It’s official - dogs entered are 583 up on last year!

The total number of entries for Crufts 2004 is 23716 from 21622 dogs, 583 entries up from Crufts 2003 making this year’s Crufts the third highest entry since Crufts began in 1891.

Said Caroline Kisko, Secretary to the Kennel Club; "The Kennel Club is extremely pleased with the 2004 entry, which is the third highest entry ever. This figure reaffirms Crufts as the biggest dog show in the world, as confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records last year. We are looking forward to the event and to welcoming dogs and their owners to the NEC Birmingham on the 4-7 March 2004 where we will once again celebrate all that is good about dogs."

Crufts 2003 recovered some the ‘lost’ dogs from their disrupted 2001 show with a total of 20,860 making 22428 entries. this was their sixth largest ever event since the entries blossomed in the move to the midlands in 1990.

The 2002 Crufts enjoyed an entry of 22,243 from 20,860 dogs - its seventh ever largest show and a decrease of around 694 dogs on the postponed 2001 total.

In 2001 the show attracted its fourth largest ever entry of 23,229 from 21,554 dogs. This compared with 23,366 and 21,643 in 2000. In 1999 a grand total of 21,503 made an entry of 23,336. At the 1991 centenary show 22,883 dogs made an entry of 25,227.

It was thought that the 2002 decrease was due to the reduced opportunity to travel and qualify during the early part of 2001.

We hope to publish what is believed to be an increase on the number of overseas dogs entered in next week’s OUR DOGS. Go to Champ Show Update (Regular Features section), for further information and a breed by breed breakdown of this year’s entries.

For the second year exhibitors have been able to enter on-line for the show and it is believed that the volume of those who used the service was also more that the totals experienced by other shows.