ARs At Work Worldwide

BBC pulls plug on TV coverage of Crufts This article has 110 Comment(s) THE BBC will not be covering Crufts 2009. The traditional programmes which draw six-million-strong audiences have been pushed into touch by the Beeb in a shock decision after weeks of difficult negotiation with the Kennel Club. In the end the two organisations simply could not reach a compromise during the protracted discussion sparked by the controversial documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed. The final hurdle was the BBC’s concern about the breeds labelled ‘at risk’ by the KC, and did not want any footage of them included. The KC balked at this, saying to exclude breeds was simply impossible. Today, announcing the BBC’s withdrawal, they called the demands ‘unreasonable’. The ‘at risk’ breeds are the Bloodhound, Basset, Clumber, St Bernard, Shar-Pei, Chow, Neapolitan Mastiff, Pekingese, Bulldog, Mastiff, GSD and Dogue de Bordeaux. To these the BBC had added two breeds featured in the documentary – the Cavalier and the Rhodesian Ridgeback. Neither side would budge, and eventually the BBC decided to break its two-year contract and walk away from ‘the world’s greatest dog show’; it may have to reimburse the KC for doing so. A spokesman said the KC may film parts of the show itself with the hope that footage can be shown on the Horse & Country channel, which filmed Discover Dogs this year. Click to read the rest of the article.