Dog lovers from throughout the region will gather at the North Somerset Show in May to show off the talents of their pets, but none are likely to attract the same amount of attention as “Owd Bob” who wowed the crowds at the first ever dog display at the Show in 1939.

This year’s Show moves from its traditional Monday slot to Sunday 3rd May as the May Bank Holiday has been switched to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

The move prompted a look through the archives which revealed that huge crowds attended in 1939 and the reason was Glyn, a collie dog brought along by its owner William Bagshaw. Glyn had starred as “Owd Bob” in a film of the same name; based on a children’s book, the film had been one of the successes of the year and it attracted thousands of people to see the four-legged star in action at Ashton Court.

The canine film star, who had appeared alongside famous human actors of the day (Will Fyfe, John Loder and Margaret Lockwood) had been brought along to highlight the first Dog Breed Show at the North Somerset Show!

Run by the Bristol Kennel Association, that first dog breed Show saw 180 different classes of competition and with cairn terriers, chow chows, borzois, bloodhounds and more, Ashton Court was overrun with canines. There were dozens of trophies to be won and cash prices were paid out to many of the 800 entrants.

This dog show element of the North Somerset Show has remained as popular as ever and this year will see 42 dog agility classes organised by Severnside Dog Agility Club, under Kennel Club rules with entries closing on March 25. 

Julian Krautmann of Severnside Dog Agility Club said: “We may not have ‘Owd Bob’ but entries are already coming in with dogs from a 100 mile radius. It will certainly be an exciting Show. 

“The vast majority of entries will, like Glyn be collie breeds but we have classes for small, medium and large dogs. Dogs are such an important part of the countryside as both companions and essential workers.” 

There will also be a brand new, fun dog show taking place with entries open to all and classes such as the Best Trick, Waggiest Tail etc. Entries for this will be online soon.

This year is the 161st North Somerset Show with country attractions including livestock, North Somerset’s Strongest Man, crafts, local food and Heavy Horses. For those wanting to be part of this great West Country tradition advance tickets for the 2020 show can be found at www.nsas.org.uk, where you can also find details of the fun dog show. For those wanting to enter their dog in the dog agility see www.severnsideac.co.uk for details.