Whereas the early show scene had been dominated by
men, it was, by the 1890s, attracting increasing numbers
of female supporters, many from within the aristocracy.
Not surprisingly these independently minded educated
‘Ladies’ decide to form themselves into the Ladies
Kennel Association, complete with clubhouse and
in-house magazine, ‘The Ladies Kennel Journal’, at one
point they even attempted to establish their own
Stud Book, and Registration system. This determination
must have rattled the Kennel Club, for they introduced
their own ‘Ladies Branch to the Kennel Club’, under the
chairmanship of Her Grace the Duchess of Newcastle, with separate facilities within the Kennel Club’s own premises, before the end of the decade.
Radical reforms to the show structure and the way the Champion’s title was granted featured high on a list of changes instigated by the Kennel Club as the Victorian Era drew to its close, these particular reforms formally announced in the following manner:
“The committee of the Kennel Club shall select and publish in the ‘Kennel Gazette’ a list of shows, which shall be called Championship Shows. The committees of the selected shows shall provide in such breed or varieties of a breed as the committee of the Kennel Club may determine, championship prizes, which prizes shall be awarded without any extra entry fee, to the best dog of its breed or variety in the show, in addition to any other prize or prizes the dog may have won at the show when competing in its right class. A dog having won three of the above-mentioned championship prizes shall have the title of ‘Champion’ ”
