“I like any dog which is friendly,” said eight-year-old Advaith. He was one of the many enthusiastic kids who wanted to touch and cuddle every dog on display at the Madras Canine Club’s 94th and 95th dog show here on Sunday. “We have a labrador at home and he literally owns it,” said his dad, Praveen Krishna. There were curious enquiries from visitors about the particular breed of various dogs and many kids were trying their best to convince the grown-ups that a pet at home is a good idea.
“I came here looking for puppies. I used to have two dogs at home,” said Venkat, a dog lover. “Once you have a pet at home, they become an integral part of the family. It is very difficult to live without a pet after that.”
According to Shalini Singh, shows like these are great for dog lovers who live in flats and cannot own a pet. “I at least get to see breeds like golden retrievers once in a while. It is amazing to see so many dogs in one place.”
Apart from dog lovers, there were obliging parents who were at the show just for their children. “My son wanted a dog for the past two years,” said Chandrasekharan, a visitor. “He likes to see big dogs like the Great Dane and Mastiff.” The dogs were judged on various parameters such as breed standard, obedience trails and agility trails. The show attracted close to 400 entries, comprising about 50 breeds from all over India.
