaking' to passing squirrels (as any scottie owner, they do talk!), his tail droops when he's resting, he has half of last nights dinner in his whiskers. Knopa is the extreme of the breed and not really indicative of the scott you'll meet in the park.

Crufts have responded -

We want to address the posts we have had regarding the handling of last nights Scottish Terrier, Knopa. It was made clear to the handler at the show that it is not acceptable to pick a dog up in this way, and despite repeated requests not to do so, she went ahead. The handler is from the USA where it is customary to pick up terriers in this way, but it has no place at Crufts and this is put in writing to all handlers before the show.

Wasn't a great year for crufts was it

Did anyone see the PETA bloke at the end of BIS? Jumped into the ring with a board that said ' mutts not crufts' I think.

My money is on them having something to do with the poisoned dogs. Especially as jagger was not supposed to have been on the bench he was on, it was meant to be the CC dog but they had moved.

Can't see an organisation aimed at non cruelty poisoning a dog so it dies an agonising death. Kind of goes against everything PETA are about.

I don't think pointing fingers is helpful, especially with no proof.

They've done horrendous things to hunt horses so would be totally shocked. But no, pointing fingers isn't going to help anything you're right.

There's something odd going on though!

Crufts is vile. Those people don't really like dogs at all - it's all about their own egos. The owners just seem like creepy weirdos to me.

Oh and I really can't imagine PETA poisoning that dog! More likely a jealous competitor.

Ark, do you have hard evidence that they've poisoned hunt horses? I'm sure that's highly unlikely.

Well if the handler had been told several times not to handle the dog in that way, yet she still did it, why was she not kicked out?

I do think if the handler had been warned then the dog should have been disqualified due to her poor handling. Otherwise, what is to deter people from mistreating their dogs?

I think it's extremely unfair to say 'the people' who exhibit at crufts don't like dogs at all or the whole thing is cruel though. For a start, it's not only about show dogs, there are other events going on too. However, I know a lot of people who do exhibit at crufts each year and their dogs are loved and cared for every bit as much as pet dogs are.

I never said they had poisoned hunt horses!

If all competitors had been warned before and during the show that those handling methods were not acceptable then she should have been disqualified immediately. Why have rules if they are not going to be upheld? Crufts have to take some responsibility for the welfare of the dogs they allow in the classes.

Akkorox -I know what you mean about the hunt horses and "animal loving" saboteurs. Before I go any further, I do not hunt myself. I love my horses, but do not agree with fox hunting. I have however seen footage of horses being kicked, hit, whipped and terrified, being drenched in paint/substances etc by sabs. I have friends who will testify to their ferocity and eagerness to inflict injury on the horses and/or hounds. Sometimes animal activist doesn't equate to animal lover sadly.

Yet it's seemingly ok for the judges to pick up terriers by the tail. If Crufts are going to enforce a rule then they perhaps need to start closer to home first.

A few years ago, (and not Crufts ) I had a Newfoundland who I took to a couple of shows. Now he was a part of the family, still miss him now, and when I saw how other dogs were being manhandled, poked, prodded and generally abused I refused to go to anymore. I could never ttreat a member of my family like that. Don't watch them anymore, either.

Crufts have a lot to answer for, if these posts about the dog being poked and the other being beaten are true.

Real pity about Jagger. Not my favourite breed of dog but still a lovely animal. Then on the other hand Jagger had 'co-owners' not family.

Those people don't really like dogs at all - it's all about their own egos. The owners just seem like creepy weirdos to me.

What a rude statement to make. Most people are in dogs because they love their breed and their dogs. My dogs may be show dogs, but they are still part of my family (which is why I'm laying on a sliver of my mattress and the six furry ones have claim over the rest of it). It's like saying everyone who drives cars are horrible because a few people speed. There is almost universal condemnation on the dog forums about the handling of this dog. No one I know handles like that (and any competitor seen handling a dog like that in my ring would be sent out and reported if I were to see it while judging).

Trust me, most of us don't do it for 'ego' or the wins. All over a 50 cent ribbon and a bag of dog food? We do it because we love our dogs, want to do the right thing for the breed, and spend a day out with our friends and dogs. There's a saying among the dog people that 'win or lose, you always take the best dog home with you'.

My mum took her dog to crufts yesterday. Shes not in it for the ego, her dog is her baby. Hes definitely the most spoilt dog ive ever met and my mum is not a creepy weirdo. Extremely rude and ignorant for you make such sweeping statements anna