March is on the way fast, and with it, a HUGE event in the calendar for dogs!  Over 24,000 dogs are expected over the four days!  

The world's biggest dog show, Crufts, kicks off at the NEC, Birmingham, on the 5^h March starting the four day festival of all things WOOF!   It’s an absolutely amazing event, and if you can’t get there, make sure you tune in to both Channel 4 and More4 - there's lots to see.   Here's how to watch Crufts.   

The Crufts website says that the group schedule is planned as:

· Thursday 5 March: Working & Pastoral Groups

· Friday 6 March: Terrier & Hound Groups

· Saturday 7 March: Utility & Toy Groups

· Sunday 8 March: Gundog Group and Best in Show Final

Hero Dog of the Year is back - this one always brings lumps to my throat, as the dogs are just so amazing.   Heck, ALL the dogs are amazing!  Who will win and be Hero Dog of the Year and who will win Best in Show??   Dogs and their owners will be coming from all corners of the country and of the world to compete in the latter! 

All dogs great and small will be at the show  and it’s a wonderful opportunity to meet lots of dog lovers and dogs and see plenty of action.   Discover Dogs is a great way to discover more about over 200 different dog breeds, and if you're thinking of getting a particular breed, this is a great chance to find out more about them.  There's also agility, flyball, showing, musical dances, displays, junior handling,  and more!  Over 5,000 people are volunteering at Crufts this year! 

And there are plenty of ways to get involved - for instance, the Royal Kennel Club is inviting every dog owner in Britain to take part in the biggest ever Dog Census (that's in the UK).  It will collect data on health, behaviour, lifestyle and wellbeing (that's the dog's, not yours) and it should help guide scientific research, support new initiatives and inform the devleopment of services through the RKC.   Find out all about it and take part here. 

Hall 8 is being added this year as the brand-new home of the Young Kennel Club (YKC) and also Dog Grooming Championships, too, sponsored by Artero.   There's also the introducion of a two-day weekday ticket (for Thursday and Friday) so you can have even more time to enjoy the show! 

Visit Crufts' website here to buy tickets  - it also has all the info you need about show, and have a look at the Health and Happiness section as well. 

Visit Crufts' You Tube Channel here

Visit The Kennel Club's website here.   It's got lots of information about dogs and dog ownership, including everything you need to know about getting your first dog.  

Please don't forget to keep a good eye out for all the dog charities that are at Crufts.   Visit their stands, say hello, and see what you can do to help them and spread the word about the work they are doing.  Things are really, really tough for animal charities at the moment and every bit of help we can all give them will make a difference.  

Please Note:  No dogs, other than those that have been invited by The Kennel Club and Assistance Dogs, are permitted into the show.  

If you want to volunteer at the Show, find out all about volunteering here.

Wag your tail and head off to the Crufts website to find out all about it!