MAIN Home Life Pets Dogs 2013 Crufts Dog Show

Crufts bills itself as the world's greatest dog show, and they may well be right.

It is by far the largest - and arguably the most watched in Britain, joined by equally enthusiastic "dog people" in 31 other countries - from which favorite dogs compete for the title of Crufts top dog each year.

The competition, which annually takes place in March, was almost single-handedly begun in 1891 by dog aficionado Charles Cruft. Upon his death, Cruft's widow continued to produce the show until 1948, when the first Crufts competition came under Kennel Club auspices. Thereafter, the show grew in stature year by year as it moved to London, and then to its present home in Birmingham.

Crufts Dog Show 2013

In 2013, Crufts will be held from March 7 - 10 at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre, featuring 180 different breeds competing in categories such as Best of Breed, Best of Group (Toys, Gundogs, Utility, Hounds, Working, Pastoral, and Terriers), and then on to the ultimate Best in Show competition on the 10th.

Tickets for the annual show - always a sell out - usually go on sale in October. Show opening times are scheduled from 8:15AM to 7:30PM daily.

Getting to the NEC show (situated 8 miles outside of Birmingham) by car is as easy as taking any of the major road networks in either direction on the M1, M5, M6, M6 Toll, M40 and M42 motorways.

For the rest of us couch potatoes, TV coverage in the UK traditionally belongs to digital channel More4 featuring extended coverage of two hours each night from 7-9pm throughout the event, with video clips and live streaming of several events also broadcast on Crufts YouTube channel.

More about the Crufts Dog Show around the Web:

On the Web, check out pictures and video clips along with additional history, trivia, and hoopla surrounding the annual Crufts Dog Show...

Behind the scenes at the Crufts Dog Show

Crufts 2013 - The official site featuring the complete schedule, information on ordering tickets by phone, a list of awards up for contention, plus a great selection of pictures, video clips, radio interviews, podcasts and updates.

Crufts - A good overview from Wikipedia with a brief bio of founder Charles Cruft, related dog show history, competition highlights, links, resources and more about Scruffts, the Kennel Club competition for household mutts...

Crufts Schedules and Catalogues - A huge cache of archived information on shows dating from 1886 - 2007 available for download in PDF format, courtesy of the UK Kennel Club.

BBC - Birmingham - Crufts - Archived photos and feature stories from the Beeb which discontinued Crufts TV coverage in 2009.

also see in Pets:

	Beagles		German Shepherds		Portuguese Water Dogs
	Boxers		Golden Retrievers		Mini Schnauzers
	Bulldogs		Goldendoodles		Poodles
	Chihuahuas		Labrador Retrievers		Shih Tzu
	Dachshunds		Labradoodles		Yorkshire Terriers

also see -> Westminster Dog Show | U.S. National Dog Show

Dog & Puppy Guide | Traveling with Pets