00:00Crufts is a celebration of dogs in all shapes and sizes, from highly trained show champions
00:06to the everyday pets that fill homes across Birmingham. But beyond the spotlight of the NEC,
00:12owning a dog is a big decision. For many, a dog is part of the family, a companion,
00:17a protector and even a best friend. Others see pet ownership as too much responsibility,
00:23too expensive or just not for them. Some people grow up with dogs and wouldn't be without one.
00:29While others have never had a pet in their life. So in a city as big as Birmingham,
00:34how many people actually own a dog? And if they don't, what's holding them back?
00:40Yes, I do. So I've got two dogs. I've got a Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Stan, who's 13.
00:46And literally in October, we rescued a greyhound and she's called Sandy. Mainly own them because
00:53my kids, who are now older, conned me into having these dogs. But I'm the one that looks
00:59after these dogs and probably love them the most. I've actually got two dogs, two Frenchies,
01:05Rocco and Baxter. Yes, I do. I own seven dogs. I think they're great companions.
01:12I love all of their characters. They're all their own sort of individual personalities.
01:18I don't actually own a dog, but I have done in the past. And the dog wasn't really trained,
01:22so we actually got out the back of the garden and bit somebody. So after that experience,
01:27I didn't want to really have the responsibility of owning a dog again.
01:31Owning a dog isn't just about having a pet, it's a commitment. Some people choose a specific breed,
01:37looking for particular traits or appearances, while others believe every dog deserves a chance,
01:42no matter their background. Rescue centres across Birmingham are full of dogs in need of homes,
01:48yet pedigree dogs remain as popular as ever. For some, getting a dog from a breeder means
01:54certainty in size, temperament and health history. But others believe adopting a rescue dog is the
02:00better choice, giving a loving home to an animal that needs it. So when it comes to choosing a dog,
02:06do people in Birmingham think a pedigree is worth it, or is a rescue the way to go?
02:11Well, there you go. I've already adopted a rescue, so that's kind of my answer.
02:15Stan wasn't. He's not pedigree, but he was a replacement dog for a dog that we died,
02:22and it was to make my daughter happy. I think there's some fantastic rescues out there. We've
02:26got a mix of pedigrees. We've got non-pedigrees, but we've owned them from a puppy. We've also got
02:31some rescues. I think they're all their own individual personalities. I don't think you
02:36can say that a pedigree dog is any better than any other dog. You can have pedigrees that have
02:41got health issues. You can have some non-pedigrees that are perfectly healthy. I think it's each to
02:48their own as to why you want to own a dog, why you want to own that particular breed.
02:52And certainly rescues, a lot of the time, it's not the dog's fault that it's in a rescue.
02:56So I think they're definitely worth a chance.
