Three days in FebruaryCharles Cruft was an English salesman who went to France to collect orders for "dog cakes" and so impressed the French dog breeders that they invited him to organize the canine section of the Paris Exhibition of 1878. Eight years later Cruft organized his first dog show in London, which won the patronage of Queen Victoria, an ardent dog lover. Now more than 10,000 dogs representing 150 breeds compete for the Best in Show title, and Cruft's Dog Show is considered to be the largest and most widely attended dog show in Britain.
CONTACTS:
Crufts, The Kennel Club
1-5 Clarges St.
Piccadilly, London W1J 8AB United Kingdom
44-87-0606-6750; fax: 44-20-7518-1058
www.the-kennel-club.org.uk
SOURCES:
EndlessCaval-1964, p. 32
GdWrldFest-1985, p. 94