The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Super show by super canines

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Saturday, Dec 09, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Super show by super canines

Vani Doraisamy

Their performance mystifies international judges "Intention is not to judge dogs but to educate breeders on peculiarities of each breed"

CHENNAI: Living a dog's life got a whole new meaning on Friday with 250 super canines showing the world what `doggedness' actually meant.

At the Madras Canine Club's 74th and 75th Dog Shows, participants in the five specialty shows--Great Danes, Golden Retrievers, Pugs, Dobermann Pinschers and Boxers--had one thing in common: a show-stealing quality that left the international judges bemused as to who actually got to wear the crowns. They had come from all over the country, not to speak of Gangways Hum Vee, the Retriever champ who had come from Thailand.

In the end, the eight `Best in Show' awards and the `Best Puppy in Show' and `Best in Show, Bred in India' honours went to the canines that were closest to international standards as far as height, weight, length, movement, structure and appearance went.

Not an easy job by any means, especially for judge Luis Pinto Teixora from Portugal upon whom fell the task of judging the Retrievers. ``I have never seen so many beauties in one place, though I myself have been a breeder for 15 years,'' he said as the canines ran graceful circles around him.

``The first day has been a resounding success, especially as the number of absentees has been low. The intention is not just to judge the dogs but also educate the breeders on the peculiarities of each breed,'' said C.V. Sudarsan, show secretary, Madras Canine Club.

A total of 50 Dobs, 60 Retrievers, 50 Great Danes, 62 pugs and 34 Boxers competed in the shows, which will continue into Saturday as the Kennel Club of India's First International Championship Dog Show that will have some of the rarest breeds sweating it out under the Chennai sun.

By no means dogged down, some of the canines had been transported to the venue in superlative comfort.

Nine-month-old pug, Natasha, for example, had a carrier box fitted with a battery-powered fan and a pram-like contraption for wheeling her around.

Saturday promises to be even more interesting with rare Indian breeds such as the Chippiparai sharing show space with the likes of the Molossoid Breeds and Swiss Mountain dogs.

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