Visit us at Crufts 2025

Crufts is a celebration of all dogs – and we’re delighted that once again Pets As Therapy will be attending the event at Birmingham NEC from 6-9 March.

Please come along and say hello to us. We’ll be in Hall 4 at Stand 160.

We're also proud to say that PAT Team Emily & Tilly are finalists in The Kennel Club Hero Dog Award. This wonderful volunteering duo have been entered under the category 'Rescue Dog Hero' . Tilly, a Chihuahua cross Terrier was found abandoned with her siblings in a plastic washing basket on a roundabout at only 4 weeks old, all exhibited horrific signs of neglect and their chances of survival were pretty bleak. Having been rescued and given the vital care and treatment required to give them best chance at life, Tilly was subsequently fostered by Emily who says "as soon as she came in through the door, I knew this was going to be her home for the rest of her life".

Tilly has now passed her Bronze and Silver Good Citizen Scheme award and working towards her Gold. At 9 months old Tilly was registered with Pets As Therapy and now visit a residential care home and college. In addition to her visiting, Tilly provides a great deal of support and comfort to Emily who underwent spinal surgery and suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. Tilly is learning to alert Emily about her medical conditions, often helping through behaviour interruption, providing the confidence Emily needs to be able to go about her day to day activities.

"It's such a privilege to be a finalist for this award and it's exciting to be going to Crufts," smiles Emily. "I'm so proud of Tilly for what she has accomplished already despite her poor start in life. She is such an amazing little dog and loves her work with Pets As Therapy. She shows that rescue dogs can bring so much joy to so many people."

Please vote for PAT Team Emily & Tilly - please do this before 4pm on Sunday 9 March.

Crufts facts and figures

Last year, over 150,000 visitors attended Crufts – along with over 20,000 four-legged friends.
The first Crufts took place at the Royal Agricultural Hall in Islington, London, in 1891.
The first Best in Show winner was a Greyhound called Primley Sceptre in 1928.
Crufts is named after its founder, Charles Cruft, a British businessman who was employed as a general manager for a dog biscuit manufacturer.
The Discover Dogs area of Crufts gives visitors the chance to meet over 200 different dog breeds.
The Cocker Spaniel has won the most Best in Show titles, with seven wins. The Irish Setter, Poodle and Welsh Terrier have won on four occasions each.
Golden Retrievers are the most popular breed to enter the Gundog group. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier takes top spot for entries in the Terrier group, with Whippets leading the way in the Hound group.