Held at Birmingham’s famous venue, the NEC, and broadcast on the More4 and Channel 4 TV channels, the multi-day event features over 20,000 dogs of varying shapes, sizes and personalities. However, the big news for 2026 was the record number of international entries seeking a slice of Crufts glory, including the coveted crown of “Best in Show”.

While this year, most foreign competitors are sources from the UK’s European neighbours, other entrants have travelled much further from far-flung destinations like Argentina, Peru and New Zealand.

When interviewed, overseas dog breeders and trainers cited that the charm of Crufts was its quintessential Britishness, with one likening the canine contest to the Wimbledon tennis tournament.

Originally organised by Charles Cruft back in 1891, the showcase is operated today by Britain’s Royal Kennel Club. In 2025, a dog from Italy claimed the top award for the first time, encouraging other European owners to enter for a chance to achieve the same result.

This year, the event received 4,299 entries from abroad, the highest number in Crufts history. Out of the global competitors, France had the most with 538 dogs entered, followed by Italy with 436, Germany with 425 and 353 from the Netherlands.

Breeds shown this year included Border Collies, Swedish Vallhunds, Pomeranians and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, among many others.

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The 2026 edition marked the 150th anniversary of the world-famous canine competition that is annually attended by tens of thousands of dog devotees and owners. Trustees of the February event took the opportunity to celebrate the late Canadian and American actress, screenwriter and comedian, Catherine O’Hara, who was a beloved star in the world of pedigree pooches.

While her career spanned more than five decades and saw her work on famous comedy projects like “Beetlejuice” and “Home Alone”, O’Hara has been adored by dog breeders for her portrayal of Cookie Fleck, in the 2000 mockumentary “Best in Show”. Set in the competitive world of dog shows, O’Hara played a small-time Florida handler whose four-legged friend Winky makes it through to the final round to take the top prize.

Best in Show starred many famous faces including Eugene Levy, Parker Posey, Christopher Guest (who also wrote and directed the film), Michael Hitchcock, John Michael Higgins, Jennifer Coolidge, Fred Willard, and Jane Lynch, among many others.

Event organisers timed their tribute perfectly to run during the judging of the Norwich Terrier breed, which Winky represented in the film. A career retrospective video was screened to applause from all assembled at the esteemed venue.

Coincidentally, a dog called “Cookie” also won the award for the Toy Group category at the event.

The Westminster Kennel Club is regarded among the world’s most prestigious organisations for pure breeding.

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The programmes feature Kirk sharing his love of antique furniture and performing restoration work on wooden heirlooms, a practice that was inspired by his grandfather who was a carpenter. Recently, the celebrity craftsman took to social media in search of support from his growing fanbase to convince his wife Polly to welcome a dog into their home.

After taking a neighbour’s dog for a walk, the star was reminded of a canine childhood chum of his and shared a selfie online captioning it: “I think I’m in love”. He asked his followers for suggestions on what he could say to Polly that would get her to say yes, prompting an abundance of replies.

Knowing his family includes two young children, many fans answered that kids and dogs form strong bonds, while others said that they loved being raised with them. Some said that childhood memories with four-legged family members were among their favourites, while others cited that UK charity, the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), offers a lengthy list of benefits of children and animals living together. These include teaching children about emotional intelligence and getting them active.

Originally based in the UK capital, Kirk and his family moved to leafy Surrey in 2024. Regarded as the most wooded county in England and home to the Surrey Hills, the area provides an ideal environment for dog-walking adventures.

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Air Bud is much-loved movie about a dog called Buddy who plays basketball and forms a friendship with a 12-year-old boy called Josh, played by actor Kevin Zegers. The film launched many spin-offs associated with different sports including “Golden Receiver” (American football), “Spikes Back” (Volleyball) and “World Pup” (Football) along with “Air Buddies” focusing on Air Bud’s puppies.

The new movie won’t hit cinemas until 2026, but the purebred retriever is already enjoying growing fame in his hometown. Sara Wilson and her family, Charlie’s owners, have received hand-written mail from fans and their mailman asked if he could meet the four-legged film star.

Shot over seven weeks, the new movie was filmed on location in Canada. Charlie received a warm welcome when he arrived back to his Braucher Street home in November after filming. In his front yard was a professionally designed sign displaying the words “Welcome Home Air Bud” in in sparkly white and blue letters alongside illustrations of basketballs, stars and a clapperboard.

When asked if his experience as a canine actor has changed Charlie, his owner commented that the only difference was that he was a little better behaved thanks to the skills of his professional on-set trainer.

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Simply titled “Frankenstein”, the recent adaptation of English novelist Mary Shelley’s gothic horror masterpiece comes from director Guillermo Del Toro and co-stars Oscar Isaac as the titular doctor.

Rather than review the monsters depicted in previous Hollywood films, Elordi looked closer to home, drawing inspiration from his beloved dog. While the actor has always cited Layla as his emotional compass, for his latest role she also acted as his creative muse.

At a red-carpet event for the film held at the Academy of Music in LA, the actor talked about their relationship with a representative from Vogue. He commented that most of his time is spent with Layla and added:

“She’s a great teacher in so many ways, just in her innocence, how direct she is… I don’t know, my dog is my hero.”

In another interview with Radio Times, he commented that like a young child, Layla doesn’t speak, so everything she physically does is designed to display how she feels or receive what she needs. In this respect, she operates very similar to the creature he was playing. He added that she is also exceptionally sensitive like the character, who is essentially a new-born in the world.

Elordi also shared images of himself in costume where he is completely transformed into the creature while cuddling Layla in her pet bed.

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Created and released upon the word in 1950 by cartoonist Charles M. Schultz as a character in his Peanuts comic strip, today the little black and white dog is recognised all over the world.

Rolling Stone magazine led the charge on Instagram, inciting a flood of comments from fans of Charlie Brown’s feisty pet. Snoopy has been relevant the world stage for decades, and in many nations across the globe he’s a bigger star than his owner. In terms of merchandise, his memorable appearance can be found adorning curtains, bean bags, nail files, water bottles, and dartboards. He’s also commonly seen on clothing with big brands like Levi’s, Uniqlo, Marc Jacobs, Lacoste and Zara emblazoning T-shirts, jeans and jackets with his image.

Peanuts made the headlines recently in a collaboration with respected watchmaker, Armitron. Celebrating the brand’s 50th anniversary and Peanuts’ new milestone, the brand unveiled an all-new nine-watch collection that pays tribute to Snoopy and other characters from the comic strip throughout its history.

Since 2018, select streaming service Apple TV has been the home of Snoopy entertainment, and the channel recently extended its exclusive deal for a further five years. As a result, dog lovers with a passion for the famous pooch can celebrate his 75th birthday with a wide range of classic series and specials like “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” on the channel, as well as brand-new adventures.

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The list of awards handed out on the day included “Best Pedigree Breed”, “Best Trick”, “Best Rescue Dog” and “Waggiest Tail” among others. In addition to the contest, there was also excitement on the track as families watched whippets, terriers and foxhounds race with five events including five dogs in each.

The Croome & West Warwickshire Hunt practices trail hunting, an activity that does not include an animal being pursued. Instead, the Hunt’s hounds are trained to track a specially designed scent trail that is laid down. As a registered British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) member, it works to preserve the employment, skills and traditions and employment connected with hunting while keeping compliant with UK Hunting Act passed in 2004.

BHSA members sign up to a set code of conduct and pledge to uphold the highest welfare standards for the hounds and horses participating in the sport. Each year, the UK’s trail hunting community works to raise money for charitable causes. In a six month period, 92 charities recently benefited from a total of £460,000 raised by trail hunts run by registered BHSA members.

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According to the August video post, the canine “Swiftie” enjoys nothing better at the weekends than to relax and listen to the award-winning US singer-songwriter’s music.

The humorous and relatable footage shows Luca reclined on the sofa with a set of headphones on while watching Swift on a big screen TV. In between enjoying a bag of his favourite dog treats and drinks, the little dog can be viewed wearing his pyjamas and bingeing on his beloved artists over his “busy weekend”.

The clip was uploaded to the pooch’s own account (@iamcalledlucas) and shows Luca appreciating Taylor Swift Classics like “Look What You Made Me Do”, “Cruel Summer”, “Shake it Off” and “All Too Well”, while having the occasional nap in between numbers.

Although Taylor Swift is often called a “cat lady” by members of the media and her devoted fans, beloved dogs “Baby” and “Bug” were four-legged members of her family in the years before she rose to mega-stardom.

Instantly grabbing the attention of online fans of Swift and dogs alike, the video encouraged many to make comments, praising the content and the lazy little dog. One user stated Lucas was their favourite Swiftie while another said they needed him in their life. Others admitted that their own weekend plans were not dissimilar with two days of listening to back-to-back Swift tracks planned.

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Speculators on social media suggested the star was in the Hungary capital to film the third chapter in the Dune saga (Dune Messiah), after she appeared on social media in a posted video.

Zendaya was caught on camera stopping to meet a fan and her pet puppy. The 28-year-old actress was surprised with a sudden flurry of kisses from the little dog. As she bent down to say hello, the puppy jumped up and kissed her on the lips. The video caught Zendaya laughing about the slobbery puppy kiss and continuing to pet the pooch while another dog looked on.

Fellow fans on social media promptly interacted with the post. Comments included how adorable the moment was and how even dogs can’t resist the star while one fan joked:

“Your dog is just happy he is being petted, he doesn’t even know that she is Zendaya.”

The Hollywood A-lister is well-known for her love of dogs after an interview with Vanity Fair. Zendaya revealed she was obsessed with Noon, her feisty Miniature Schnauzer and called him her “forever puppy”. She joked that Noon has no idea about his size and once attempted to face off against a German Shepherd.

The actress can next be seen onscreen opposite actor Robert Pattinson in US romantic comedy “The Drama”.

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