The Gandhi Memorial Museum ground here was buzzing with activity on Sunday as nearly 200 canine showstoppers wooed the audience at the 19th and 20th All Breed Champion Dog Show organised by the Madurai Canine Club.
The show came to a close in the evening with a round of the short-listed canines doing a final line-up. Two Dobermans were declared champions of the 19th and 20th championship respectively. An Afghan Hound and an Irish Setter came second, and a Labrador and a Afghan Hound came third respectively.
Hundreds of canine lovers witnessed the visual treat as the dogs were paraded by their proud owners in two arenas. According to the organisers, dogs belonging to at least 30 breeds took part in the competition. Canines from all over Tamil Nadu and neighbouring States participated in the event.
C.V. Sudarshan and Yasodhara Hemchandra from the Kennel Club of India were the judges.
According to the organisers, Afghan Hounds and a Siberian Husky were the special entries. The Canine Club has been organising the event since 2001.
N. Varadharajan, one of the members of the club, said that apart from organising the competition, the club gave suggestions to the breeders and owners of the dogs on taking good care of their pets.
R. Manikandan of Coimbatore was one happy man as Jojo, his Miniature Pinsher, won the challenger champion trophy. His Chihuahua, which he calls Black Moon, was the cynosure of all eyes. Belonging to one of the world’s smallest breed of dogs, measuring less than 10 inches, Black Moon was one of the rare breeds that participated in the show.
Scotty, an Irish Setter from Chennai, was another major attraction for canine lovers in the show. “Irish Setter is basically a gundog, predominantly used by hunters,” said E.C. Selva, who accompanied Gopalakrishnan, the owner of Scotty. As Scotty patiently posed with its admirers, Mr. Selva added that the dog is a regular in such shows and has won several prizes.
