Claudia Winkleman was magnificent. Her love of dogs shone through every moment she was on screen.
But in the corners, the haters were busy shredding the reputations of some of the winners with obvious glee. At times it felt as though the judges had decided to give the press office a very long weekend indeed.
And honestly, there are no spin doctors alive who could easily tidy this one up.
The Royal Kennel Club’s rules allow people with spent cruelty convictions back into the system. They allow people to breed from dogs without carrying out all the health tests their breed clubs recommend. Those are longstanding rules of an ancient registry. The people currently running the organisation didn’t create them overnight, and they certainly can’t tell Crufts judges what to do in the ring.
Meanwhile, some critics seemed almost delighted by the controversy — as though Disney had just announced a sequel to 101 Dalmatians and they all owned shares. I’ve rarely seen them so happy.
But the Union of Good Dog People isn’t here for the drama. We’re here for the dogs.
And for the breeders who quietly do the right thing — the ones who health test, plan their litters carefully, support every puppy for life and put the welfare of their breed above everything else.
Those breeders are often horrified when headlines suggest that all breeders are bad. They know that isn’t true.
There are many shades of bad breeding in the world — from large-scale puppy farming to the occasional rosette collector who forgets that winning isn’t the same as responsible breeding.
But there are also good high-volume breeders — think of guide dog programmes — and many outstanding show breeders whose dogs win because they represent the best of their breeds.
The Union’s tribe is simple to define.
They are the breeders who sign our pledge.
The ones who put dogs above everything else. 🐾
In the end, rosettes fade — but the responsibility for every dog bred lasts a lifetime.
Click here to sign up: https://beverleycuddysmith.typeform.com/JointheUnion
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