SHOW NEWS

All About Dogs Show Newbury finalist wins Scruffts 2022

A Scruffts finalist who entered the regional Heats at last year’s All About Dogs Show Newbury has been crowned the winner of Scruffts 2022.

Questa, a five-year-old Golden Retriever/Labrador cross and assistance dog to owner Hazel French, was announced the winner of the Family Crossbreed of the Year competition at Crufts on Saturday 12^th March 2022.

“It still hasn’t sunk in,” said Hazel when she spoke to the All About Dogs Show team on Tuesday. “Normally a dog walk that takes us an hour, took us three hours because people kept stopping to congratulate us. It really is wonderful.”

Hazel suffers from severe brittle asthma and osteoporosis and first met Questa when she was 16 months old. As an assistance dog, Questa helps Hazel with her day-to-day life.  

Having attended the All About Dogs Show with Questa in 2019 where they took part in some of the fun Village Green competitions at the show, Hazel brought Questa back to the Newbury event in 2021 to compete in the Scruffts Regional Heat for the Kennel Club Good Citizen Crossbreed class.

“Questa worked her way up through the Kennel Club Good Citizen Scheme quite quickly,” remembered Hazel. “Although it took her four attempts to get to the Gold Level as one of the exercises entails you being out of sight of the dog, and she didn’t want to leave my side.

“But I think that Fun Dog Shows and events like the All About Dogs Show are great because as well as being a fun day out, they give you the chance to socialise your dog,” she added. “You have to remember, we’ve been in lockdown for two years and it’s so important for dogs to have the opportunity to get used to different settings and environments.”

With Scruffts returning to three of this year’s All About Dogs Shows, Hazel is enouraging everyone with a crossbreed dog to give the Kennel Club competition a try.

“Give it a go and enjoy your day. If you win, you win, but whatever happens, you always know that you’ll be taking the best dog home with you.”

Scruffts will be returning to the All About Dogs Shows in 2022. In search of crossbreeds with that extra something special, Scruffts is open to crossbreed dogs over the age of six months, with Scruffts rosettes awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in each class.

You can take part in Scruffts at the All About Dogs Shows on:

• Sunday 17^th April 2022 at the Newbury Showground
• Sunday 24^th April 2022 at the Newark Showground
• Sunday 1^st May 2022 at Hylands Park in Chelmsford

Registration will be from 11am at all three events and judging will commence at 12.30pm.

Entry to each class is £2. Click here for more information on this year’s classes and entry eligibility.

If you have any queries, please call the Scruffts hotline number (01296 318540 ext. 320), which is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Alternatively, please email scruffts@thekennelclub.org.uk.

The Kennel Club Good Citizen Bronze Test will also be held at the All About Dogs Show Newark and Norfolk this year. For more details click here.