Crufts 2018 (part 1)

Just before Isla joined the family at the beginning of March, Issy and I made our annual pilgrimage to Crufts - on this occasion for the Working and Pastoral groups.  I have never seen so many enormous dogs in one place ever before, and the largest we found weighed in at an astonishing 85kg.  The dog in question could eat a 15kg bag of food in a week - a feat which Amber, a classic labrador who was totally dedicated to her food, took over six weeks to achieve!

I'll start with a few pictures of dogs and their humans.

Preparing these large - and often shaggy - dogs for the show ring is a serious business.  I watched for ages as a lady appeared to apply make-up to a Samoyad with a brush.  It turned out to be some kind of french chalk which soaks up any errant damp patches!

Old English Sheepdogs were in a class of their own when it came to preparation, although this one didn't seem at all pleased with the process.

More pooches to come in part two...