The relevance is that leaving has done them no good. Im told they had "collection" boxes too (RSPCA) but personally I didnt see any, nor would I look. The pedigree is very relevant as it was supposedly, but wrongly thought the RSPCA and Dogs Trust left for the same reasons.

I have complained about the smoking, that affected me personally. I have complained about a dog I felt was aggressive (another breed.) I havent had cause to complain about anything else.

Perhaps the same old people need to same the same old stuff because other members have admitted to not being able to remember facts (and don't appear to care whether what they say is factually correctly or not).

And its not just show people who get fed up with the show bashing. I've never shown (except fun dog shows and Dogsey virtual show - so I guess I do like showing my dogs off too) but I'm fed up with the same rubbish being spouted as an excuse to have a go at something you don't like/understand.

And who is the mouse supposed to be?

It is yes.

Poor you!

Countless? Whoopie, perhaps they can answer for themselves then? What a shame you have to write that. if I had a pound for every time I had support like that, Id be doing darn well!

You have started a thread and clearly demonstrated your ignorance on the subject, thats what speaks volumes to me. Perhaps you would have preferred the people who dont show just to answer, give you more of that "back up" you seem to require.

Well you recognised the hawks then

rune

I think the fact is that the two "sides" will never agree. Those involved in showing wont stop because of some people saying they dont like it, I know i certainly wont be. Its a wonderful hobby that I enjoy, my dogs enjoy and we can do it together! Beats a hobby that sees them stuck at home all day with no company as many would. I dont care whether people think show dogs are unhappy or "tormented", to me thats a very narrowminded view, I only have to see my dogs (and the thousands of others) who absolutely LOVE being in the ring and are successful because of this enthusiam to know that it is completely untrue.

People against showing and Crufts wont change their minds because of a thread on an internet forum, and thats fine, we all have the right to an opinion. Its just a shame it is deemed necessary to bash exhibitors and pretty much label them as cruel. This is down to nothing more than not being educated and knowledgable about what happens at a show I think and is a shame that they judge the many thousands of exhibitors on one or two bad cases they have seen (or, probably more accurately, watched on TV). If we did that about all hobbies including animals we could label them all as cruel as there are bad types in every animal related hobby, but as you can see at any dog show, those exhibitors who love their dogs and who's lives revolve entirely around their dogs far outnumber those who dont.

I recognise who the hawks are supposed to be..not the same thing

I like watching it on TV. Don't think I could be bothered to go. Don't like the agility and flyball though. Just not my thing.
Was well chuffed when a decent dog won last year.

How?

rune

I can take it or leave it TBH, although I do like to watch it on TV. I'm not interested in showing dogs and find the breed rings quite boring. Many of the dogs look exactly the same to the untrained eye (one rottie looks the same as any other to me for example) and the primping and preening makes me roll my eyes.

There is never much I want for my dogs so although the stalls can be interesting to look round, it's an expensive way of window shopping.

The Discover Dogs section is always rammed and you can never get a look in on any of the breeds you want to find out more about.

The demos are always by the same people and the thing i'm most interested in, gundogs, can never be simulated anywhere near to the real thing. The WT demos are always quite basic and i'm not interested in HTM or those goldies who do the display.

Cruelty is often in the mind of the beholder rather than in actuality.

People think the following is "cruel":

leaving dogs in cars
expecxting dogs to go over a 6ft scale
expecting dogs to be neutral to gunshot

the list is endless

Soon, we will have virtual dogs, or alternatively those that have 4 wheels and a large handle.

At least they do not need exercise, food, vets or pooh bags!

A good thing to remember is NOTHING in life is "stress free" and "stress" is not always bad, and "stress" is an overused term which originated in metal fatigue................