As 23,000 pampered canines prepare for Crufts, we meet the Hampshire woman who is Best in Show judge...

FOR just four days the eyes and ears of millions around the world will be focused on the UK.

The canine kingdom will come to a virtual standstill as 23,000 dogs and their owners pour into the NEC in Birmingham.

And as nerves fray and tempers rise you can be assured of a catty remark or backstage rumpus.

In the ring, though, every one is a star trying to impress the judges and win the coveted title.

Welcome to the Greatest Dog Show in the World - Crufts.

Among this year's 23,000 entrants are a large number from Hampshire, all chasing the title of Best in Show.

But this year has a particular Hampshire flavour.

The most respected and revered woman in the auditorium, the Best in Show judge, Jean Lanning, is from King's Somborne, near Winchester.

Televised to millions of people around the world, her every move, and gesture will have people on the edge of their seats trying to gauge her thoughts and predict the outcome.

Miss Lanning talked to the Daily Echo and revealed that her history with canines goes back to childhood.

"When I was at school I didn't want to do anything but work with dogs," she said.

"At the age of seven I wanted to be a kennel maid. I think my father wanted me to further my education but in the end I went to work at a terrier kennel and learned more about dogs."

A proud tradition of dog breeding runs in her family - her mother founded the famous Clausentum Great Danes.

"People choose a name they want to be associated with and submit it to the Kennel Club to use as an 'affix' when they have built up a particular strain. That is what my mother did," she said.

For many years Miss Lanning owned a kennel in Chandler's Ford but she opted to close it ten years ago when her reputation as a judge saw her spending more time away from home.

It was in 2001 that Miss Lanning was asked to judge Best in Show at the Crufts 2005, and she still remembers the day.

"When I got the letter I was so pleased," she said.

"I always hoped it was something I would do. It is a wonderful honour.

"There are many successful shows around the world but none compares with Crufts."

In the past Miss Lanning has judged thousands of dogs in different categories at Crufts but this year it is only the final seven she will see.

Last year it was a whippet called Deedee who stole the show.

Miss Lanning said: "The man in the street often asks how we can compare a chihuahua to a Great Dane. All these dogs have a standard blueprint. You know how a dog should carry itself, the texture of its coat or the way its ears hang. All dogs are basically built the same and we have to judge that they are sound on the day."

One of the Hampshire qualifiers is Maureen Read of Woolston.

She has been competing at dog shows for the past 26 years and said it is a way of life.

This year her 18-month-old male English springer spaniel, Riise, is competing for the first time at Crufts.

"I've qualified dogs most years. Riise's mother, Belle, is also a show dog, but she is not competing this year," she said.

"Some people believe there's money to be made in dog showing but they're wrong. There is no money when you've paid for the vet's bills, food, grooming and travel expenses. Most people do it because they love it."

Riise will be competing in the English springer spaniel special yearling class.

But qualifying for Crufts in the first place is no easy task.

Mrs Read explained that championsip shows are held up and down the country and to qualify for Crufts dogs need to be well placed in a qualifying class.

"Going to the different shows and getting your dog used to them can take time and money. But I think it's pride in your pets that drives you on. I take a lot of pride in my dogs and at the end of the day even the best dog goes home. If you love your dogs you can come home and curl up with them on the sofa and that's what I do."

Out of the city in North Baddesley lives Hugo, a one-year-old Irish setter whose 'official' name is The Pearlfisher from Strathmead.

The grandson of the famous Show Champion Caspians Intrepid, who was Best in Show at Crufts in 1999, Hugo is already a rising star on the dog show scene.

He qualified for Crufts by winning four classes at championship shows in the last year, and crowned that by gaining a highly-prized Junior Warrant award.

His owner, Judi Frampton, said: "A good show dog must have structure, a decent head and good movement - that's what sets a good dog apart from others, the way it moves. But some dogs are so well schooled that they are bored."

Crufts is officially recognised as the largest dog show in the world by the Guinness Book of Records and this year more than 120,000 people are expected to visit the event, which includes some 400 stalls.

Mrs Frampton said there was no event in the world quite like it.

"When you get there, there's always a buzz - it is the shop window of the dog world. It is quite atmospheric and nowadays there are a lot more foreign dogs competing," she said.

"There are a lot of nerves involved as we go there to win, but I'm happy with whatever I get. I have heard of problems existing in other breeds but not in ours. For us it's just a great day out amongst friends."

As well as the Best in Show title, other hotly-contested canine competitions will include the World Obedience competition, which was won by England last year.

There will also be the Kennel Gazette Junior Warrant Final, for younger dogs bidding to show their potential as future Crufts champions.

Crufts 2005 started yesterday with the terrier and hound groups.

Today it is the turn of the toy and utility groups.

Tomorrow gundogs will take centre stage, and on Sunday it is turn of the working and pastoral groups along with the grand finale when Jean Lanning will award Best in Show.

Crufts is hosted by the Kennel Club, which aims to promote and ensure canine welfare.

A spokeswoman for the club said Crufts was the ultimate event for dog lovers around the world.

"It is a massive event," she said.

"We have five halls in the NEC and will be taking up 21 acres. We have 23,717 entrants in thousands of classes and 180 breeds. We have every breed of dog along with 120,000 visitors. It is electric on the day. Crufts has undoubtedly become a truly international event."