The Family French

VISITORS AND VIEWERS FLOCK TO SEE CRUFTS 2013

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:25:01 -0400

The Kennel Club today thanks everybody that helped to make Crufts 2013 such a huge success, as visitor numbers to the event increased by three percent and viewing figures on More4 and Channel 4 hit an all time high. The number of people attending Crufts 2013, which took place at the NEC, Birmingham from 7-10 March, increased by three percent from 145,000 in 2012 to almost 149,500 this year. An average of 1.7 million dog lovers tuned into Channel 4 and Channel 4+1 on Sunday night to see Jilly, the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen be crowned as Best in Show, and Owen and Haatchi announced as the winners of Friends for Life, with viewing figures peaking at 2 million. The broadcast across the whole event, on More4 and Channel 4, delivered an audience which cumulatively peaked at 4.5 million over the four programmes. Additionally, 145,000 hours of watch-time was clocked up on the Crufts live internet stream during the show, with over 13,000 subscriptions to the Crufts YouTube channel. The Crufts Facebook page was hugely popular, delivering pictures, videos, news and comment throughout the show and now has over 100,000 likes – the picture of Jilly alone received 9,477 likes and 681 comments. Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “We are ecstatic that Crufts continues to hold such a special place in people’s hearts, particularly at a time when other events are seeing a decline in visitor numbers due to the economic climate. “Crufts is such an important event for helping potential dog owners to make responsible decisions about buying a puppy or rescue dog. The event was packed with information about which breeds suits which lifestyles in the Discover Dogs area; how to ensure that you get a healthy puppy from a responsible breeder or rescue home and what is being done generally to improve dog health, in the Breeding for the Future area and how to be a responsible dog owner in areas such as the Good Citizen Dog Training ring. “It is also a chance to celebrate the truly extraordinary relationship that people share with their dogs.

Whether you were watching the breed showing, culminating in the prestigious Best in Show final; the dog heroes competition, Friends for Life; the Crufts Factor talent competition; the Scruffts family crossbreed competition, or the thrilling agility, flyball, heelwork to music or obedience events, it was these relationships that shone through. “We would like to thank everybody who entered their dogs into Crufts or took part in one of the many activities at the show, many of whom had travelled miles and crossed seas to be there, and every member of the visiting and viewing public who supported the event due to their love of dogs. “We could not have put on such a marvelous show without our fantastic sponsors and without Channel 4 and More4, who as always, did a superb job of showing the nation all that Crufts is about. The television coverage reflected the excitement and diversity of the various Crufts competitions and was a platform for the discussion of interesting and important issues about buying the right puppy, dog health and how to be a responsible dog owner.”

Crufts 2013 - Saturday 9th March

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:09:34 -0400

Saturday was another fantastic day at the World’s best dog show! We took the chance to wander around many of the stands and visited many friends old and new.

It took quite a while to get from one hall to the next due to only being able to take three steps for people wanting pictures of and to fuss the boys, but we don’t mind that at all, we love talking to people about them and giving them further information on the breed with the hope it will give people the right details to be able to follow their dreams of one day owning one, and moreso owning a healthy one, knowing what their special requirements are.

We visited:

Dog-Games, the fleece lined harnesses we use for all 6 dogs

MD10, we use super hydration on all 6 dogs with great results

Ruffwear, who many of our Tripawds UK members use for harnesses and boots for their three legged dogs

Fings for Fido, who sent Tango a box of toys and treats when he arrived from Istanbul (and who even had a picture of him on their stand at Crufts!)

Holly and Lil, who made Yoda’s bow-tie collar for his press appearances

Vets Kitchen, with TV vet Joe Inglis who make the food we feed our French bulldogs on

And we even bumped into friends Labradoodlez, Mugly and Licks Ooh La La (now the Dog Fashion Police blog)

We have thoroughly enjoyed our second year at Crufts as press and hope to be asked to return next year. It is always such a happy and exciting atmosphere with people who genuinely want to learn about dogs and specific breeds and disciplines. The Kennel Club always host a great range of stands and booths to provide the best information on their services as well as the many rescue charities and organisations showing that they truly have the dogs’ best interests at heart and promote a healthy future for all of its breeds.

From collars to harnesses, water bowls to beds, we’ve seen it all once again at Crufts this year and came away with dog toys and a bed cover from The Original Hi K9 to go on the bed the pooches already have, which they have spent the last few days relaxing on after their busy week.

We hope you all had a fantastic time and thank you to Samsung once again for sponsoring the event and giving us a fantastic camera which we hope to cover many more dog events with in the future. Happy Anniversary to them for their 20th year as a sponsor!

The Family French xxx

Crufts 2013 - Thursday 7th March

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 04:17:42 -0500

We had a fabulous time at day one of Crufts, despite feeling incredibly ill and migraine stricken, I took my pain relief and soldiered on!

First off we headed to the press room where I collected my reporter press pass and was handed the usual literature of the day which included vouchers for various stands which I intend to check out in the days to come, namely the Eukanuba dog food stand which we have brought our puppies up on for many years.

Then it was off to the Samsung stand to meet Eva who gave us a tour. The stand hosts many wonderful gadgets as well as some comfy seats to sit down and relax and have a fiddle with their products which include 3D television where I caught some of Ice Age the film. I had never seen television in 3D and I can honestly say it has made me want to purchase my own! I felt the characters come to life and jump out at me as I watched!

The crew also had a huge phone display where you could take a picture of yourself with various backgrounds and frames which we took advantage of and now have a nice memento of our time at Crufts.

We sat and talked about Samsung as a company and how this is their 20th anniversary of sponsoring Crufts, and how to celebrate that they are running a dogathon with an app to raise money for homeless dogs in the UK. You can find information on the app and how to get involved in previous posts.

Eva gave me a camera to cover the event, a beautiful, touch screen, Samsung WB250F! I will be using it to take lots of snaps at the event, so thank you very much to them for that.

We said goodbye and it was off to the Dog-Games-Shop.co.uk stand where Yoda and Vader were guest stars, modelling the perfect fit and fleece lined harnesses. Sally Hopkins, harness designer, was very accommodating and had set up an area of her stand for me to do a q and a on Tripawds UK (my support network for pet amputees and their humans, a chapter of Tripawds.com) and had previously filmed Vader to show people how he moved in the harness and how it helped him so that he would not have to keep walking up and down to show people on the day, very kind! (We will be posting the video after Crufts has finished so you can still see it if you’ve not been able to attend)

The boys of course drew many people in with their staring competitions with passers by and enjoyed every minute of the many cuddles and strokes they received, showing people the harnesses from all angles, often rolling on their backs for tummy rubs!

We then took a lunch break with Mugly (officially crowned the World’s ugliest dog) and his mum Bev, heading to the press room 5 steps at a time, halted by the paparazzi! Caroline Cullern of the Kennel Club was there, hard at work as usual, but of course stopping to give some fuss to Yoda and Vader. I was very tempted to leave them with her, they love her and don’t think they would have noticed if I’d wandered off!

We had a quick sit and made a few tweets and facebook posts before it was back to the stand to talk to more pet owners, some of which told me about their own 3 legged pets! It was a great experience and was lovely to promote the organisation as well as showing people how they could help make their dogs more comfortable using a harness. Many slip with front leg amputees but we haven’t had this problem with Dog Games - Perfect Fit harness which is a huge relief!

As day one drew to a close we headed off to catch our train home, the boys fast asleep in their chariot/the pram, and it was off to bed for a well deserved rest (for all of us!) before our next day.

We hope to see some of you there on Saturday!

The Family French xxx

Watch Crufts 2013 on TV and YouTube!

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 12:31:27 -0500

The final night of the nation’s favourite dog event, Crufts, is to be broadcast for the first time on Channel 4 on Sunday. More4 will continue its coverage across the remainder of the annual four-day show.

With Clare Balding at the helm, Channel 4 will cover the grand finale of Crufts 2013 for two and half hours, from 5.30pm – 8pm, on Sunday 10th March. More4 will be covering the first three days for two and half hours each night, from 6.30pm – 9pm, from 7th to 9th March.

All the action from the Arena each day will be streamed live via the Crufts YouTube channel

Help-A-Dog-A-Thon, powered by Samsung – Donate a like and help us provide a health check to 2,000 dogs.

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:15:11 -0500

Celebrating 20 years of Crufts sponsorship, Samsung wishes to deliver and share its commitment and care to dogs. Samsung, Blue Cross, and Crufts have come together to launch the Help-A-Dog-A-Thon Facebook app, and are calling for your help to participate in providing much needed health checks for homeless dogs being cared for by the pet charity Blue Cross.

Come and “adopt” your very own virtual rescue dog and care for the dog, and just by doing that you are helping us raise the much-needed money that is required to fund 2,000 health checks. All dogs that come to Blue Cross are given a full MOT before being found a happy new home.Part of this is a health check by a vet who will look at the condition of a dog’s coat, skin and teeth, check weight, measure heart rate and breathing, and check the dog’s hearing and sight.

Get Involved

Choose your very own virtual homeless dog and interact with it to make sure your dog has everything it needs to be happy and healthy – from taking it for a walk to buying it a new ball. For every virtual dog “adopted”, for every ‘Like’ donated, Samsung will make a contribution towards a vital health check for a Blue Cross rescue dog – so come and play and help a rescue dog today!

Just log in to Facebook and help raise money for the Samsung and Blue Cross rescue dogs here:

www.facebook.com/crufts

www.facebook.com/samsunguk

Please note:

· This app has been developed for browser use. No Facebook page tab apps work on mobile or tablets.

· Facebook apps don’t work on mobile or tablets when using the Facebook app. Please try through your browser.

Stay safe in the snow! Yoda had to dip his manhood in to have a...

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:46:41 -0500

Stay safe in the snow! Yoda had to dip his manhood in to have a wee today!

Yoda won a Halloween fancy dress competition and Nick sent us 3...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 09:13:47 -0500

Yoda won a Halloween fancy dress competition and Nick sent us 3 sets of James Wellbeloved high vis walking sets for dogs! Thank you! ♥

Some of the gang’s Christmas presents, thank you Bev and...

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 07:22:00 -0500

Some of the gang’s Christmas presents, thank you Bev and Mugly!

Mum bought out Pets at Home I think! 3 medium stagbars for the...

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 13:13:29 -0400

Mum bought out Pets at Home I think! 3 medium stagbars for the Frenchies and 3 large for Chilli, Jazz and… Tango! Thank you Mummy ♥

The Family French in their Halloween bandannas from Bev and...

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 10:27:57 -0400

The Family French in their Halloween bandannas from Bev and Mugly ♥

What a lovely surprise to come home to! Thank you for our...

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:15:33 -0400

What a lovely surprise to come home to! Thank you for our prezzies Auntie Bev and Mugly! The pooches will be out in force in their spooky bandanas! You’re the best! ♥

Backstage with other disabled dogs and owners and veterinary...

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:11:44 -0400

Backstage with other disabled dogs and owners and veterinary surgeon Noel Fitzpatrick on the Alan Titchmarsh Show! You can watch us on Friday on ITV1 at 3 oclock!

Thank you very much to Inkers Papparazzi for our amazing new...

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 08:22:43 -0400

Thank you very much to Inkers Papparazzi for our amazing new bag!

Had a great interview by BBC Radio Shropshire and then set off...

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 11:23:17 -0400

Had a great interview by BBC Radio Shropshire and then set off to Battlefield 1403 in Shrewsbury to do our sponsored GoWalkies challenge for the charity Guide Dogs!

Finished the walk and slept all the way home in the car! Back to bed now. A blind lady and her dog met me at the finish line and said I was an inspiration and she’d come to meet me after hearing me on the radio. All worth it! £75 raised for Guide Dogs!

Vader and I on BBC Radio Shropshire!

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 11:18:06 -0400

Vader and I on BBC Radio Shropshire!

Uncanny ;)

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 11:54:59 -0400

Uncanny ;)

Thanks to everyone who’s supported us so far!...

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 09:44:00 -0400

Thanks to everyone who’s supported us so far! There’s still time to sponsor Vader and I for our walk for the charity Guide Dogs, if you’d like to! - www.virginmoneygiving.com/VaderforGuideDogs

Tripawds and Tripawds UK flyer, available for download from...

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 08:18:17 -0400

Tripawds and Tripawds UK flyer, available for download from http://downloads.tripawds.com/2012/09/17/tripawds-uk-posters-and-cards-educate-celebrate-and-raise-awareness/

www.facebook.com/groups/TripawdsUK

Feel free to share this picture with your friends, rescues, and vets, the more the word is spread, the more tripawds and their owners we can help support!

Thank you to all of our judges for The Family French’s...

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 13:25:59 -0400

Thank you to all of our judges for The Family French’s Christmas photo competition fundraising for the charity Missing People. Our list of sponsors has now been sent off to the rosette company to be printed on our rosettes (can’t wait to show you, we’re the first to have this design!)

Updates will be posted at www.facebook.com/TheFamilyFrench
Bring on November! ♥

The Graziani Family

Tallulah Co

uture Dog Collars.co.uk

Mutts-nutts.co.uk

Team Tamodan

www.MitcheldeanMutts.co.uk

Swanky Rags

www.facebook.com/FunTrickDogTraining

Sakazoke Kennel

North London Small Dog and Toy Dog Meetup

www.facebook.com/FunTrickDogTraining

Pawtraits by Robin on Facebook

Tilly and Gracie Budd

www.ecodogcompany.com

www.bethsdogshow.co.uk

The Chihuahua Hotel.com

Sakazoke Kennel

Nicola Barrow in memory of Bruce

Mutts-nutts.co.uk

The Family French

Tripawds UK

‎”Thank you Pedigree for my certificate and magnet, I am...

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 06:14:30 -0400

‎”Thank you Pedigree for my certificate and magnet, I am going to continue nomming the yummy JointCare+ sticks! They have really helped me strengthen my remaining front limb!”