Wandering into the Crufts Dog Show…
They had already been filtered to potential winners by the time I saw them, as they were walked round the arena by their proud – or was it anxious? – owners. Probably most of them were breeders, and for their dog to win first, second or third place in their category was a matter of great financial importance to them: for the purchasers of puppies are deeply impressed by the fact that a puppy’s great-great-grandfather was a champion at Crufts. Crufts is the Harvard of dogs.
The judge in a smart and well-tailored grey suit (but why the brown shoes, I wondered?) examined each dog with the practised eye and delicate palpation of an eminent surgeon. He felt the bone structure and looked at the teeth. The ankles and feet, as well as the tail, seemed of particular importance to him…