Crufts is the world’s biggest dog show. There are 18,400 UK bred dogs at the show this year. There is the largest ever foreign contingent because the government relaxed quarantine laws in 2001. There are 2,987 overseas dogs. With this increased contingent comes increased competition and it is not the dogs who are competing it is the people. Where there is increased competition there is increased bad behavior. Scruples are relaxed let’s say. Anything in the name of success. The dogs don’t give a damn. It’s the people who have to succeed at all costs by indulging in dark arts such as:
- placing a bitch in heat into the competition with no effort to mask the scent. Male dogs do bonkers and lose all their poise. They lose.
- slipping chewing gum into another dog’s fur.
- lacing food with laxatives, tranquillisers or poison.
- Placing treats at the side of the show arena causing a dog to veer off course.
- shouting out false commands from the viewing areas to distract dogs.
- Afghan hounds having their ear hair snipped….the list is long…
Owners have to be beady-eyed. They can’t let their dog out of sight. They have to be suspicious of anyone and everyone.
There is so much money involved for a winner in breeding fees that the nasty side of humankind has to come out. I am sure something similar can occur at cat shows.
I have not mentioned over-breeding for appearance. This is particularly prevalent amongst the dog fancy. There are many unhealthy dog breeds. The Kennel Club has tightened up breeding guidelines but I am sure it remains.
If the dogs at Crufts are often flawless, the people who own them are not.
Maybe the police don’t think it warrants their time to investigate this crime. Do they investigate other crimes against animals, when the perpetrators aren’t known? In this case, it might be obviously another Red Setter breeder.
I wonder if the killer who missed the mark, might now try to do harm to the breeder? I hope not, but it seems possible.
I’d have thought the CCTV at the show would help a lot. The British police should investigate once the toxicology tests have come through and confirmed that the dog was poisoned.
The owner is convinced the poisoner is a competitor. This is all over the news in the UK.
Greed brings out the worse in people, and it seems that breeders are among the worst. Love of money takes priority over love of animals.
Well said Sandra.
The latest news on television is that one of the Belgium dogs, a Red Setter was killed with poisoned meat. He died on his arrival back home in Belgium. The vet took out poisoned meat chunks from his stomach. The killer chose the wrong dog as another of the same breeder’s Red Setters won the best in show for that breed.
The British police has done nothing at the moment and probably won’t do anything.
Oh my, that is awful news about the Setter being poisoned.
It will be a shameful disgrace if the British police and Crufts do not investigate this crime thoroughly. The culprit needs to be brought to justice and punished.