It was the last day of Crufts - and rumours abounded. Protestor on the loose were the general gist of the rumours, and the rumour mill was certainly in full flow. As we were walking in, a friend phoned. She had bought season tickets for Crufts, but had heard on the radio about the protests at the show, and wanted to know how bad were they? I told her I was standing at the front of the NEC and there wasn't a protester in sight. This was about 9.20a.m.
Later in the day we counted fourteen protestors.
The media is also full of phrases about Crufts "struggling" on. Well being at Crufts, it didn't feel like a struggle - it felt more like business as usual. It's been a difficult year, but it's not in anyone's interest to have war break out in the dog world. The Kennel Club should be granted legal powers to oversee the breeding of pedigree dogs, and the necessary health tests could be put in place with no fear of the Kennel Club being abandoned by breeders. No institution is perfect, but you have to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water. If the Kennel Club is discredited, the resultant vacuum will be eagerly filled by the extremely unscrupulous people currently kept on the fringes.
Moving in doggy circles, it's easy to labour under the misapprehension that everyone in the world saw and has an opinion about the documentary that started all the furore, however in the run up to Crufts several people said they would look for me on the television, and were unaware - and surprised - that it wasn't being televised. Where had they been living, I wondered, under a stone?! The online streaming provided by the Kennel Club has proved very popular, and I hope the KC continue to explore the power of the Internet.
For now I'm off to soak my feet which are sore after four days of marching up and down the five vast halls that Crufts covers. Several days of sitting editing beckon. Heaven!
Take care,
Julie x
