Bulldog Francés"Cruts a memorie"

One of my earliest memories of Crufts is of seeing Mr. Frank Morley, then President of the French Bulldog Club of England, making Bonhams Close Ashmill Emperor his Best of Breed at Olympia in 1950. Little did I realise at that time that "George" would be joining me in the following year or what a profound influence he would have upon the breed.
Eleven years later, still at Olympia, I was to win Best of Breed under Nan Issard Davies with George´s grandson, Bomlitz Edwardbear, his first Challenge Certificate and the start point for a career that was to bring him fame far and wide. He too became a very influential force at stud.
Now we are all thinking about a new Crufts at the National Exhibition Centre, about as different a prospect from the old days at Olympia as you could imagine.
How much easier life was then, despite having spent much longer hours on the bench before you were allowed to leave. As for car parking, it was perfectly easy to drive into a booked bay in the car park under the hall. Even having the same bay year after year (number 2 on the ground floor was mine!). As for the show itself, we had a wonderful group of all-rounders judging at that time, Miss Loghrey, Dr. Aubrey Ireland, Leo Wilson, Winnie Barber, Cora Charters and May Pacey, to name but a few. These were really the last of the Old Guard from pre-war days. Amongst the specialist judges from our own ranks were the Issard-Davies (Chasewood), the Gibsons (Elmsleigh), “Froggie” Anderson (Moorings) and Frank Morley (Tollington).
I so well remember Crufts 1952. King George VI, the Patron of the Kennel Club, had just died and the show was very nearly cancelled. Never will I forget going up with Peter Sugden (Silpho) dressed, on her insistence, in deepest mourning (as indeed was much of the older generation, in line with tradition). Dress in those days was, in any case, much more formal, no jeans or sweaters then!
Over the years, one has seen Crufts grow into a large commercial enterprise. The French Bulldog ring is very much more crowded than ever it was. Visitors from overseas, for example, were seldom seen.
An invitation to judge at Crufts is, of course, much coveted and marks the high tide of a judge´s career, so I was naturally delighted when asked to judge in 1987. However, I was already committed to judge a show that Summer and so, sadly, had to decline. Happily, in the following year I received a new invitation from the Kennel Club, for 1989. This time my diary was clear and, as you may imagine, I accepted "with very great pleasure".
Crufts is not only a very important competitive event but it is also an occasion on which the dog world is very much in the public eye, so it behoves one when judging to appear in your "Sunday Best". Even the most experienced judge will have "butterflies" on the morning of the great day and I was no exception. It helps enormously to have a close friend as a companion and I was so lucky to have Margaret Tanner with me. Bryan, my husband, had generously stayed at home, looking after the puppies and a friends very sick dog. A sad decision for us both.
No one could have been kinder or more helpful than the Kennel Club staff to who I reported on arrival. After picking up my envelope containing all my judge´s paraphernalia, Margaret and I made our way through the packed crowds to the ring where we received a very welcome visit from the Chairman of the show, Mike Stockman, who was making his rounds to see all was going well.
The moment to start judging arrived and from then on I was completely absorbed in the fascination of my task. I feel very strongly that every exhibit must be given a Judge´s complete attention. Every dog in the ring is special to its owner, furthermore, at this particular show, it appears there by right of qualification.
Having come to the end of my classes, and made my decisions, I naturally hoped that the beautiful Frenchie I had sent forward to the Group would do well, for I knew she was a very worthy representative of the breed. Unfortunately, I could not wait at Earls Court for the Group judging as demands of the Home Front were too pressing.
So, perforce, I had to watch it on the television next day. This was a most disappointing experience. The presentation of the breeds was so uneven with a quite disproportionate share of the available time being given to the breeds which most appeal to the public, the rest were simply left out in the cold. I think it is a great shame that every dog is not shown during its run on the long carpet. After all, it has had to do a lot of hard battling to get there. I felt that there was far too much padding in the programme before we reached the Groups which represent the highlight of the whole show.
Now that special day is just another memory, with only my judge´s badge to remind me of it. Whatever anyone says, Crufts will always be Crufts. One cannot help wondering whether, with the move out of London, its traditional home since its inception, some of the magic will be lost. Whether you like London or not, it is the national capital and there is a special "something" about it. Once Crufts moves out into the Provinces, it is in danger of becoming one more big Championship Show. However, that move has clearly delighted many people in the dog world and we must all wish the new venture every success.