A Dog's life: two British bulldogs, Winnie and Mabel, guard the Best In Show trophy containing toy poodle Tulip at last year's Crufts Show, England. - PA Photos

ONE of the world's most celebrated dog shows is in the throes of a great revolution. In the wake of sweeping changes in the United Kingdom's quarantine laws, owners and breeders throughout Europe have their sights fixed firmly on securing a coveted place at Crufts, the showcase for the cream of pedigree dogs. All this is because Crufts will soon be fully geared to take entries from Continental Europe for the first time.

Those who make the journey to Birmingham in the English Midlands to join 26,000 handlers and their dogs will be able to compete in events ranging from breed judging and gundog competitions to obedience championships and agility displays and, above all, the coveted title of Best In Show.

Caroline Kisko, of the Kennel Club that organises Crufts, said: "The aim from 2001 onwards is to make the event progressively more competitive and more international. We are beginning with countries in Europe but if we find there is interest from other countries and that we are able to provide the facilities to serve them, then their dogs may well be eligible. For example, we could be looking in future years to extending entry qualifications to territories such as Australia and New Zealand, which fulfill rabies-free requirements."

Meanwhile, the Kennel Club is on record as saying it expects that foreign competition will bring in about 5000 extra exhibitors to Crufts that in turn will spur more visitors and pet enthusiasts to join the 115,000 who attended last time. Spectators can view some 195 distinctive breeds and can shop amid a range of canine goods and services that range from on-the-spot advice on diet and nutrition, to advising on suitable dogs for disabled people and having the correct documentation for taking pets on holiday abroad.

The move for change, which each year has a formidable array of pedigree canines competing for the Best In Show title, has been accelerated by a decision of the government, under a pet travel scheme, to stop the requirement for dogs from Europe entering the UK to spend six months in quarantine. Instead, dogs are required to have microchip tags, be vaccinated against rabies, be blood-tested to ensure the vaccine has worked and also undergo treatment to eradicate fleas and ticks.

Travel to the UK is allowed six months after the successful blood test and there is no further requirement for quarantine. If the pet travel scheme is found to be successful, there are plans to extend it. One traditional characteristic of Crufts that is unlikely to change is the show's accessibility to a range of dog breeders.

"Dogs shown in the UK will have to be judged according to Crufts' breed standard regulations, just as UK dogs would have to be judged according to local rules when exhibiting in another country," said Ms Kisko. "Would-be exhibitors are required to have previously featured their animals in at least one other championship dog show in the UK to qualify for Crufts. This means that even fairly recent promising newcomers to dog shows have a chance to compete fairly and this is a state of affairs that we intend will stay. The exception to all this is international champions that are automatically eligible."

A record number of 5000 visitors from about 50 countries crowded into Crufts 2000 held last March, including, besides Europeans, enthusiasts from the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and South Africa. But those who have studied the history of Crufts through the generations point out that there is nothing entirely fresh in the new mood of internationalism.

Crufts has long been host to the likes of Tibetan terriers, French standard poodles, Pyrenean sheepdogs, Afghan hounds and German shepherd dogs. In addition, UK-bred dogs remain among the world's most prized on the international circuit.

The Crufts phenomenon started in 1876 when entrepreneur Charles Cruft, fresh out of school and disenchanted with the family jewellery business, took up selling meaty "cakes for dogs" in London and was soon seeking out clients among owners of large estates and sporting kennels. His next career move was to travel throughout Europe with the Spratts pet food company and within two years he was working with French dog breeders to promote the canine section of the Paris Exhibition.

Back in England in 1886, he set up the Allied Terrier Club Show at the Royal Aquarium in London's Westminster and five years later launched his own Crufts show under that name at Islington in north London.

Until the onset of the second world war, the Crufts show was run by Charles's widow as a business. In 1948 that all changed when it came under the control of the Kennel Club which has organised Crufts shows since. The constitution of the Kennel Club, whose database comprises more than five million dog names and attracts new registrations of 260,000 dogs a year, describes its primary objective as promoting in every way the "general improvement in dogs".

That embraces the licensing of shows, the awarding of challenge and championship certificates and the registration of related associations, clubs and societies throughout the UK. The club is dealing with shoals of inquires from Scandinavia and throughout northern Europe, spearheaded notably by an initiative from the Dutch Kennel Club which runs one of Europe's leading exhibitions, the Dutch Winner Show, attracting 5000 entries annually.

Its entrants have given the widest support yet to a new-look Crufts. "A canvassing of our members demonstrates widespread belief that the Euro-canine arrival next year will have a beneficial effect in show standards generally," said Ms Kisko. "There is a widespread welcome for any competition."