Crufts 2025, the world’s biggest celebration of dogs, starts at the NEC in Birmingham, today (Thursday) with Paralympian Ellie Simmonds officially launching the event.
She was joined by a historic hound making its Crufts debut, the Polish Hunting Dog, and the new breed welcomed into King Charles III’s family– the Lagotto Romagnolo. Savvy, from Cheshire, is hoping to bring home the Crufts crown after the breed won Best in Show for the first time in 2023.
The event is set to welcome over 20,000 dogs of all shapes and sizes under one roof. It will include amazing displays from the likes of the West Midlands Police, whose newest puppy recruits also joined the event’s launch line-up today, alongside a duo of Springer Spaniels who are making their team debut at Crufts.
Speaking at the launch, Ellie commented: "I've grown up with Crufts because I come from not too far away from here. You always knew Crufts was in town here at the NEC in Birmingham!
"I've been before and to be part of the presenter team, how could you say no? It all kicks off on Thursday, but I've already spent so many hours with dogs and puppies, and it just brings so much happiness.
"For me, I also want to learn about all the different breeds. We know everything about Golden Retrievers and Springer Spaniels, but there's so many other breeds out there that I want to educate myself on. This is the biggest dog show in the world so it's a great place to do that. It’s the most amazing place ever!"
There are 200 breeds vying for the Crufts Best in Show title – the crown will be taken by one top dog on Sunday – hundreds of athletic dogs competing in fast-paced agility and flyball finals, and clever canines showing off their skills in various demonstrations, from police dogs and Medical Detections Dogs, to the most obedient pets. Elsewhere at the event is the Discover Dogs zone, where visitors can meet and greet hundreds of different breeds – from the popular to the unusual – speak to experts about what they are like to live with and care for, and find out which four-legged friend might be best suited to their lifestyle.
More than just a dog show, Crufts celebrates the many diverse roles that dogs play in our lives, and sees competitions such as The Kennel Club Hero Dog Award, the Scruffts Family Crossbreed of the Year competition, Obreedience, in which different breeds compete against each other in teams to prove who is the ‘goodest dog’, and the ever popular fast-paced agility and flyball competitions.
This year will also see almost 20 hours of the Crufts TV show broadcast for dog-lovers across the UK on Channel 4 and More4 – more than ever before.
More information and tickets for the event are available on the Crufts website: crufts.org.uk. Please note that tickets are only available through official ticketing partner, AXS.
At a glance:
- New Crufts presenter for Channel 4, Paralympian Ellie Simmonds
- Breed making its debut at Crufts for the first time, the Polish Hunting Dog
- A Lagotto Romagnolo, the new breed welcomed the King’s family, set to take part this year and hoping to achieve a Crufts crown, following the breed’s win in 2023
- West Midlands Police newest puppy recruits who will be meeting and greeting the public ahead of the iconic West Midlands Police Dog display
- And the ‘Spring it On’ team of Spaniels competing at the event for the first time
