For residents of Madurai, with little choice of a place to visit with families on weekends, the All Breed Championship Dog Show organised by Madurai Canine Club here on Sunday on Gandhi Memorial Museum ground proved to be a boon.
A large number of people, predominantly dog lovers, visited the show, in which 209 dogs of nearly 40 breeds participated. According to the organisers, the 25th show in the city saw increased participation of native breeds such as Rajapalayam, Chippiparai and Kombai. “More than 40 dogs participating this year belong to native breeds, which is higher compared to previous shows,” said S. Vinayaga Moorthy, president, Madurai Canine Club.
The highlight of the show was the performance of dogs brought by a team called Commando Kennels from Hyderabad, which specialises in providing agility and sporting training for dogs. R.S. Suganthar from the team said that dogs trained by them had been used by clients for various services, including security and patrolling or guarding.
Dogs reared by Vijay Prabhakar, son of Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam president and actor Vijayakant, that were brought to the show also grabbed attention.
The championship show, however, was organised as a breed show, in which awards were presented based on health and growth of the dogs instead of their talents in agility or obedience. “Our main objective is to create awareness of dog-rearing. That is why we focus more on the health aspects,” Mr. Vinayaga Moorthy said.
N. Sivakumar, an engineering student, who visited the show, said that he came to get an idea about various breeds of dogs since he was planning to have a puppy at his home.
According to Mr. Vinayagamoorthy, one best dog will be chosen from every participating breed for the final round. Later, eight best dogs will be chosen for the awards.
