How important are dogs to people in Birmingham?

National World - LocalTV

Crufts 2025 has finished, but how do people feel about dogs in everyday life? Do they own one? Would they like to? And do they really deserve the title of man’s best friend? We hit the streets of Birmingham to find out.

Transcript

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.

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