The French Connection at Crufts 2008

Jumping in at the deep end

Michelle Johnston had never even been to Cruft's before, but at 8.30am on her first day there, there she was in the Main Arena with her dog Acer, representing France in the International Agility Triathlon - and all this after a 14 hour journey the day before. Michelle's friend and fellow ex-Pat Lynn Davis reports on Team Acer.

Up to the point when she went into the ring, everything was bewildering. Finding a car park was a challenge in itself. Then she had to find how to get into the arena - you might think you go in the arena entrance – not so - and try to get the rest of 'Team Acer' into the building with her before the show opened to the public at 8.15 am. No-one seemed to know where she was supposed to go. More by luck than judgment, she found where to leave her things and got to the collecting ring on time, but then she found herself obediently waiting for permission to go in to the ring when everyone else was walking the course for the jumping! Just in time she managed to have a quick view of the course before the competition started.

Behind the scenes in the collecting ring, sealed off from public view and protected by security guards, competitors – two and four legged varieties – milled around and the nerves were palpable. A small piece of paper pinned on the notice board showed a map of the course. A huge screen showed the action in the ring – very useful for watching the other competitors - and a practice jump enabled the dogs to get the feel of the carpet before going in.

Standing in the tunnel waiting to go into the arena was the worst part. The noise was deafening, even early on Thursday morning when there were just a handful of spectators – by Saturday afternoon when the arena was full to bursting point with 6000 spectators, it was overwhelming - TV lights blazed, loudspeakers blared, the commentator's voice boomed. By now, Michelle's head was thumping and her hip - injured the previous week - was aching. Acer was tense. Team Acer, sitting in the stands, were shaking.

But Michelle and Acer are at home on an agility course and once they were out there in the spotlight, nerves started to calm. After a hiccup at the start where Acer, through anxiety and perhaps inability to see or hear Michelle properly, decided not to wait, the pair soon got into their stride and things fell into place. The round went smoothly and the pair even began to enjoy themselves. What of the carpet? Michelle was aware of its previous notoriety for lack of grip and had seen film coverage of dogs losing traction on turns and landings. But clearly something had changed – the surface was a dream. In fact, Michelle says the floor was the best surface she has ever run on and, when the first round was over, she couldn't wait to get in there again. The first round was a success, Michelle winning a rosette for third place – a Cruft's rosette and a lap of honour on her first morning!

Backstage, the competitors were friendly and there was a sense of solidarity rather than rivalry. Michelle chatted to Alan Markovitch from Croatia who was running his 10 year old Croatian sheepdog bitch. It turned out that not only was this dog the mother of a dog Michelle knows in Brittany, but Alan also owns Acer's half-sister! There were other such coincidences during the Cruft's stay – Judy (a member of Team Acer) met the breeder of Nugget, her Schipperke, who she adopted from a refuge, and is now able to find out all about her pedigree, parents and history. The doggy world is a small one!

The first round over, Team Acer could start to relax a little and try to find their way round to complete their other missions. First, Michelle presented to Mary Ray a sculpture she had made of her famous dancing dog Quincy – a sculpture which Mary proudly displayed on her stand for the rest of the show. Then another sculpture was given to Tony Griffin, well known agility judge, of his Papillon. Michelle was relieved to have the sculptures safely delivered in one piece – no need for superglue! Chelsea, Michelle's niece, started on her mission to enter all possible competitions and collect as many free samples as possible, a task she performed with outstanding success.

Moving around the NEC, Team Acer encountered bizarre security rules such as the person with the dog and one other person can go this way, the other two people have to go another way. Can't we all go together the other way, then? Oh no, dogs can't go that way! Of course not. It's only a dog show after all! Yet on the other hand, no-one ever checked that Michelle was who she said she was or that Acer was the dog who had qualified. As long as she had an entry ticket for a person with a dog, that was all that was required!

There were no veterinary checks and no-one asked to check Acer's microchip or see his vaccination certificates. In France, even at the lowest level agility competition, papers are regularly checked and spot-checks are performed by vets to ensure vaccinations are up to date. Yet at the biggest dog show in the world, if a dog was injured, for example, a competitor could come with a different dog or even give their card to someone else who had not qualified. But she would not be allowed to walk down the wrong pathway in the NEC.

The second round of the triathlon took place later on Thursday. It was a knock-out competition, two competitors racing each other over identical jumping half-courses laid out in the arena. Great fun for spectators and participants alike, it's an idea clubs could use for an entertaining variation on the agility theme. Michelle and Acer, in their stride by now, got into the final and won a second place rosette to grace Acer's crate.

In the third round in the afternoon, the agility, Acer showed his nerves by missing a contact, something he never does except when stressed, but otherwise did a beautiful round. It had been a long day, and everyone was glad to get out into the fresh air and then back to the hotel.

Acer was back in the ring on Saturday. By then, Team Acer felt like old hands. Whereas on the first day, they found themselves in Hall 5 when they wanted to be in Hall 1, by Saturday, they knew their way around. Acer, though, was finding things increasingly stressful and was getting grumpy. A country dog, he was not used to being inside all day and surrounded by crowds which, by Saturday, were like a shopping centre on the first day of the sales. Ironically, Cruft's isn't the place for dogs – it's for doggy people. Frequently, we saw dogs looking bewildered and anxious in a sea of people. Acer was really only happy when in the ring or doing tricks with Michelle.

The atmosphere and the tension had built up by Saturday. Some of the competitors for the international agility competition that day had, like Michelle, already cut their Cruft's teeth on Thursday, but others came in fresh. It showed. On the first course in the morning, a typically continental-style course with tight turns, dogs and handlers, even seasoned international competitors who would normally dance through the course with a fast clear round made one mistake after another, one dog even jumping the long jump sideways. They dropped like flies and the commentator found himself telling the crowd time after time 'the great thing about agility is that the dog doesn't know he's been eliminated!'  Team Acer cheered heartily when Michelle and Acer managed to get round the course with a just couple of faults and not being eliminated.

By the time of the final on Saturday afternoon, the arena was full to overflowing and the atmosphere was electric. While the competitors were parading around the arena behind their national flags, Michelle was delighted that she actually managed to spot Team Acer among the 6000 spectators. The afternoon round, a more typically British style course, was flowing and fast and, nerves settled, the competitors performed more to their normal standard. Acer did a lovely smooth round but picked up a couple of faults (one given for a contact which, from the TV replay, he clearly nailed – sorry judge!). Still, Michelle and Acer had taken part in their first major international competition and came out with their heads high.

On Sunday, the pressure was off. Michelle and Acer did some agility demonstrations at the dog activities stand. The purpose of the course was to show the general public the basics of what agility is, so the course was tiny, the jumps were low and Acer was left wondering what it was all about and when he was going to do some proper jumps! Then, in another new experience, Michelle did an interview for Cruft's FM radio station, which was interested in her combined career of agility competitor, dog trainer and animal sculptress. The initial nerves soon faded and Michelle relaxed and chatted to the presenter like a seasoned professional.

There was just time to do some last minute shopping - and then it was all over. A brief, intense experience, Cruft's 2008 is something none of team Acer will forget.

Michelle's top tips for Cruft's virgins:

1. Get everything on wheels – it's a long walk from the car park to the centre

2. Take a lightweight, collapsible crate for your dog

3. Get a map of the NEC before you go in. The programme is worth buying just for the detailed plan (including all the stands)

4. If you're competing, don't expect to get to see anything else! Go for more than one day if you can

5. Pick somewhere prominent to meet your friends when you get separated

6. Don't expect anyone to tell you where to go or what to do – you have to work it out for yourself!

7. Get there early and pick the quietest spot you can for your dog's crate.

8. Unless your dog loves crowds, when you are not actually competing leave him in his crate with something like a stuffed Kong to keep him occupied - apart from regular exercise breaks outside, of course! Most dogs will find the atmosphere overwhelming.

9. Make the most of chatting to everyone – all the competitors and stall holders are universally friendly and only too willing to talk dog. It's a great place to chat, network, make contacts and even new friends.

10. It's the experience of a lifetime – enjoy!

About the author...
Lynn Davis lives in Pays de la Loire (France) with her partner Mark and six dogs - all second-hand - who range in age from 6 -16 and have a selection of problems including epilepsy, hypothyroidism, hip dysplasia, arthritis and deafness!

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