Bringing the Love, Hope & Knowledge
to Fight the Crufts Conundrum
Published 19 March 2024
By Corrin Goodall
With this being our third year as a stallholder at Crufts we aren't shocked to see and hear the controversial ongoings but some people will question whether it's really worth going. Here's my take on it at present, I'm always willing to reconsider my stance on something with new information and as a team we discuss our presence at the event each year before committing. I want to make clear before I start that there are many changes we wish to see at the event itself as well as more widely.
We know how supportive the PACT community is and whilst at Crufts we really do get to feel that in person with those that volunteer their time to help on the stand and everyone that pops along to say hi. Without that I'm not sure we would keep turning up so for that we are truly thankful.
Early on Friday the 8th of March whilst Nat and I were getting ready to leave we got a text from J wishing us a happy International women's day, we laughed at the irony of us not knowing at the time. This year though it had us connecting and collaborating with some amazing women and organisations, this was initiated by something negative happening on that day. So ultimately although the disappointing news spread and continues to be talked about across social media, the fact that we rallied together professionally will quietly be a highlight and I'm proud of the way we conducted ourselves. This will hopefully be the start of a positive united front in the future.
Back on the stand it's a bubble to escape the overwhelmingness of it all. We encourage everyone we speak with to come back, take a seat and escape the madness if they need to. Dizzy in particular found a safe place with us on the stand (we're a little bit obsessed with each other!) but there's a spot where she can sleep and recharge which I know her people appreciate. We always have a stash of sweets for that sugar hit to get you through the day and this time I need to do a particular shout out to Charlie for the delicious cookie muffins as I now call them, those were hard to share I have to say. On the Sunday it was Danny from Tug-E-Nuffs birthday to which he received a harmonious (hey! yes it was) rendition of happy birthday along with a cookie. We were glad to see their stand buzzing after an understandably difficult year previously, we support Danny and believe he conducted himself in an honest way during those challenging times, he bravely came back and we are pleased to have them sponsoring DogX this year. After all, if you see the change you want to, you should support and celebrate that right?!
We really put our heads together this year when it came to reaching a wider audience and making a difference at Crufts, we're not just there to advertise the courses we offer but ethical training itself and champion our members who can support members of the public. We put together a free body language course and shared that with as many people as we could whilst there, we now want to share that with you all too. Our thinking was that if people were to pick up on something subtle they didn't observe previously with their dog or dogs that they work with, this could be the start of human behaviour change. We can't change minds without being present and that's why we turn up. It's difficult at times, and I carry my virtual blinkers to help me whilst walking around. However I'm still human and those emotions bubbled over when one particular individual who was harshly handling their dog right in front of me, as I reached out and said "it's ok, it's ok" I knew then that I needed a break and couldn't change someone's mind it that brief particular encounter.
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