Dogs donning colourful outfits strut their stuff as Crufts returns

The international dog show is taking place at the NEC in Birmingham.

A Samoyed dog named Felicity in the snow on the first day of the Crufts Dog Show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham (Jacob King/PA) (PA Wire)

Dogs donned bright coats and knitted hats as they battled the snow to be named best in show at Crufts.

Annual dog show Crufts, which is taking place between March 9 and 12 this year, welcomed back to the ring a host of animals, all vying to take home the win.

In a bid to impress judges, the furry competitors turned up to the event in their finest outfits.

One dog wore a bright yellow knitted hat, as well as a red and blue fleece, amid a backdrop of snow.

Others opted for bright jackets, with a Pyrenean mountain dog sporting an extremely thick purple and red number destined to keep the wearer warm.

A Samoyed dog named Felicity seemed to be perfecting her winner’s pose as she shielded herself from the snow under a rainbow umbrella.

A pink onesie, zebra print top and beige Burberry scarf were some of the other standout clothing items worn by the dogs.

Snowstorms are due to affect large parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland on Thursday following the coldest March temperature in more than a decade which was recorded on Wednesday night – minus 16C at Altnaharra in the Highlands.

Crufts is taking place at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, where viewers and dogs are set to be kept on their toes, with the latter expected to jump through a few hoops if they are to reign supreme.