Inside Crufts biggest controversies from poisoning scandal to streaker as iconic TV competition returns

CRUFTS is back on the box for another year of pampered pooches and strutting canines. However, despite being dubbed the world's most prestigious dog show, over the years the show has been dogged by controversial moments.

POISONING SCANDAL

In 2015, prize-winning Irish Setter Thendara Satisfaction died just days after competing at Crufts. Also known as Jagger, the three-year-old dog keeled over during a walk back home in Belgium, leaving owners Willem and Aleksandra Lauwers devastated. The £50,000 pedigree pooch had reportedly consumed beef laced with poison – sparking allegations of a 'KGB style hit' within the grounds of the National Exhibition Centre.

PEDIGREE BUM

A streaker, wearing a strategically placed cat mask, interrupted judging at Crufts 2010. Mark Roberts, from Liverpool, shocked fans when he ran across the floor during the Gundog competition. He was quickly escorted from the area, allowing judging to continue.

CRUELTY CLAIMS

In 2015, the Best in Show winner Rebecca Cross sparked outrage when she picked up her black Scottish terrier Knopa by the tail. Viewers raged after she lifted the champion pooch off the podium "like a coffee pot." Around 190,000 people signed online petitions calling for Rebecca to be stripped of her prestigious title for alleged animal cruelty.

DANGEROUS DOG

An owner of a prize-winning dog narrowly escaped jail after her pet attacked someone at Crufts in 2014. Lorain Ronis from Luton had been posing with her five-year-old dog Eddie after he triumphed in the Good Citizen Dog category when he lunged at another Akita, causing severe injuries. The judge sentenced her to a 12-month community order and 250 hours of unpaid work.

PROTESTER TACKLED

At the 2018 Crufts, a protester was dramatically tackled to the ground just as the winner was announced live on TV. Animal activists stormed the arena as the Best in Show award was handed over, with security guards rushing to stop them in their tracks. Owner Yvette Short could be seen clutching the overall winner, a two-and-a-half-year-old whippet bitch called Tease, as the chaos unfolded.