Scruffts
Encyclopedia
Scruffts is an informal dog show competition, similar to that of a conformation show
for purebred dogs
, where crossbreed dog
s of any parentage are allowed to compete. It is hosted by The Kennel Club
of the United Kingdom
and is named after its world-famous annual show, Crufts
.
At Scruffts, dogs compete for the titles of:
Scruffts was designed for people or families who do not have, a purebred dog and who want to experience conformation competition with their dogs. It is an opportunity to properly socialise dogs, an important issue to help with behaviour and it is said to help strengthen the bond between dog and owner as well as to help people meet others with a similar interest in dogs. Just as crossbreeds are not allowed to enter true conformation shows, purebred dogs are not welcome in Scruffts, regardless of whether they are registered with The Kennel Club.
As Scruffts is just for fun and not a "true" or "serious" conformation, it only costs £
1 per entry and all money raised goes to the Kennel Club Charitable Trust (registered charity no. 327802) . Judges cannot refer to a breed standard
and therefore dogs are judged only on "Good Character", "Good Health", and "Good temperament with both people and dogs". Rosettes
are awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd positions in each class, and each dog or bitch that receives a 1st placement is eligible to compete in the final at Discover Dogs which takes place every November at Earls Court 2 in London.
Scruffts takes place at various events around the country, the first event of 2011 takes place at Westonbirt Arboretum Dog Day on 27 February
Conformation show
Conformation shows, also referred to as breed shows, are a kind of dog show in which a judge familiar with a specific dog breed evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to the established breed type for their breed, as described in a breed's individual breed standard.A...
for purebred dogs
Purebred (dog)
Purebred dog refers to a dog of a modern dog breed that closely resembles other dogs of the same breed, with ancestry documented in a stud book and registered with one of the major dog registries...
, where crossbreed dog
Mixed-breed dog
A mixed-breed dog, also known as a mutt or mongrel, is a dog whose ancestry is generally unknown and that has characteristics of two or more types of breeds. A mixed-breed may be a cross-breed dog, a random-bred dog, or a descendant of feral or pariah dog populations...
s of any parentage are allowed to compete. It is hosted by The Kennel Club
The Kennel Club
The Kennel Club is a kennel club based in London and Aylesbury, United Kingdom.The Kennel Club registration system divides dogs into seven breed groups. The Kennel Club Groups are: Hound, Working, Terrier, Gundog, Pastoral, Utility and Toy...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and is named after its world-famous annual show, Crufts
Crufts
Crufts is an annual international Championship conformation show for dogs organised and hosted by the Kennel Club, currently held every March at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England. It is the largest annual dog show in the world, as declared by Guinness World Records, and lasts...
.
At Scruffts, dogs compete for the titles of:
- "Most Handsome dog": For dogs aged 6 months to 7 years
- "Prettiest bitch": For bitches aged 6 months to 7 years
- "Child's best friend": For dogs or bitches aged 6 months to 12 years, handled by a child aged 6 to 16 years
- "Golden Oldie": For dogs or bitches aged 8 to 12 years
Scruffts was designed for people or families who do not have, a purebred dog and who want to experience conformation competition with their dogs. It is an opportunity to properly socialise dogs, an important issue to help with behaviour and it is said to help strengthen the bond between dog and owner as well as to help people meet others with a similar interest in dogs. Just as crossbreeds are not allowed to enter true conformation shows, purebred dogs are not welcome in Scruffts, regardless of whether they are registered with The Kennel Club.
As Scruffts is just for fun and not a "true" or "serious" conformation, it only costs £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
1 per entry and all money raised goes to the Kennel Club Charitable Trust (registered charity no. 327802) . Judges cannot refer to a breed standard
Breed standard
A breed standard in animal fancy and animal husbandry is a set of guidelines which is used to ensure that the animals produced by a breeder or breeding facility conform to the specifics of the breed....
and therefore dogs are judged only on "Good Character", "Good Health", and "Good temperament with both people and dogs". Rosettes
Award ribbon
A ribbon is an award made from ribbon and presented to mark an achievement. Such ribbons usually have a pin or other fastener with which the award can be attached to clothing, walls, or other surfaces....
are awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd positions in each class, and each dog or bitch that receives a 1st placement is eligible to compete in the final at Discover Dogs which takes place every November at Earls Court 2 in London.
Scruffts takes place at various events around the country, the first event of 2011 takes place at Westonbirt Arboretum Dog Day on 27 February