Crufts have announced the schedule for TV coverage of this year's show. Wed 7th March: Channel 4, 3 - 4 pm. Thurs 8th Mar : Working and Pastoral Groups. Channel 4, 3 - 4 pm. More4, 6.30 - 8 pm, Channel 4, 8 - 9pm. Friday 9th Mar: Terrier and Hound Groups. Channel 4, 3 - 4 pm. More4, 6. 30 - 7.30pm, Channel 4, 7.30 - 9pm. Saturday 10th Mar. Utility and Toy Groups. Channel 4, 4.30 - 5.30pm, 7 - 9pm. Sunday 11th Mar. Gundog Group & Best in Show. Channel 4, 4.30 - 5.30pm, 7 - 9pm. The presenters have been named as Clare Balding, Alan Carr with appearances from Prof. Noel Fitzpatrick. If you are outside the UK, - or are just greedy for more - there will be the usual live feed on YouTube.
Thank you Carole Clare Balding seem to get everywhere, great for her, but, my hubby goes nuts when she is commentating on rugby, he says she doesn’t fully understand the game and often gets the players names wrong !
Please tell your hubby he is lucky to be able to even watch rugby. I can get the ESPN channel but it does not show rugby [union or league], cricket, in fact it has not even shown the winter Olympics. IIRC it did not even show the summer Olympics. Crufts? I doubt they even know that there are such wonderful things as dogs.
Thanks carol, Clair Baldwin is bad enough but good grief Allan Carr! For such a prestigious show why don’t they get knowledgeable dog folk?
I agree, the choice of presenters is hard to fathom. Clare Balding is a genuine animal lover and couples a Tigger-like enthusiasm with enough research to get by in serious doggy conversation. I have never heard her present Rugby, so will watch out for that one - but not this weekend I hope Alan Carr was dire last year - all those pointless games, and Frank Kane joining in with him last year is going to take a lot of forgetting. I have mixed views about Noel Fitzpatrick. He is a truly wonderful inventive surgeon, and I am sure that he is sincere in wanting his work to benefit humankind too - perhaps this is one of the few ethical ways that trials on animals can benefit both species. I just wish that when he was fitting replacement hips and elbows, he could mention that decent breeders are using x-ray scoring, and other health tests to gradually improve the health status of their stock. He is so respected that one mention from him would be worth a hundred in other places.
I want to see more of the actual judging, and less of the ‘so called celebs’ strutting round doing silly interviews with people. If they must have someone with humor why not Paul O’Grady at least he has a rapport with dogs. I have every admiration for Noel Fitzpatrick, he's a very innovative surgeon and isn't afraid to push boundaries. But I do wonder sometimes that they're putting animals through extraordinarily tough ops and rehabs and how the owners/ animals cope with long term rehabilitation, and the overall cost to owners as well. I remember one case in particular that really bothered me, the owners had categorically said the dog should be PTS and they did not want the surgery. They were eventually persuaded to have the dog operated on which probably resulted in them being left with a debt of thousands of pounds, I feel the owner’s decision should be final.
Another peculiar choice for a presenter is the dopey Alan Davies, who appears to have secured The Dog Rescuers gig for life. For me, he ruins this usually positive look at RSPCA casework by posing with some dejected rescue every time he is in shot. There is absolutely no interaction in the way he holds the lead, and he usually finishes his piece to camera by ruffling the poor unwanted's head as If he was polishing his shoes. Does this man even own a dog?
I have never seen any programs in which he makes these decisions, but from articles I read, I sometimes wonder. And your last paragraph bothered me to the extent that it makes me wonder why he is considered to be so perfect. Especially when going against the wishes of the owners when they wanted their dog to be euthanised, operating and leaving them with a debt of thousands of pounds, when he had no guarantee that such expensive surgery would result in a 100% cure?
Far as im aware he is not a dog owner, and it shows, I only watched one episode and got the impression he wasn’t really ‘into’ dogs and it was just a job to him.
@My bear Yoji Watching France - Italy, I remembered your post. Were you thinking of Gabby Logan? I remembered saying to OH the other week, that her only qualification seemed to be being married to a former Scottish International.
I prefer the YouTube feed as it's all unedited and without having to put up with Clare & Alan. In fairness Clare is tolerable but the small snippets I watched last year Alan Carr was really bad. I like him as a comedian doing his own thing, but NOT on Crufts. He came across unknowledgeable, bored at times, and it all just felt embarrassing to watch.
He has a border terrier , you sometimes see him with it in the morning or doing his morn8ng run. I’m there on Thursday , and back again on Saturdayon the discover dogs stand.
I will be at Crufts on the Thursday and Friday. I highly recommend watching on YouTube if you can, great coverage on there.
Wonder why the change of heart ? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5458797/Crufts-Best-award-opened-foreign-breeds-time.html
It seems they are treating AVIR like the AVNSC at a Champ show, where the overall winner is declared Best of Breed - even though it isn't a single breed. From the schedule, they have been allowed to qualify at nominated shows abroad. Sorry I can't seem to flip this!
