Meet the hard-working ones, the cute ones and the oh-so glamorous ones — Crufts dogs on show
To Covid Last Up After Cancellation Return Dogs Year's Dressed 19 Crufts
Dogs of all shapes and sizes have returned to Crufts following last year's cancellation due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The world-famous show began on Thursday as poodles in matching leopard onesies and Saint Bernards in colourful paw-print trousers were just a couple of examples of the entrants arriving at the NEC in Birmingham.
More than 20,000 dogs have entered the competition this year, with 1,843 competitors arriving from overseas.
The Kennel Club, which organises the event, previously took the decision to ban exhibitors from Russia following the country's invasion of Ukraine.
The organisers said the decision was taken "as testament to our sadness and concern about this situation".
In a statement, they added: "Our friends in Ukraine, and their dogs, are fearing for their lives and we will do all that we can to support them wherever possible."
Crufts will close on Sunday following the conclusion of the Best in Show presentation.
Meanwhile, a dog flooded a kitchen by turning on a tap in one of the more unusual pet-related claims to have been dealt with by an insurance giant.
As Crufts returns this week, Aviva said it receives around 800 accidental damage claims in Britain each year where dogs play a part.
In one case, a young Labradane (a Labrador/Great Dane Cross) named Whiskey turned on a cold tap in his kitchen, while his owners were out briefly.
The dog caused around £4,000 of damage by flooding the room, with the incident caught on the house's security camera.
Another claim dealt with by Aviva involved a customer cleaning out her fish tank and having buckets of water on the floor.
Her laptop was plugged in charging nearby on the arm of a chair. The customer's dog ran past, caught the charging cable and pulled the laptop into a bucket.
Another incident involved a man decorating his landing area. His dog knocked over a stepladder, spilling a two-litre pot of paint down the stairs.
Aviva also dealt with a claim after a dog refused to get into a car. The customer was going to a meeting and put his laptop on top of the vehicle while he put the dog inside. He then drove off with the laptop still on the car roof.
One owner's dog got excited when he saw another dog on TV. He jumped up at the screen and knocked the set off its stand.
Other incidents have involved a dog knocking over a bucket of bleach while a woman was cleaning, an antique barometer being knocked off a wall and a dog knocking a pot of paint off a windowsill.
In another case, a dog tripped up his owner who was carrying a drink, which landed on his electric keyboard.
Yet another carpet was damaged when an excited puppy got its lead tangled around an ironing board. The puppy managed to tip the board over, pulling the hot iron plate onto the carpet.