Day one at Discover Dogs. If you read that sentence and instinctively imagine it being said in the voice of the Geordie bloke who does the voice over for Big Brother, then you’re not alone. That very voice could be heard reverberating around Earls Court 1 today – read on and we’ll tell you why.
But yes, you read that right – we’re in Earls Court 1. Good evening, and welcome to the all new bigger, better Discover Dogs! After many successful years in its smaller sibling round the corner, London’s leading dog event has moved this year into Earls Court’s very own big brother.
As the old saying goes, ‘if we build it, they will come’, and this seems to have been borne out by the massive crowds pouring through the doors of this great show. The beauty of having an extra 5,000 square metres of floor space is that we’ve been able to pack in even more great doggie entertainment and still leave loads of room for visitors to get around and enjoy it all.
The slogan for this year’s event is ‘We are family’ and to encourage people to enjoy a great day out for all the family we’re letting under 12s in free. Youth has certainly been having its day all around the show though with a host of talented youngsters in the limelight. Kate and Gin, who wowed even Simon Cowell on last year’s Britain’s Got Talent competition, have been showing off their heelwork to music skills alongside Kate’s new four-legged star, Ice in the Young Kennel Club Ring.
The Main Ring hosted the final of the National Junior Handling UK Finals, with one talented young dog handler winning the chance to represent Great Britain in the International Final which will be held at DFS Crufts next March. That honour will fall to Georgina Ferguson from Woking, Surrey and her Belgian Shepherd Dog and the duo will now face competitors from 38 other countries at the NEC, Birmingham next year.
The other big event of the day in the Main Ring was the final of the Scruffts Family Crossbreed of the Year competition. Marcus Bentley, he of the Big Brother voice over, gamely lent a hand in the commentary box during the class judging, but the man with the hardest job was former Blue Peter presenter Peter Purves. Peter had the unenviable task of picking the nation’s happiest, healthiest crossbreed dog and he plumped for Bouncer, owned by Paula Cogan from Willesden, London. Bouncer and Paula were the first recipients of the Wendy Richard Trophy, named in honour of Wendy’s many years of support to the competition, which was presented by the late EastEnders’ star’s husband, John Burns.
There was a particularly heartwarming story with the winner of the Companion Dog Club competition for dogs which also took place today. Judge Annette Conn chose the winner of the Best Rescue class, Polly Anna, owned by Jakki Mattingly from Broadstairs, Kent. Polly Anna has overcome a sad start to life which saw her suffer awful injuries at the hands of some cruel children who cut out her tongue and is now a much-loved family pet.
Among the other highlights of a day that was more jam-packed than a Robertsons factory was the Rescue Dog Agility, with dogs provided by a variety of canine welfare charities, and two further fabulous displays of Heelwork to Music from DFS Crufts favourite Mary Ray, who reprised her show-stealing Riverdance routine in the Main Ring.
What, you want more? Well, there’s still another whole day of doggie delights and great canine competition to look forward tomorrow so why not come along and join in the fun? Whether you’re under 12 on your birth certificate or simply just at heart, you’re bound to have a great doggie day out.
