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Canines, the cynosure
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The dog show, held recently in the city, was a spectacular one
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THE MADRAS Canine Club's 57th and 58th Championship Dog Show attracted a huge crowd to the University Union Grounds on Spurtank Road, this past weekend. All the lanes leading off the road were lined with vehicles.
On Sunday morning (January 11), it was quite a sight to watch people and dogs emerging from vans and cars. While the show had attracted over 400 entries, over 300 dogs from around the country turned up. Dogs such as the Irish Setter, Rottweiler, Pekingese, Neopolitan Mastiff and the lion-faced Chow-Chow were the cynosure of all eyes. About 40 breeds participated.
(Actually, the show got off to a spectacular start on Saturday evening with a Dobermann Pinscher Speciality National Show, followed by an "obedience" show.)
On the other hand, the whole of Sunday witnessed a breed show. In the sub-events leading up to the grand "Best-In-Show" event, different breeds were assessed for their resemblance to their respective breed standard.
Two editions of the show were conducted simultaneously. While judge Mario Magsayasay from the Philippines was in-charge of the 57th edition, judge Luiz Fernando from Brazil was the adjudicator for the 58th edition. Someone in the audience observed that the German Shepherds and Dobermanns always walked away with the "Best-In-Show" titles. Later in the evening, he was proved wrong as a whippet called Est Satyr won the 57th edition, and an Irish Setter (Ballymera's Indomitable Spirit) won the other.
In the pavilion, there were a few interesting people to meet. Actress Shalini Ajitkumar was watching the proceedings. Two of her golden retrievers were in the fray. If Ajit has his racing cars, Shalini has her dogs. An inveterate dog lover, she has three golden retrievers and two German Shepherds as pets. They are, in order of age, Honey, Pepper, Butter, Pickles and Chilli. "I would love to visit the Westminster dog show sometime," she disclosed.
Just like Shalini, eight-year-old Prithivraj (alias Shiv) was giving interviews. A little taller than the Irish Setter (Fleetwood's Autumn Tapestry) he was handling, Shiv stood head and shoulders above the grown-up handlers. Professional down to the bootstraps, the boy proved himself in a "man's world". In the finale, his Irish Setter was adjudged the "Best-In-Show Bred in India" in both editions.
When the sub-events were on, some spectators trotted off to the stalls, which presented an interesting medley — a clinic for artificial insemination of dogs, veterinary wings of well-known pharmaceutical companies, dog sellers, dog trainers and dog product sellers. People were seen splurging on pedigree charts, chews, leashes and nutrition tonics.
But, it was the huge stalls set up by Hotel Raaj Bhaavan and Hotel Sangeetha that drew the crowds. The sub-events saw the dogs and their owners "play a waiting game". While dog owners were interestedly leafing through the catalogue, meant to be a guide for the show, the dogs kipped down on bed-sheets spread out on the grass. Some dogs were sound asleep, recharging their batteries for the battle.
PRINCE FREDERICK
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