Trilby, Crybbe & the Cherry Barkwells

Hello bloggy friends - it's Magic back :-) I'm not too happy about having pictures taken right now as I'm feeling not at all glamorous - trying to hide my tummy here from prying eyes! And then to make it worse Trilby comes back from showing off at Crufts with a rosette for Reserve in Good Citizen Bitch (Miniature Schnauzers). My name was there in the catalogue but I would have stood no chance like this I know:-(

Here she is looking so sweet with her rosette (and one of Crybbe's) 

As you can see Crybbe made sure he not only won more rosettes than Trilby but also had new toys and cakes to celebrate.

Crybbe gained Reserve in Limit Dog and then went on to take the 1st prize in Good Citizen Dog!

Here are some of the toys Judith brought back from Crufts - for us ALL Crybbe!

and these are the delicious Cherry Barkwell Tarts for Dogs :-)

Well after Crybbe had posed for his picture, he thought he would make a grab for those tarts before anyone else could get them:

He was sure he could get the lid off and grab one but...

they started slipping off the sofa and who was there to grab one instead?

Trilby!

Well Trilby did quite well all round actually because she also got a lovely winter jacket from the pet365 stand at Crufts too. Here she is in her red Hurtta jacket just in time for the cold blustery weather we're having right now. Snow again today.

That's the end of the Crufts extravaganza for this year. If anyone is interested in knowing about the overall Best in Show winner, it was a sweet Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen called Jilly and you can see her picture by clicking here Anyway I will be back later in the week to let you know how things are going with me. My whelping box has been put up again and Leigh is sleeping on the sofa downstairs by my comfortable Orvis memory foam bed in case I need to go out in the night or require a late night snack or such. It's very trying being pregnant with the hunger cravings, and the occasional need for a soothing stroke or words of comfort but I'm managing :-)

Scotties at Crufts

Today (by special request :-)) a post devoted to the gorgeous Scottish Terrier dog at Crufts!

Sadly, the Scottish Terrier has only won Best in Show at Crufts once -  a dog called Heather Necessity in 1929 - but the breed always has an enthusiastic band of followers at this great dog show. It is difficult to get a seat ring-side and when I tried to take photos there was always someone jumping up to block my view! However here are some of the shots I did manage to get around the show ring.

On the grooming table

and these dogs on display in the ring itself:

Everyone there was far too busy to talk but I did have more luck in the Discover Dogs section - where I was able to chat with the owner of 2 lovely Scotties called Amber and Tiggy:

These 2 ambassadors for the breed were friendly and laid back and not at all bothered by the noise and crowds. Their owner was very interested when I told them about the Australian Scotties and he was amazed that the heat was not too much for them :-) although he did say that his dogs liked to lie out in the sun here whenever they got the chance. 

Here they are enjoying a drink of water on the Scottie stand - it was very hot in the NEC too! And there is an Australian connection as the smart dog collars they were wearing had actually come from Hamish McBeth in Australia :-)

Amber smiling for the camera.

Apologies that some of these pictures are not too clear since the lighting was not brilliant in the halls but I hope you have all enjoyed these images of the noble Scottish Terrier dog. It has not changed that much in appearance over the years although the furnishings, eyebrows and beard are grown longer for the show ring than they used to be in the 1920s. Tomorrow we will be back to Magic's posts and just for a taster here is a photo of something our dogs brought home from Crufts on Friday:

Rosie... and more from Crufts

You may remember a few posts back Magic mentioned the Help-A-Dog-A-Thon - well more people are needed to try this out to reach the target of 2,000 dogs helped. It is totally free to play and only takes a few minutes - the hours are ticking away to reach the target by Sunday 10th March!  I will let Rosie tell you more:

“Hi, I’m Rosie a former homeless dog that Blue Cross helped. After they gave me my health check and some tender loving care, I was able to find my forever home. Please help all my other homeless doggy friends find their forever homes and join me in the Help-A-Dog-A-Thon Facebook app. For every virtual dog you “adopt”, Samsung will donate a whopping ￡1 to Blue Cross to provide health checks to even more dogs. Click here to play now http://bit.ly/ZB58cw”

If you would like to know more about the Blue Cross you can click here. 

And now some more photos from Crufts - the shopping:

Soft dog crates up to the ceiling:-)

Dog treat pic'n'mix - Magic would have been in heaven here :-)

A garden lodge for owner and dogs!

A reminder that from 2016 all dogs in England will have to be microchipped so their owners can be traced if they are lost or if their dogs get into trouble :-(

and in case you thought I had forgotten about the wonderful dogs here too - this fine Airedale being groomed..

and this dog waiting patiently to take part in agility

and not a dog picture but a funny poster about the affenpinscher breed :-)

I will post my Scottie pics tomorrow - and show you what Judith brought back for our dogs...and what Crybbe and Trilby brought back from the show ring! 

And don't forget - do try out the Help-A-Dog-A-Thon - it is free to play and will go to help homeless dogs like Rosie :-)

 Click here to play now http://bit.ly/ZB58cw”

Day One at Crufts 2013

For the next couple of posts I (Leigh) will take over posting for Magic who is resting in preparation for her big day - hopefully some time next week...more on that to come! However here are some pictures and information about my time at the first day of Crufts yesterday. First port of call was the  stand of Samsung who are one of the sponsors of this event. They have been doing lots to promote responsible dog ownership in Korea and setting up the first Guide Dogs for the Blind there too. There is a large display with a video showing the work being done there:

The area has lots to see and do for families and their dogs and was officially opened yesterday by the model and TV personality Jodie Kidd (with canine companion :-):

The stand is very large with lots of the most up-to-date electronic gadgets to try out and has seats laid out like a giant paw-print - their logo for this year's Crufts:

But time for some dog watching :-)

These dogs were demonstrating their Kennel Club Good Citizen training.

And this Pointer was trying to keep fit on the walking machine.

Not that you need a machine to keep you fit on a visit to Crufts - the show is not just the biggest in the world in numbers of dogs competing (more than 25,000 from all over the world!) but the NEC has 5 huge halls filled to capacity with show rings, activity rings, literally hundreds of trade stands and stalls and the Arena where the Best in Show finale will take place on Sunday. There is something dog-related everywhere and even one whole day is not enough to see it all.

Organisations that use dogs for health and welfare work like this medical detection dog can demonstrate the work they do. Some dogs can be trained to detect the subtle changes in scent of a person who is about to have a seizure or can tell if a cancer is developing in someone. 

And dogs like this one help people with disabilities to be more independent.

And then there's the show ring. This young Airedale seems to be enjoying the attention!

and a Scottie dog posing for the judge. More Scottie photos to come in a few days for our Australian friends :-) but I will keep a few more photos for tomorrow when I should have news of Crybbe and Trilby's trip to Crufts as well.

Caring for Your Dog - Activities at Crufts

Today I will tell you a bit more about the many things that can be seen at Crufts. There is something for everyone - whether you like shopping (of course :-)) watching dog athletes or canine show offs, trying out new doggy treats and food (yes, yes:-)) and even seeing doggies dancing. Heelwork to Music is a very popular event now at Crufts though it's really not my sort of thing! Anyway most importantly there is also the chance to see and learn about all the different kinds of dog there are in the world. Especially if your peeps are thinking of adding a new canine member to the family they can get to meet the dogs and their owners and understand just what they need to know about caring for their pet.

Some dogs may start very small but they grow HUGE and need lots of exercise, others like to work for a living herding sheep and if they can't do that they will need lots of challenges to keep them occupied and lots of exercise to keep them fit. Others, like me, don't mind exercise and training but best of all we want peeps to be our best friends, cuddle us and take us on holiday with them and let us snooze on the sofa or on their lap.

This is one of the big ones!! - A Komondor 

Another large dog - An English Setter

And a cute small Sealyham

 Discover Dogs at Crufts has all sorts of dogs to see and meet - I've even heard that our good bloggy friends George & Tess will be there to tell peeps about the joys of owning a Welsh Terrier :-)

And the stand I am interested in (and Trilby & Crybbe are planning on visiting with Judith on Friday) is the CARE Home stand run by Samsung. It sounds just the thing after a tiring day in the show ring or walking round the shop stalls. What they have told my peeps is that dogs and their owners can come and chill out in the 'dog healing' space where they will play relaxing videos and soothing music and you can enjoy the calmness together. They also have fun areas for peeps and their children to explore and a quiz to test their knowledge of us dogs as well. Anyway I will be back to blog again soon but for the next few days I will delegate blog posts to my peeps as they are going to be at Crufts on Thursday and Friday. I'm off for a well-earned nap now and dreaming of healing spaces with soft music and soothing videos :-)

To find out more about Crufts just click here

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Fun for All at Crufts

Do you remember last Spring? This was me 10 days after my puppies were born showing Aoife I could still do the long jump! Not now with my ever increasing waistline but maybe in a few months. Anyway this week Crufts begins on Thursday and one of the events that is happening every day of the show is Agility - the professionals :-)

This dog is showing how good he is at the weave poles. (Photo courtesy of the Kennel Club) The agility dogs go VERY fast round a set of jumps, poles, tunnels and other obstacles - and if you like to see dogs going even faster, check out Flyball - it is pawsome! You can find out more about agility at Crufts 2013 by clicking here. Lots more to tell you about over the next few days including the wonderful Samsung 'Care Home' stand at Crufts - and it's not just for elderly dogs :-)

Aoife & Crybbe Get a Surprise Parcel

As you may remember it was Aoife's birthday on Monday and this weekend she received a surprise parcel with some amazing presents (for her and Crybbe) from a friend of our peeps who makes knitties for her affenpinschers and for other peeps' dogs. There was a an exotic fish, a sheep, a cupcake, an egg on toast, an octopus and a hula hula peanut! Here is Aoife trying to decide which one to play with first!

Crybbe thought he would get the cupcake...but one bite and he realised it was only made of wool!

Aoife had a chuckle to herself as she knew real cakes were on the way :-)

Crybbe was soon back to swap his knitted cake for a real one!

We were allowed a little sample of the cakes but Judith & Leigh ate the most!! And in case anyone was thinking I shouldn't be eating any snacks because of how big I'm getting - I have to remind them that I am eating for many - as you can see from these photos (not very flattering :-( !) I am getting bigger every day.

These were taken in the garden but I am keeping fit by walking round the village too morning and evening.

Leigh will be back with some more Crufts news next week - and to let you know how I'm getting on. 

See you again soon!