Showing Dogs Across The Pond

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194 – May, 2022

By William Given

There has been some minor debate on when the first dog show occurred, but it is widely accepted that the first organized and documented dog show was held in England in 1859. It was an added affair to the annual livestock show in Newcastle. That first show was a sporting breed event with only setters and pointers being entered. In retrospect, it was a small beginning to what would become, by the end of the century, a very popular English pastime.

The first show to include breeds outside of the gundog group was held in Birmingham later that same year. It was such a success that a year later, the Birmingham Dog Show Society hosted the first National Dog Show. There were 267 entries, from 30 different breeds, which were judged across 42 classes. By the end of the 1860s, England’s National Dog Show was attracting more than 700 dogs and 20,000 paying spectators.

A much more enthusiastic extravaganza followed at Chelsea in 1863. It was a week-long pageant at Cremorne Gardens. A new and respectable “Dog Fancy” came of age with this show. There were some 100,000 visitors, including Albert, Prince of Wales, and it was the social occasion of the season. The number and size of dog shows grew rapidly in the years to follow.

Some Big Differences

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194 – May, 2022

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Posted by AnthonyA on May 18 2022. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.