A good showing

IT’S a curious thing, but there’s clearly something addictive about dog showing. For the majority of dog owners, showing is of little or no interest, but there’s a considerable number of people who get a great deal of enjoyment from entering their dogs into shows. I have perfectly sane friends who think nothing of driving halfway across the country to compete with their dogs, for there’s something compulsive as well as competitive about the past-time.

The first modern dog show was held in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1859. It was