“We first saw Blackie in a slum in Vyasarpadi,” says a young owner whose words are greeted with loud whoops from the audience. In her arms is a cheerful mongrel sporting a shiny black fur coat and sunglasses with green frames. Minutes later, owner Sujatha introduces Moti, a puppy that was born deaf and abandoned outside her house. She reflexively whispers reassurances into Moti's ear, and reveals that when she found out about the handicap, she was determined to make the snow white dog a member of the family. Teddy who survived a horrific injury and paralysis as a homeless pup walks confidently, in step with his beaming owner.
While the rescue stories differ vastly, a clear pattern emerges — a homeless puppy with a bleak future becomes the pampered head of the household. With 75 rescue-cum-adoption stories, all of which included hard beginnings and hard-to-believe fairytale endings, the judges at the annual Blue Cross Wacky Mongrel Show wrung their hands for several minutes before declaring that extra trophies would need to be ordered.
“This was really tough,” said actor and dog-lover Anuja Iyer, who observed that the trend of adopting non-pedigree pups from the streets or shelters is one that deserves to be encouraged. She rues that the problem of caste rears its ugly head when it comes to dogs too.
Actor Prasanna, who was the chief guest, gave away prizes for ‘Best Rescue' and ‘Survivor' and endorsed the concept of adoption of homeless pets as an ethical alternative to the pedigree trade. “We bring in dogs from foreign countries and they struggle in our heat,” he said.
Actor-director Veera also made a brief speech inviting people to open their hearts and homes to needy animals, irrespective of breed. “These dogs love you like any other dog would,” he said.
Blue Cross volunteer Arvind Vasudevan observed that this was an event that's starkly different from other dog shows in the country. “We don't make them perform tricks or go through obstacle courses. We just want them to be natural.” The only portion of the show that had a competitive element was the kissing contest. Owners nervously led their dogs to the stage and listened for the ‘score' as their pooches slobbered over them.
Music director Ramesh Vinayagam made a special appearance to lend his support to the cause of adoption and congratulated the participants, all of whom received gold medals strung on satin ribbons — “Hell is to be born an animal. They can't express their pain. They can't say: I've been run over, I cannot walk. You are all Samaritans. You have given these dogs life, and elevated them to a different level altogether”.
