Crufts 2007

People do still ask me about Crufts, as though I am some sort of expert on dogs. I am not. My ignorance on breeds knows no bounds. My main interest at Crifts is always in Mary Ray, who was my brilliant mentor when I was on Faking It. I don't know if she performed last night, I'll have to find out. Whenever she performs it's astonishing, and I saw first hand what a truly remarkable bond she has with her dogs. She speaks to them like you and I would speak, except probably a bit more high brow, and they get it.

Border Collies remain my favourite dog, and the prospect of owning one has always seemed to me one of the few consolations for growing up.

But apart from that, the only part of Crufts I can relate to is the agility part. This was the bit of Faking It I really enjoyed, and I used one of Mary's dogs, Taz, to do it on the show (not shown). My very first round was clear, so I was OK at it too.

The rest - showing dogs and obedience - just seemed a little odd to me. In fact, on my daily diaries on Faking It I openly questioned whether showing dogs was altogether healthy, and likened it to Doggy Apartheid. This wasn't shown, which is just as well because I would only have been showing my ignorance. I see a Tibetan Terrier won Best in Show. My grandparents owned one of those once, and I've learned to value the existence of different breeds as they allow lots of different people to own a dog. I've also seen first hand how much these dogs enjoy strutting round the ring. It also encourages closer relationships between dog and owner, and that has to be a good thing.

So whilst it's still not really my cup of tea, I think showing dogs is for the most part completely healthy for dog and owner alike and I'd love to go back to Crufts one day, even if it's just to see Mary Ray and the dogs.