Petition Surpasses 20,000 Signatures Demanding Crufts 2026 Best in Show Title Be Stripped

A Change.org petition formally delivered to The Kennel Club had collected 22,963 signatures by 10am on March 16, demanding that Crufts strip the 2026 Best in Show title from handler Lee Cox following reports of a decades-old animal cruelty conviction.

Cox had won the title on March 7 at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, leading Bruin, a four-year-old Clumber spaniel from Somerset, past the winners of six other groups and roughly 18,000 competitors in total. Judge Tamas Jakkel made the selection, awarding Cox a replica trophy and £200 in cash. It was the first time a Clumber spaniel had taken Best in Show since 1991.

The backlash began after it was reported that Cox was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to a black cocker spaniel named Adam, following a three-day trial at Sedgemoor Magistrates' Court in September 2001. The Kennel Club, responding to earlier coverage, described the conviction as "an isolated incident 25 years ago" and said Cox had maintained an "unblemished record" since.

Kylie-Jo Cope, a dog owner from Lincolnshire, launched the petition on Change.org shortly after the conviction became public. It gathered more than 15,000 signatures within the first 24 hours according to some outlets, and by March 14 Cope confirmed in a petition update that it had crossed 21,000 in just over three days. By March 16, the Express & Star reported the count at 22,963, with a separate snapshot from the Change.org page showing a figure of 24,216, though that number carried no explicit timestamp.

Beyond demanding a review of the title, the petition calls on The Kennel Club to remove Cox's trophy and prize and to enforce a lifetime ban on anyone with an animal cruelty conviction from competing at Crufts. The petition text states: "We believe The Kennel Club must act now — to protect the reputation of Crufts, to uphold strong animal welfare standards, and to make it clear that cruelty and prestige can never sit side by side."

In her March 14 update, Cope wrote: "Thank you to everyone who has supported this petition. In just over three days we have reached over 21,500 signatures from people who care deeply about animal welfare and the integrity of Crufts. Because of your support, the petition has now been formally sent to The Kennel Club requesting a review of the Best in Show title and the circumstances surrounding the handler."

Cox, speaking immediately after the win before the conviction reporting emerged, said of Bruin: "He's just, he's a dog of a lifetime, he really, really is. He's very, very special. I absolutely adore him. And he adores me."

The Kennel Club had not issued a public response to the formal petition submission as of the time of reporting. Separately, calls have emerged for Channel 4 to stop airing Crufts coverage, though no broadcaster response had been reported.