A commotion broke out at the popular puppy pageant, with the protesters named by organisers as having come from the animal rights group PETA
A PROTESTER was dramatically tackled to the ground during the Crufts dog show just as the winner was announced live on TV.
Intruders, believed to be animal activists, stormed the arena as the Best in Show award was handed over, with security guards rushing to stop them in their tracks.
Owner Yvette Short, of Edinburgh, could be seen clutching the overall winner, a two-and-a-half-year-old whippet bitch called Tease, as the chaos unfolded at NEC Birmingham.
She had proudly stepped up onto the podium with the pooch as the intruders sprinted onto the grounds.
But Ms Short quickly grabbed Tease as protesters were cornered by security in front of the live audience, who began to boo.
The crowd then broke into applause as the intruders were taken away.
One of the intruders was named by Crufts organisers as a protester from the animal rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
TV host Clare Balding praised Crufts champion Yvette Short for winning a coveted prize while avoiding the intruder in the ring.
As the terrified champ grabbed her dog in her arms, the host said: “Your instinct was to protect your dog Tartan.
"Well done for reacting so quickly."
Ms Balding praised the audience for keeping calm before telling the winner: “Your achievement was wonderful.”
A PETA Twitter account shared a video of the incident on social media, saying: "Wow! @PETAUK disrupts @Crufts dog show where sad, inbred dogs with physical problems are paraded around for prizes that go to their breed-happy owners. #AdoptDontBuy".
Crufts and the NEC Group said they are to review its security procedure as "a matter of urgency" as the scare frightened the dogs and risked their safety.
A Crufts spokesman said: "It appears that protesters from Peta gained unauthorised access to the ring in the main arena at Crufts, and in doing so scared the dogs and put the safety of both dogs and people at risk in a hugely irresponsible way.
"Our main priority at the moment is the wellbeing of the dogs that were in the ring, who are looked after by their owners and show officials.
"The NEC Group have extensive security procedures in place at Crufts and we, along with the NEC Group, will be reviewing what happened as a matter of urgency."
Peta UK later tweeted a clip of the invasion and claimed activists were protesting against extreme breeding and carrying banners which said "Crufts: Canine Eugenics".
It said there were two intruders and named them as members of the Vegan Strike Group which bills itself as fighters against animal abuse.
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