Fancy taking your dog from the shooting field to the show arena? The deadline is approaching for working gundog owners who want to register to enter next year’s Crufts show.
The UK’s largest shooting organisation, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), will run a number of gamekeeper and other gundog handler classes at the event’s gundog day on 9th March 2012 at the NEC in Birmingham.
BASC’s classes act as a showcase for working gundogs at the world’s largest dog show. All of the dogs will have recently finished a busy shooting season and Crufts gives their handlers an opportunity to show the animals in their prime.
The closing date for entries is Monday 9th January 2012. BASC will host classes for individuals and teams.
Overall winners from the gamekeepers’ classes throughout the day will go head-to-head in a final show in the main arena for the Northesk Memorial Trophy.
Glynn Evans, BASC’s head of game and gamekeeping, said: "BASC’s rings provide an opportunity for gamekeepers and other gundog owners to meet and compete with their dogs. They act as a showcase for working gundogs and help promote the work that they do to a wider public audience.”
All of the BASC classes at Crufts are supported and sponsored by Chudleys dog food.
Schedules and entry forms are available from BASC’s gamekeeping team on 01244 573019. They can also be downloaded from the BASC website.
To watch a film of BASC’s gamekeepers’ classes at Crufts, click here.
ENDS
Pictured is Tina Twist and her golden retriever Dikeadaze Alfredo, known as Alfie, who were the overall winners of the BASC gamekeepers’ classes at Crufts 2011.