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Crufts 2020: Rescue dog agility goes awry as thief steals equipment

ByWesley Coburn|
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 05: A Border Collie leaps a jump during the agility section on one of Crufts 2020 at the National Exhibition Centre on March 5, 2020 in Birmingham, England. Crufts, the world’s biggest dog show got under way this morning. The annual event has restrictions in place due to the coronavirus outbreak however is still expected to attract thousands of dogs and their owners to the four day event. Royal Canin, a petfood company and one of the dog show’s major sponsors, advised its representatives to stay away from large events like Crufts "unless it is business critical.”(Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 05: A Border Collie leaps a jump during the agility section on one of Crufts 2020 at the National Exhibition Centre on March 5, 2020 in Birmingham, England. Crufts, the world’s biggest dog show got under way this morning. The annual event has restrictions in place due to the coronavirus outbreak however is still expected to attract thousands of dogs and their owners to the four day event. Royal Canin, a petfood company and one of the dog show’s major sponsors, advised its representatives to stay away from large events like Crufts "unless it is business critical.”(Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

One competitor at the Crufts 2020 rescue dog agility competition was having none of the “let’s be focused” mentality out there. Not at all.

In fact, the Crufts 2020 rescue dog agility competitor named Kratu completely abandoned his run halfway through.

What’s more, this isn’t the first time it’s happened, according to a comment on Twitter from the dog’s account.

As for what happened when Kratu took to the course, well….see for yourself.

This is very similar to what happened when a dog named Lobo ran last month at the 2020 Masters Agility Championship, only possibly even more of a fiasco.

Kratu veered off course and through the tunnel repeatedly before ambling in circles through the arena, much to the crowd’s delight. The announcers were rather taken aback by this performance, especially after Kratu snatched a bar from one of the jumps and hauled it away as a chew toy before a final lap through the tunnel.

As he is apparently retiring from agility to focus on his duties as an assistance dog and therapy dog, we’re glad he was able to end with a bang.

The announcers remarked that all this activity made Kratu a “rascal,” which seems pretty accurate, as repeated pleas from the human half of their team went unheeded.

This sort of happy-go-lucky in the moment joy is part of the reason we love dogs, though, in addition to serving as a reference point for all the backyard pets as compared to the focus, dedication and training of the canine athletes. (This would also be entertaining at the Olympics later this summer.)

The events of Crufts 2020, including several varieties of agility in addition to flyball and the main conformation show, are taking place from Thursday, March 5 to Sunday, March 8, at the National Exhibition Centre near Birmingham, England. For more information, see their website for more details.

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