Dogs Day Out! ‘Man’s Best Friends’ Wow Crowd at KCC Nat’l Level K-9 Show

Dogs Day Out! ‘Man’s Best Friends’ Wow Crowd at KCC Nat’l Level K-9 Show

Dogs Day Out! ‘Man’s Best Friends’ Stole the Show at Karavali Canine Club National Level K-9/Dog Show

Mangaluru: Exit Cricketers! Enter Canines! That’s right- Mangaluru’s popular Nehru Maidan, where on a Lazy Sunday is packed with cricketers, was taken over by a few hundred canines/dogs, who had taken a “Day Out” to unleash their talents in front of their Masters/owners and a huge crowd. While the bunch of dogs went “Bow..Bow..”, the crowd that got enthralled by the acts of the canines went “Wow..Wow..?”. Comments from the dog-lovers at the Show like “Look at that Great Dane! Wow, he’s huge!!”; “Isn’t that a Doberman or a Pit Bull?”; “Look at that fancy Poodle with a cute bow!”; “That’s an Akita, and its cute!”; “OMG, just look at that Rottweiler, hpe it won’t pounce on me?”; “Bunch of Daschunds, how cute?”..etc etc. Participants, other than a few from Mangaluru, had brought their dogs for the contest, all the way from Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Punjab, Pune, Kolapur, Mysuru, Bengaluru, Madikeri, Chikkmagaluru – and many other places.

Yes, A dog show is a dog encyclopedia come alive. Even small shows feature dozens of breeds – a few of these, a handful of those, and one or two of something else. Spectators can marvel at the shapes and sizes and colors of “man’s best friend” and incidentally learn something about the dog fancy, that loose-knit group of people whose lives revolve around dogs and dog shows. Behind the pomp and circumstance of the show is serious purpose – the production of physically and mentally healthy dogs to preserve the integrity of breeds and provide companions to work and play with human families. Spectators see dogs that are bathed and dried and combed and brushed and primped and preened until they shine, then paraded around a ring in front of a judge who hands out ribbons without a word of explanation – a process guaranteed to leave them wondering why the white Akita in ring three got the first place ribbon or the cute Dachshund puppy in ring one didn’t get a ribbon at all.

Dog shows are confusing to the casual observer. It’s often tough to follow the schedule, understand the judging process, or figure out why one dog was chosen over another. Questions abound: What makes that fawn-colored Great Dane a winner? Why are some breeds divided by size or color and others not? And just what is the judge looking for when he looks at a dog’s mouth, feels its ribs, or watches it gait around the ring? All this and much more was enjoyed by the large crowd that thronged for the Dog Show at Nehru Maidan on Sunday, 21 January from 10 am-6pm, organized by Karavali Canine Club. For all those who didn’t make it to this Dog Show, sorry, you missed one of the best dog entertainment/show in a long time.

There were nearly 200 dogs from 31 different breeds which entered into the contest, including Indian breeds like the Rajapalayam from Tamil Nadu and Mudhol Hound from Karnataka, amidst the Japanese breed Akita, Central Mediterranean breed-Maltese, and German breed- Dogue de Bordeaux It was indeed a ‘Paw’ty time! – with other breeds of dogs like Golden Retrievers, Labradors, Pugs, Siberian huskies, Beagle, Boxers, American Staffordshire Terrier, Great Danes, French Bulldog, Alsatians, Cocker Spaniels, German shepherds and many other breeds participating in event thereby showing their best talents and their features.This show was unique, so unique that each dog surprised the spectators with their own special personality. No rules, no tricks, no marks for jumping through a ring or following the master’s orders. Heck, in this show, the dog was the master. That’s good- we need to love our dogs, the way they are meant to be, not the way they are ‘expected’ to be.

Added to all the above breeds, one cute little Miniature Pinscher literally stole the show, where many took photos and selfies, and even hugged and carried it in their arms and shoulders. One dog trainer at the competition said, on an average, a dog should be at least eight months old to participate in such shows and competitions because puppies get unnerved when they are dropped in the middle of a pack at such shows. However, any breed, including native varieties, can participate in the obedience trials. The level of obedience, according to trainers, depends on the bond between the animal and its handler. There were some interesting moments at the show when some dogs ran away with the objects they were meant to retrieve for their handlers, as part of obedience tests. Some other dogs began to play with the object until it was forcefully taken away by their handlers.

The winners were judged by a panel of international judges, namely Ms Elena Kuleshova-Russia; Shharat Sharma- from Gurgaon; and Yogesh Tuteja from Amritsar . Dog owners, too, appeared excited while participating in the show. “I hope my dog will get a good grade from the judges as I have been preparing him for this event for past few months,” said Ramu, owner of a Siberian husky. The dogs owners were equal enthusiasts. Canines of various sizes were combed and pampered to their best ahead of the contest. It was a really appreciative crowd that saw the dogs perform little antics as they walked: they ran, barked at their competitors and had their day of fun outdoors. There was no dearth of canine prowess to observe: visitors could watch cuddly, doe-eyed Golden Retrievers and Labradors or admire the athletic brawn of the working dogs, including Great Danes, Boxers and Dobermans.

The pets were made to walk and then the owners had to take them for a run around the ring. Some pets ran around with zest, racing against the rest, while some had the crowd in splits when they suddenly stopped in between to chase other dogs. One could hear exotic pet names being chanted as the crowd around the ring cheered the canines. The contest was held in different categories for different breeds. Stalls selling accessories, food, toiletries and other grooming equipment for canines attracted the crowd. A dog show is like a beauty contest for dogs. Each breed had a specified breed standard as per international norms. While judging, the judge basically looked at how close to that breed standard each dog resembles. Among the winners of these classes, the judge will select the ‘ Best of Breed’, and ‘ Best of Group’. At the end of the day, all the ‘Best of Groups’ will assemble and amidst great excitement the judge finally selects the “Best Dog in the Show”.

Ramesh from Bengaluru with his 24 month old pure Doberman named ” Arya” which he bought for Rs 50,000 has won many ‘CC” awards at various dog shows, including two awards at the Bangalore Canine shows 2013, 2014 and 2016. Surendra Manelkar from Mumbai, has come down to Mangaluru with his two Bulldogs and one Doberman-all these dogs are prize winners in the Mumbai and Chennai Canine shows. Lobo Jacobs from Bengaluru, with his six dogs-Alsatian, Rottweiler and Bull Dogs, which are of 2 years, 18 months, 10 months and 11 months old have been very active and won many prizes in the past shows. Ganghadar Naik was with his 1 year old Indian bred Rottweiler named ” Spike”, a name kept by his son- he had bought this dog for Rs 20,000, and this is the third year that “Spike” paraded in front of the huge spectators. Naik was hoping that his dog will win, because it had some rigorous training under the police team.

“Baby Beauty is a very lovely dog. She is very possessive about her loved ones. She is very obedient, loving and caring and is like a family member,” said canine lover Ayesha Sultana of Coronation Kennels, Bengaluru about her Miniature Pinscher. Ayesha also had brought Shih tzu, Siberian husky and English cocker spaniel along with Pinscher who hogged the limelight at the show. Karavali Canine Club secretary Prasad Aithal said the main aim of the club is to promote ethical breeding of canines and also provide a platform for dog lovers to share experiences.. “Ethical breeding and registration of canines are our major objectives. Dog shows help people understand the significance of ethical breeding and also provide platform for canine lovers to share views. Interested people in Mangaluru got an opportunity to see rare breeds of dogs and learn more about dogs.”

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