lifting Scottish terrier by tail ~ controversy at Crufts !!

Dogs don't care whether they measure up to judges' arbitrary standards – yet they are the ones who endure the pain and misery of humans' pursuit of the “perfect dog”.  The criticism is that even dogs who never set foot in the Crufts show ring lose because of breeders' pursuit of ribbons and trophies. Dogs deserve better than to suffer and die for a “beauty” pageant.  

The Scottish Terrier, popularly called the Scottie, is a breed of dog. Initially one of the highland breeds of terrier that were grouped under the name of Skye Terrier, it is one of five breeds of terrier that originated in Scotland, the other four being the modern Skye, Cairn, Dandie Dinmont, and West Highland White Terrier. They are an independent and rugged breed with a wiry outer coat and a soft dense undercoat.  

People do have birds, fish and animals as pets ~ all of them could be highly stressed during handling and keeping.  One needs to be very careful in handling, especially taking fish out of water !  There are many myths – ‘hold and lift the rabbits by ear and ducks by neck’ …..  it is stated that the bones of rabbits are fragile. House rabbits, furthermore, are often confined in small hutches or cages with little opportunity to exercise their muscles and develop strength as do their wild brothers and sisters. This will, inevitably, lead to systemic underdevelopment of tissues and/or organs (hypoplasia) and to fragile bones. Rabbits should never be held by only the scruff or the ears; 

There are beauty pageants aka Dog Shows for canines and it cannot get bigger  or important than Crufts. Crufts is an umbrella term for an international canine event held annually in the UK. Crufts is centered on a championship conformation show for dogs but also includes a large trade show of mainly dog-related goods and services and competitions in dog agility, obedience, flyball and heelwork to music.  Crufts occurred recently and one of its fall-outs is ‘160,000’ signing petition !!   

It was meant to be a happy occasion. Rebecca Cross was filmed picking up five-year-old Scottish terrier Knopa ~ and the footage led to online petitions which accused Crufts of 'turning blind eye' and seeking Ms Cross to be stripped of her prestigious title.

MailOnline and other news agencies report of Crufts embroiled  in a second controversy, after two competitors were accused of animal cruelty over the way in which dogs were handled.  Animal lovers have accused the show's organisers of 'turning a blind eye' after footage emerged showing U.S competitor Rebecca Cross, who won the Best in Show accolade, picking up her Scottish terrier Knopa by its neck and tail.  160,000 people have now signed online petitions, calling for Ms Cross to be stripped of her prestigious title.   The Kennel Club explained that it had warned Ms Cross not to pick up the dog in that manner but that it was 'customary' to do so in the U.S.  It comes as the RSPCA announced it would be investigating separate allegations, which involved a dog being beaten by an overseas competitors in the car park at the Birmingham NEC.

Ms Cross also issued an apology, saying she ‘didn’t do it on purpose, it was just habit.’ She added: 'It's just one of those things. It happened and I tried to really think about it and not do it, but it's habit.'  But the anger continued  and at the time it was reported in that  105,000 had signed a petition on 38degrees, while 55,000 had supported one on change.org.  The first petition claims Ms Cross is guilty of ‘behaving discreditably and prejudicially to the interests of the canine world’.

In a  second statement, the Kennel Club said it would not be 'fair' to strip the dog of its Best in Show title, solely due to the behaviour of its owner.  The RSPCA confirmed it was also investigating allegations that an overseas competitor had mistreated his dog outside the showground.  They said: 'We completely understand the concerns about how Knopa, the Best in Show dog, was handled on the judging table.   The judge’s primary focus is on the dogs themselves and we do not believe it would be fair to strip the dog of its Best in Show title because the dog was awarded this prize based on its own merits in the show ring.'

Jagger, who is co-owned by Belgian Aleksandra Lauwers and Leicester-based breeder Dee Milligan-Bott, died in his owner's arms on Friday, after returning home to Belgium.  The owner of this chamption Myter, Eye to Eye, also believes the dog was deliberately poisoned after she was found vomiting and shaking in pain shortly before it was due to be judged on Friday.

It is stated that the Scottish Terrier was initially bred as a working dog by farmers to eradicate vermin and hunt small animals underground. It has a very long and strong tail which owners traditionally used to pull it out of holes.

Dog-tailed controversy !

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

12^th Mar 2015.