St Bernard BOB fails Category 3 health check at Crufts

If you were paying attention to the coverage of Crufts on Sunday night (9th March 2025), you may have noticed that one breed was missing from the Working Group lineup: the St Bernard. This is because the Best of Breed winner did not pass their Category 3 health check.

The award is currently showing as “Not Confirmed” on Fosse Data:

The Category 3 health checks, commonly referred to as “vet checks”, were first introduced at Crufts in 2012, following public criticism and increased scrutiny of the health and welfare aspects of dog showing and pedigree dogs in general. All championship show judges are required to complete a breed health monitoring form for each appointment, regardless of the breed’s category, but there are certain breeds “with visible health concerns linked to exaggerated conformation, requiring increased support and proactive measures”. At championship shows run by the Kennel Club, the Best of Breed winners in these Category 3 breeds are therefore subject to examination and sign off by a vet before their award can be confirmed – or withheld. (You can read more about the regulations here.)

All of the other Category 3 Bests of Breed at Crufts 2025 passed their mandatory checks. These breeds are as follows: Bassett Hound, Bulldog, Dogue de Bordeaux, French Bulldog, German Shepherd Dog, Mastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, Pug, and Pekingese. (The Dogue de Bordeaux was also absent from the Group, but we understand that this was simply due to logistics.)

The reason for the failure of the St Bernard is not yet publicly known. The Birmingham Mail reports that Arena presenters simply said “the dog did not pass the veterinary health checks and could not proceed into the group judging”. So far, the Kennel Club has not commented on its omission from the Group, nor are they likely to do so.

It should be noted that the situation regarding the health and welfare of pedigree dogs has – in our opinion – vastly improved since 2012. Objectively, in 2012 there were 15 breeds on the Breed Watch Category 3 list; now there are only 10. At Crufts 2012, six Bests of Breed failed their vet checks; this year it was only one. The Kennel Club also introduced additional qualifying criteria for certain brachycephalic breeds this year, to ensure that only those dogs which were consciously bred and ‘fit for function’ are in attendance and rewarded at the highest level of championship dog showing. None of these improvements would be possible without the dedicated breeders who use their experience, education, and knowledge to better their breeds with each generation.

There were 44 St Bernards entered on Sunday, judged by Mrs K Fitzsimmons. If anyone connected with the Best of Breed winner would like to comment, we will happily publish your statements.

By: Laura Patricia, Editor