Charles Cruft (showman)

Charles Cruft (* 1852, † September 10, 1938 ) was a British entrepreneur and founder of the Crufts Dog Show.

Life

Cruft refused to enter at the age of 14 years, his father's jewelry store and applied instead the dog biscuit manufacturer James Spatt. He rose to the company's management and managed to expand the company into a retail giant.

As a dog food producer, he came up with the idea to organize exhibitions in order to increase sales of his company. 1878 was the first place in Paris. Confirmed by success followed in 1886 Terrier show in London, which was continued from 1891 as Cruft's Dog Show for all dog breeds. After his death, his wife asked the UK Kennel Club to take over this show. Today Crufts is the largest dog show in the world.

Due to the influence of Charles Cruft, the popularity of purebred dogs rose, and in his environment created breed standards and breed dog clubs.