THE world and his dog gathered in Brockenhurst for a show they would have been barking mad to have missed.

The Bournemouth Canine Association’s Annual Championship Show was such a success, it drew a total of 9,500 furry visitors to the New Forest over the weekend of August 11-12, 1989.

Certainly for many of the pampered pooches on parade, it was a major milestone in their proud progress to Crufts. That is, if they hadn’t already been there.

But not even high and mighty Crufts could have equalled the shear leafy beauty of the New Park setting - even with the odd first day rain shower thrown in.

Dog lovers travelled from all over the United Kingdom - from the far north of Scotland to the southern tip of the Channel Islands.

Then-association chairman Lew Horder told the Echo at the time: “We are particularly pleased with our record entry this year.

“It’s against the general trend with quite a few championship shows down.”