Crufts, the world’s most famous dog show, is back at the NEC in Birmingham as more than 150,000 visitors are expected over the next few days. Thousands of canines take part in Crufts every March, with owners hoping to win the ultimate title Best in Show, which comes with a cash prize and a trophy.
The show returns on Thursday and will continue for four days, with overseas entries hitting an all time high. Named after its founder Charles Cruft, the dog show took place for the first time in 1891 at the Royal Agricultural Hall in Islington, where more than 2,000 dogs were entered.
An Australian shepherd called Viking was crowned best in show at the 2024 show, beating 24,000 dogs from around the world. But it’s not all fun at the famous dog show, with the name hit with several scandals as we take a look back at some of the biggest over the years.
The ‘murder plot’
One of the most high-profile Crufts controversies came in 2015 when Irish Setter Jagger, who had finished runner up in his Best Of Breed competition, collapsed and died shortly after returning home from the event.
A post-mortem examination found two fast-acting poisons, carbofuran and aldicarb, sewn into cubes of meat in his stomach. Had the three year old dog been poisoned by a jealous rival at the contest?
Jagger’s owners believed he was poisoned at Crufts when he was briefly left alone, but he showed no sign of illness until he returned to his home soil in Belgium. The post mortem said it was “inconceivable” the dog was poisoned at Crufts.
Jagger, who came second in his class at the show, was owned by Belgian Aleksandra Lauwers and Leicester-based breeder Dee Milligan-Bott and her husband, Jeremy Bott.
Tail docking controversy
The 1990s saw show organisers The Kennel Club criticised for refusing to mark down dogs with docked tails. Experts had branded the practice, which saw part or the whole of the canines tails removed to conform to a breed’s standards, cruel and unnecessary.
The following decade saw dogs with docked tails no longer allowed to be shown at Crufts. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes it illegal to show a dog with a docked tail at events where the public pays an admission fee.
The only exception is certified working dogs shown to demonstrate their working ability. In the UK, tail docking is illegal for most dogs, but legal for certain working breeds.
In February 2025, a Dalmatian Vizsla cross named Gwen was banned from competing at Crufts because part of her tail had been removed for medical reasons. Gwen had happy tail syndrome, which meant she wagged her tail so vigorously it caused breaks and a wound that would not heal.
Six winners disqualified
Introducing mandatory health inspections by two independent vets in 2012 meant six Best in Breed winners were disqualified that year after failing checks post-victory, meaning they couldn’t compete for Best in Group and the overall title.
The regulations were brought in by The Kennel Club following claims dogs bred for shows were suffering from a high level of genetic illness. The organisation has faced criticism for allowing breeding practices that compromise the health of pedigree dogs.
The puppy farmer judge
In 2022, Crufts judge Gareth Lawler was caught making a fortune from an illegal puppy farm. Lawler, who had netted £153,000 from breeding 27 puppy litters of eight different breeds including Cocker Spaniels and Longhaired Dachshunds, was ordered to repay £78,000 or face jail time.
The judge, from Hendy, Carmarthenshire, had kept the animals in “poor conditions” in his four-year money-making operation. He was found to have bred 27 litters in just four years, with dogs selling for anywhere between £500 and £2,000 a time.
The judge bred and sold highly-sought after breeds including English Springer Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels, Tibetan Terriers, Hungarian Vizslas, Longhaired Dachshunds, Shih Tzu crosses and Cockerpoos.
Handler accused of cruelty
The handler of Best in Show winner Knopa faced a storm of protest for picking up the dog by its neck and tail in 2015. Rebecca Cross later apologised for the way she had lifted the five-year-old Scottish Terrier onto the podium, saying it was “just habit”.
A petition signed by 100,000 people called for her to be stripped of her title but The Kennel Club insisted it would not be fair on the victorious dog.
Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “The judge’s primary focus is on the dogs themselves and we do not believe it would be fair to strip the dog of its Best in Show title because the dog was awarded this prize based on its own merits in the show ring.
She said Crufts bosses “completely understand the concerns about how Knopa, the Best in Show dog, was placed on the podium” and that its guidance “makes it clear that dogs should not be handled in this way”. She said this was highlighted to Ms Cross and that she has since apologised and they have been assured that the dog “is happy and well.”
RSPCA shuns contest
The UK’s leading animal charity turned its back on Crufts in 2008 after voicing concerns about its practices. The RSPCA cancelled plans to have a stand at the show, saying the judging criteria for breed standards encouraged both the breeding of disabled and deformed dogs and the inbreeding of closely related canines.
The RSPCA has called for Crufts to stop showing the most popular “flat-faced” breeds of dogs, including French bulldogs, pugs, and British bulldogs. The campaign called “Save Our Breath” launched in 2023.
They called for mandatory health screenings for brachycephalic animals in order to compete at Cruft, with the Blue Cross supporting the scheme.
