Glen and Allen, accompanied by ET (Edal the Third) attended this years Crufts at the NEC in Birmingham to represent the Charity. You can read Glen's experience of the event below.
Slipping and wheel-spinning in a Birmingham car park at 0630 on a snowy Thursday morning in March was not what I signed up for when I joined the Charity back in October 2021. But this wasn't any old car-park; it was Crufts 2023 at the NEC. Allen, ET & I were there to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the event which is the heartbeat of the dog world in the UK. Allen, being the 30-year veteran took it all in his stride and expertly paced his efforts so that he & ET finished the 4 gruelling days as fresh as they started. I, on the other hand, have always skated across the surface of the dog world, and so a deep-dive into the education, conversations and sheer entertainment on offer was tremendous.
If I were to distil down the main things I learnt it would be difficult, but it would come down to a few things; the love and affection for dogs in UK continues to be astounding; the world of assistance dogs continues to be as vibrant as ever as people embrace the difference these amazing creatures make to peoples' lives; and if you ever hear Allen start the set-up for one of his jokes, prepare to cringe!
If I were to distil down the main things I learnt it would be difficult, but it would come down to a few things; the love and affection for dogs in UK continues to be astounding; the world of assistance dogs continues to be as vibrant as ever as people embrace the difference these amazing creatures make to peoples' lives; and if you ever hear Allen start the set-up for one of his jokes, prepare to cringe!
My highlight of the trip? That's very easy. Four of our volunteers; Jacqui, Sean, Cath & Wayne made long journeys to Birmingham and ended up having dinner with Allen & I. To spend time in the company of these wonderful people who show such commitment to the Charity and give so much time so willingly was heart-warming and made the early start & snowy weather pale to insignificance. My sincere thanks go to them, and all the other volunteers without whom we couldn't operate. Thank you to you all.