More than 22,000 dogs took part in the 126th Crufts that took place recently in Birmingham with the most popular breed, in terms of entries, being the Labrador.

The show attracted its fair share of criticism not least because the Best in Show winner, an American cocker spaniel, was entered in the category of ’gun dog’ but he is clearly anything but a working dog.

He has a fabulously long, flowing coat that sweeps the ground and so it is difficult to imagine him running through the countryside getting wet and muddy, but supporters claim that he is a ’proper gun dog underneath’.

The RSPCA was critical of the handling of some dogs at the show, saying that some breeds were being shown with their collars pulled too tightly high up around their necks. This apparently shows off the dog’s neck and makes it look longer, and it may have been more apparent this year because of the Kennel Club’s crackdown on ’double-handling’ with breeders trying to impress the judges in other ways. ’Double handling’ involves a second trainer, located incognito among the show’s spectators, who attracts the dog’s attention using a squeaky toy, a whistle or their own voice.

As you can see Spike is an alert and dignified dog, although we have to admit that a squeaky toy was involved in the taking of his photograph! He is a four-year-old Shar-Pei who was gifted in to us because his previous owner sadly died. He is typical of his breed, with good manners and a calm temperament most of the time. However, he can be a little nervous and obstinate and he will need a new owner who can establish a relationship with him based on mutual respect.

Wrinkles can be an asset

The Shar-Pei breed was developed by the Chinese several centuries ago as a fighting and hunting dog. The loose wrinkled skin was useful for when fighting as it prevented a rival from obtaining a strong grip and the characteristic bristly coat was uncomfortable to the mouth (Shar-Pei translates as ’harsh sandy coat’ or ’sand paper skin’).

The 20th Century saw the breed almost wiped out when the communist regime destroyed thousands of domestic dogs but there has been a revival and modern breeders have addressed the problem of excessive wrinkles and eye problems.

Given the breed has strong hunting instincts extra care needs to be taken when walking dogs like Spike near livestock. Spike can also be unpredictable around other dogs and so he will need an experienced new owner, and someone who has the physical strength to handle a large dog (he weights almost four stone). A Shar-Pei has never won Crufts and given Spike is neutered he would not be eligible to compete in the Best of Breed classes, but we think he’s a winner.

The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy is the feline equivalent of the Kennel Club, and it has more than 20,000 cats registered with it. The British Shorthair is the most commonly registered, followed by the Ragdoll, Maine Coon, Siamese, Burmese and Persian. Beautiful Clementine in our cattery can’t claim to be any of these breeds, but she is a special long-haired ginger cat. She’s special because the vast majority of ginger cats are male, due to the fact that the ’red’ X chromosome has to be present in both parents to produce a ginger female (whereas it only has to be present in the mother for a ginger boy).

Two year old Clementine is also a bit quirky in that she doesn’t seem to like men and she becomes very stressed when she is around them, which is the reason she came to us. She will need a quiet new home, with no young children or other animals, where she can de-stress and prove to be a loving and affectionate companion.

Curtain call

And finally, please note that we are holding a sale of pre-owned curtains, all in excellent condition, at rock bottom prices in the PlayBarn this Saturday, March 18, from 11am to 3pm, so please come along and bring your tape measure!