By Carolyn Menteith

I suspect that if you mention the Kennel Club to most people the first thing they will think of is Crufts - that annual pedigree-dog beauty parade where only the most illustrious canine supermodels are fit to so much as set foot (or rather, paw) within its hallowed halls. Whether the Kennel Club likes it or not its image is heavily tied up with that of the blue-blooded pedigree dog and its promotion. This is hardly surprising however when you think that the Kennel Club has been promoting canine pure-bred perfection and improvement in dog breeds since 1873.

Things are however changing - and in my opinion at least very much for the better - and we may well have to re-think our perceptions of the Kennel Club as being only for those who can trace their pedigree back three generations (and that goes for the dogs too!). Although the prime objectives of the Kennel Club have always been related to the interests of the pure-bred dog and the activities in shows and trials, the Club has begun to take its duty to all of UK dogdom more seriously and widely, and in light of recent 'anti-dog' legislation it has started to actively represent the interests of responsible dog owners whether the dog is Kennel Club registered or not. The Canine Code was published in 1988 and the Good Citizen Dog Scheme, aimed at education towards responsible dog ownership, was set up in 1992. The Young Kennel Club, catering for those between the ages of eight and 25 began in 1985 to encourage and promote dog ownership to a much younger generation, while the Kennel Club Charitable Trust, founded in 1985 gives numerous donations to projects such as canine rescue and assistance dog charities, and supports research into canine diseases. The Kennel Club also campaigns on a varity of issues designed to improve the lives of dogs - in fact only last year they asked me to be part of a live debate speaking against the use of electric training aids (against representatives from PetSafe who manufacture such devices - don't get me started!) in their quest to have these included in the new draft Animal Welfare Bill.

This is all sounding good - but surely the bottom line is that you still can only register your dog with the Kennel Club if he is a blue-blooded, card-carrying pure-bred canine? Well actually not any more. The advent of the Companion Dog Club has brought a whole new section of doggie society into the Kennel Club spotlight. The Companion Dog Club was set up in 2001 and is open to every size, shape and type of dog - from the most highly bred pedigree dog to your most lowly mutt, all are welcome and all are celebrated equally. There are now 4340 members of the Club and all are able to take advantage of the benefits of membership. Now we are getting somewhere. The Kennel Club has finally recognised that a dog is a dog is a dog - and we love them all the same, and they transform our lives in the same way no matter what piece of paper comes with them. The Companion Dog Club is truly a club for all dogs and that is why I am so passionate about it.

I am SO passionate about it that I agreed to spend two of the most exciting days in the doggie calendar (and two of the best credit card-abusing days where you can buy everything you could possibly dream of for your dog) standing in a ring judging these wonderful dogs and their owners. Discover Dogs in London is organised by the Kennel Club and held annually at Earls Court 2. It is a chance for the public to meet and mingle with more than 180 breeds to give them the chance to find the breed that is best for them. Along with this comes a great timetable of canine displays, the Scruffts final, wonderful trade stands selling everything you can possibly imagine so you can shop till you drop - and the biggest day in the Companion Dog Club's annual programme - the Companion Dog Show and the quest to find the Companion Dog of the Year.

The Companion Dog Show started 2002 at Discover Dogs as the Kennel Club felt that members of the Club should be offered the chance of meeting other like-minded people and be given the opportunity to prove just how much of a perfect partnership they share with their dog. So a competition was launched for members to win the title 'Companion Dog of the Year'. Since then it has gone from strength to strength. This show is open to all members of the Companion Dog Club and anyone who wants to enter writes to the Kennel Club with a photo of their dog and telling them why their dog should be part of this very special show. All the entrants are discussed, debated and finally the finalists are decided - and invited to come to Discover Dogs to compete in one (or sometimes more) of the 10 classes that take place over the two days. This year there were five classes for bitches on the Saturday and five for dogs on the Sunday - all judged by me, with commentary (and much needed support) from the legendary Peter Purves. Peter is one of the truly lovely people in dogs (and indeed, TV, theatre and all the many other things he is so successfully involved in) and I was so very glad he was going to be the commentator for this event - partly because he is great fun to be with, but even more, he really 'gets' the Companion Dog Club and is as passionate about the bond between dogs and people as I am.

The classes this year were Prettiest Bitch/Handsomest Dog, Bitch/Dog Most Like a Celebrity (living or dead - and I was surprised there weren't more Elvis's), Best Rescue, Best Show-Stopper, and Best OAP - and a quick glance at the programme before going into the ring on Saturday morning gave me a hint of what was to come!

If you have never judged a companion dog show, take it from me, it isn't easy. If you are judging a pure-bred class, you have got the breed standard as your judging criteria - the closer the dog is to the breed standard, the higher you place it. With companion dog classes, you have every breed, every type, and every age and somehow you have to pick a winner. Most of the classes at Discover Dogs had around 25 entrants - and all would have been worthy winners and it was down to me to pick just one. When you have to do that, you have to have your own criteria - and every judge's will be different. For me, I want to remember what the Companion Dog Club is all about, and I am looking for a dog and owner bond….. an owner who instinctively looks out for their dog and a dog who looks like it is really happy to be there and more to the point really happy to be with its owner. So no matter what the class was, I was also looking for that bit more - that true partnership, that 'Woof Factor'..... Just call me the Sharon Osbourne of the dog world! Then there are the rescue classes - and when you hear some of the heartbreaking stories that accompany these amazing dogs you can't help but be in awe of a dog's ability to forgive - and to keep wagging. The classes I probably enjoyed the most were the Best Showstoppers, as being a trainer (and a clicker training fanatic) I love watching people who have trained their dogs to do great tricks and fun things - and even better watch the dogs enjoying showing off for their owners. More surprisingly however was how much I enjoyed the Dog/Bitch Most Like a Celebrity classes! I generally don't really like dogs being dressed up, but the vast majority of the dogs were having a ball! They had such a great relationship with their owner that they were more than happy to join in the fun and so it was one of the most popular classes of the day. The costumes were really ingenious and both Peter and I, and the audience had a great time - in fact on the Sunday the choice was so hard we had to resort to audience clap-o-meter to help me decide!

The choices weren't easy - and I made some interesting discoveries….. one of the most unexpected being that owners of dogs seem to be far more inventive in fancy dress and tricks than owners of bitches (no idea why this should be - answers on a postcard please!). I also learnt that if you put a black wig and glasses on a Deerhound he looks the image of Ozzy Osbourne (or maybe it was just THAT Deerhound)! I discovered that judging the final in the main ring is rather scary - thankfully I had Peter's support. I also discovered what I always knew and what the Kennel Club are thankfully really discovering. The love between a person and their dog transcends breeds and pedigrees. I would challenge anyone to find a stronger bond than the one I saw time after time in that ring over the Discover Dogs' weekend and I would like to personally thank each and every person who brought their dog into the ring and made my weekend something truly special. These are the dogs I came to Discover - and the ones that I am so excited the Kennel Club is now celebrating.

Results:

Prettiest Bitch / Most Handsome Dog
Bitch - MUFFIN owned by Mrs BM Allen
Dog - MONTY owned by Ms Samatha Haddington

Best Rescue
Bitch - MISTY owned by Ms Maureen Smith
Dog - OLIVER owned by Ms Doris Day

Best OAP (Over 7 years)
Bitch - FERGIE owned by Ms Samantha Baker and Mr Dan Lodge
Dog - BELINI owned by Ms Jocasta Fearn

Best Show Stopper (Including tricks)
Bitch - MUFFIN owned by Ms Nellie Mayall
Dog - BREEZER owned by Ms Marianne Wilson

Dog Most Like a Celebrity (Dead or Alive)
Winners:
Bitch - HAYLEY owned by Ms Pauline Homer (Barbara Cartland)
Dog - HARLEY owned by Mr & Mrs K Steinbourn-Bosse (Ozzy Osbourne)

Overall Companion Dog of the Year(Bitch) - Fergie
Companion Dog of the Year (Dog) - Oliver

Membership of the Companion Dog Club costs £12 and members receive a certificate, a CDC dog tag, a car sticker, a copy of the Canine Code, other goodies - plus members receive a newsletter twice a year, packed with news, competitions, special offers and much more. Companion Dog Club members can compete in special classes at shows around the country throughout the year, and can of course enter the Companion Dog of the Year event at Discover Dogs at Earls Court in November. For more details on the Companion Dog Club visit the Kennel Club website on www.the-kennel-club.org.uk