Y meistri corn ar gyfer Gŵyl Tyddyn a Gardd
Judging the finer points. Top dogs at this year’s Royal Welsh Smallholder and Garden Festival dog show can qualify for Crufts. The show, in May, with over 1200 entries, has been upgraded by the Kennel Club to Premier Open Show status.
Every dog has its day – and so will the owners of winning entries at the open dog show to be staged at this year’s Royal Welsh Smallholder and Garden Festival who have designs on exhibiting at Crufts, the largest event of its kind in the world where up to 28,000 top canines line up for judging.
The two-day open dog show, a major attraction at the Festival which takes place on the Royal Welsh showground at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, on May 16 and 17, has been upgraded by the Kennel Club, which was founded in 1873, to Premier Open Show status. This distinction has been achieved because the show has sustained an average entry of five dogs per class at the Llanelwedd venue. Consequently, the “Best of Breeds” winners in the following breeds will qualify for Crufts: Pugs, Cavalier King Charles spaniels, Boxers, German Shepherd dogs (Alsatians), Welsh Corgis (Pembroke), Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Border Terriers, Cocker and Welsh Springer spaniels, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, Irish Setters and Whippets.
The show’s new elevated status also means that if it attracts more exhibits to warrant scheduling additional classes for individual breeds in future, then more dogs will have the opportunity to qualify for Crufts at this Welsh fixture.
“This upgrading is a major coup for the show and it is the only one in Wales to obtain premier status,” said Mrs Julie Howells, the Canine Section Assistant Secretary. “It has taken five years consistent effort to achieve and this has required us to maintain at least five entries per class during that period of time. There are 231 classes at the show this year so there will be more than 1200 dogs on view.”
For the first time handling classes will be held at the show for dogs in various age groups the winners of which will also be entitled to enter a handling competition at Crufts.
The principal judge at this year’s event will be Bob Gregory from Crewe, an internationally known figure in the dog world in this country and overseas. He has been involved with dogs since 1965, began his judging career in 1974 and has made up champions in the Dalmatian and Tibetan Terrier breeds.
Judging will begin at 10am on both days of the show and all dogs exhibited must be Kennel Club registered. No dogs under the age of six months on the first day of the show will be eligible. Non-sporting dogs will be judged on the first day with breeds from the Toy, Working, Pastoral and Utility Groups exhibited. On the second day sporting dogs will be judged with breeds from the gun dog, terrier and hound groups exhibited.