Crufts, the UK’s biggest dog show, took place last weekend in Birmingham with more than 20,000 dogs (ranging across 200 breeds) competing not only for the Best in Show top prize, but also for prizes in agility and obedience.

There was even a class called ‘Scruffts’ in which crossbreeds completed against each other.

The first Crufts took place in 1891 when Charles Cruft created a show for all dog breeds, and 2,000 entered. In recent years, though, the show has attracted criticism from animal welfare charities, such as the RSPCA and Dogs Trust, who are so concerned about the impact of pedigree dog breeding practices on dog welfare that they haven’t attended since 2009.

They are concerned that the Kennel Club, which organises Crufts, does not do enough to prevent poor breeding practices, such as mating closely related dogs in order to achieve a certain breed look.

This practice rapidly narrows down the gene pool and increases the risk of hereditary diseases such as hip dysplasia, cancer and heart disease. They also criticize the Kennel Club’s breed standards which have detrimental effects on a dog’s health – for example, standards that promote excessively flat faces of excessive skin folds.

The Kennel Club has taken measures to control some of these extreme features, and has introduced an initiative called ‘Breed Watch’ which educates competitors on responsible breeding, and which has grouped high-risk dogs as ‘category three breeds’ (which includes pugs, bulldogs and German shepherds).

But the animal welfare charities believe that much more needs to be done to protect the welfare of these dogs and to ensure that all breeders, and judges, prioritise the health and temperaments of dogs over their looks.

Crufts creates a buzz about certain breeds which drives up their demand, and price, leading to some unscrupulous breeders cashing in at the expense of their dogs’ welfare and the genetic conditions they could be promoting.

This year’s Best of Breed prize was awarded to a flat-coated retriever called Baxer, who won the gundog class to then go on to become the overall winner.

Despite the controversy it attracts, Crufts is an opportunity to celebrate the dog as a talented and diverse species.

For example, the agility competition is fast and furious with the fittest and smartest of dogs (both pure and cross bred) manoeuvring through a tricky obstacle course of ramps, poles and tubes in the quickest time possible.

There is also a Hero Dog Award which showcases the unique relationship mankind has with dogs, and the support this amazing species can give us in the face of adversity.

The award has five categories: working dogs (i.e. dogs in the army, police force, search and rescue, etc.); support and assistance dogs (guide dogs, medical detection dogs, therapy dogs, etc.); ‘best friends’ (pet dogs who have helped their owners through difficult times); ‘child’s champion’ (dogs who have had a positive impact on a child’s life); and rescue dogs (dogs who have overcome a tough start in life to bring happiness to their adopters).

It must have been a difficult competition to judge, but the eventual winner was from the support dog category – the not-for-profit organisation ‘Pete and the Newfoundlands’, which is based in Leicester.

The organisation works with people who are struggling with their mental health, and who are contemplating suicide, and demand for its services is, sadly, all too high.

But to end on a more positive note, the ManxSPCA has no hesitation in saying that rescue is our favourite breed, and that all our rescue dogs are heroes!