Crufts
2006
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D for Dog roving reporter Danielle
visited Crufts 2006 and tells us
about her Crufts experience |
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Toy
and Utility day
This year I went to Crufts on Saturday 11th March, which was Toy
and Utility day. My day started at around 6am by catching a train
from Stevenage to London Kings Cross, where I changed over to London
Euston and caught a train out to Birmingham International.
Arrival
When my friend Ferne and I got off the train we followed signs through
the station and down a tunnel which led you right into the NEC.
At the entrance there are stands selling programmes and a sort of
show directory for £6 each. After purchasing a programme we
had our tickets checked and were let loose in a maze of dogs, show
rings and shopping facilities.
As you come through the entrance there is a cloakroom to your immediate
left, so if you travelled by coach or train but were unable to leave
a pillow on them you could deposit it in the cloakrooms for a small
fee and retrieve it up upon leaving. I wish I had known that!
Purchase a programme
It is also well worth purchasing a programme as they contain hall
plans and ring guides as well as what is taking place at what time.
It is one programme which covers the whole 4 day event so if you
were going on more than one day it would be a one off payment for
very useful guide. However, if like me you still managed to get
lost I found the exhibitors to be very helpful and friendly - they
can normally point you in the direction you want to go in.
Facilities
Another small piece of advice I would offer is that if you think
you may need a trip to the toilet any time soon start finding one
as they are often queuing out of the door! And what's more, there
never seems to be a quiet moment for the toilets. You should also
expect judges and exhibitors to queue hop as they often have 5 minutes
between classes in which they may need to go to the toilet and prepare
their dog for the next class but I found people really didn't mind.
I took a packed lunch for Ferne and I which I think is advisable
as the food halls always seemed to be very busy. I didn't like to
eat right beside the ring though for fear of distracting any of
the dogs.
Make a Plan
I got into the NEC at around 9am. Directly in front of us there
was the Young Kennel Club Ring. At 9am there were a reasonable amount
of seats available so we sat and watched the YKC obedience trials
whilst we were trying to work out where to go next and what we really
wanted to see. It was lovely to see all the dogs working for such
young handlers.
At about midday the NEC starts getting very busy. This is when you
ideally should work out the things that you really want to see throughout
the rest of the day and try to make your way to the appropriate
show rings with plenty of time to spare. The breed rings seemed
quite reasonable and although there isn't usually much seating there
is often plenty of space to stand and get a perfectly good view.
Unless you are there for Poodles that is - I'm sure they must have
had a whole hall to themselves! Everywhere you look there is a Poodle
either in the ring or on a grooming table.
Discover Dogs
We then decided to look around Discover Dogs, which was fascinating
and also great fun. Discover Dogs is huge, with over 180 different
pedigree breeds, some very rare breeds and some every day breeds
that we all know and love. Each day the experts are on hand to advise
on different aspects of the breed such as feeding, grooming and
exercise needs. They will also inform you about the breeds temperament
and characteristics. This is all to help promote responsible pet
ownership. My favourite part of Discover Dogs was holding some of
the smaller breeds and learning little facts about their origins.
One thing I learnt at Discover dogs was all the different types
of retriever such as the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and
the Chesapeake Bay Retriever! I also learnt about breeds I had never
heard of such as the Japanese Chin which became a favourite of mine
and also the Maremma Sheepdog. I really like the Polish Lowland
Sheepdog too. In each breed enclosure there is a wealth of information
to do with all aspects of the breed and in General all the owners
were really friendly and helpful - even if some of them had been
there since Thursday!
Shopping
We then moved on to the ultimate shopping experience. At Crufts
there are numerous retail outlets selling all kinds of canine goodies
- everything from doggie couture to luxury beds. Some of the shops
accept credit and debit cards, but for those who don't there are
ATM machines dotted around the shopping halls. A real plus point
of buying at Crufts is that many stalls offer a discount for the
duration the show. Of course I took advantage of this and bought
Tia a lovely pink leather collar with a paw design and a pretty
pink heart charm.
Main Ring
If you want to watch anything in the main ring such as agility,
flyball or Best in Show, get there VERY early, when we walked past
we noticed that the queue was half way down the Hall and I am not
kidding these halls are huge! Generally once people get in there
they don't want to leave either! So my top tips for the main ring
is to plan ahead with what you want to see and get there early to
avoid disappointment.
So that was my day at Crufts and it was a fabulous one too! I would
highly recommend it, especially with a well lubricated credit card!
It's a great day out with fun for all the family and I am definitely
looking forward to next year!
Written for D for Dog by Danielle
Ingarfill |
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The Kennel Club presents
Crufts 2006
at the NEC Birmingham
9th - 12th March 2006 |
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About Crufts
Canine excellence, exciting displays and a fantastic range of over
400 trade stands offering unrivalled shopping opportunities combine
to make Crufts a spectacular event for all dog lovers.
Apart from the Crufts competitions, the event gives dog lovers and
potential dog owners the chance to get up close and personal with
180 breeds and also browse the 400 trade stands for that perfect
doggie shopping experience. Crufts also has an unmissable variety
of displays including agility, obedience, flyball and the ever popular
heelwork to music. The climax of Crufts is the Best in Show, where
over 24,000 dogs from across the world are expected to compete for
the prestigious title.
Crufts 2006 Times and Dates
Thur 9th March - Working and Pastoral
Fri 10th March - Terrier and Hound
Sat 11th March - Toy and Utility
Sun 12th March – Gundog + Best in Show
Open from 8.15am to 7.30pm on all days
Admission
Adult £12.50
Child/Senior Citizen/Registered Disabled/Student £8.50
Family (2 adults and 2 concessions) £34.00
Group discounts are also available.
Please note that prices include Main Ring Admission but exclude
Best in Show. Please also note that tickets purchased on the door
at the weekend will be priced higher.
Booking
For further information or to book tickets in advance contact:
Ticket Hotline: 020 7518 1012 or
NEC Box Office: 0870 902 8849
NEC Group Bookings: 0800 378 985
Book tickets online at www.crufts.org.uk
Advance ticket purchases are available until 13th February 2006.
Car Parking
Daily NEC car parking charges are £7 per car, payable on the
day (£10 for minibuses). |
Your Visit
to Crufts - Useful Advice
Regular Crufts visitor, Caroline Chapman, has this useful advice
for your visit:
I've been to Crufts a few times over the years
and you need to be prepared for it being very busy and crowded.
The first day, Thursday, isn't so bad. I've found Saturday to be
the busiest, even more so than the Sunday.
10 minutes before you want the loo, find one
& get in the queue. This doesn't apply to men, of course.
It can be very warm or very draughty depending
on whereabouts you are so I would advise wearing something warm
that you can take off, decently, if it does get hot, remember you've
got to carry it. A backpack is useful. And don’t forget your
camera. You are allowed to take photos for personal use.
If, like me, you can walk away from a stall
and go off in totally the wrong direction and not even notice, make
sure you have a good look around and familiarise yourself with where
you are. But if you do get lost it's not a problem - there are always
lots of staff around who can point you in the right direction.
I would recommend taking a packed lunch, as
the food stalls, although plentiful, are pretty crowded and can
be expensive.
Take lots and lots of cash (carried in a bum
bag or similar). You will need it. It's worth going for the shopping
alone!
If you go by car you will be put into one
of dozens of car parks spread over miles, all on NEC land. They
lay on regular buses to ferry you there and back. It’s best
not to leave anything in your car for security reasons but also
because it's a real pain having to go back for anything.
The different breed rings are laid out in
about 6 different ‘halls’. There is so much going on
you will only see about a 10th of what you wanted to see. The unfortunate
thing we found was that we would queue for perhaps an hour to get
into the agility ring and would settle down to watch, only to find
that something like obedience trials were going on at the same time,
which we would then miss. Lots of things clash, but that can't be
helped.
We found the best thing is to look at your
programme of events and decide in advance exactly what you want
to watch and work around that.
Have a great time at the world's biggest and
best dog show. Don’t forget to share your stories about your
visit to Crufts with everyone at D for Dog by emailing us your thoughts
and photos to
. You can also join us at our friendly discussion
board where we will no doubt be discussing our visits to Crufts. |
Your
Crufts Experience
Did you watch Crufts on the TV this year or did you go to the show
itself at the NEC? We would love to hear about your Crufts experience,
your thoughts about the event, the best aspects of Crufts or those
aspects you feel could be improved, with regards the event itself
or the coverage it receives.
If you travelled to the show this year, how did you travel and what
were your experiences? Would you go again? What was your main reason
for going? And if you didn’t go, what are your reasons and
do you plan to go in the future?
Share your Crufts experience with us by filling in the form below
or by emailing us at
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Your
Day at Crufts
It was brillant and we travelled by car and the roads were clear
and I loved the discover dogs but it was a bit packed at the breed
Iwanted to see my main reason for going was to see the dogs. I would
go again and it give me a lot of ideas for things to do with my
dogs. Iwent on the last day it was great to see so many gundogs
I never see in my area.
Submitted by Sarah Sharman |
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