All the world and his dog gathered in Brockenhurst for a show that wasn’t to be missed.
During the weekend of August 11-12, 1989, the Bournemouth Canine Association’s Annual Championship Show drew 9,500 furry visitors to the New Forest.
Pampered pooches on parade regarded it as one of the major milestones in their journey to Crufts. If they hadn’t been there already.
But not even high and mighty Crufts could have equalled the sheer leafy beauty of the New Park setting - even with a first-day rain shower thrown in.
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Dog lovers travelled from all over the United Kingdom - from the far north of Scotland to the southern tip of the Channel Islands.
Then-association chairman Lew Horder told the Echo at the time: “We are particularly pleased with our record entry this year.
“It’s against the general trend with quite a few championship shows down.”
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