Here a bow, there a meow

Pet lovers showed up in full force at the Petex India

Size didn’t matter. Nor did the fact that some of them were ferocious. At the three-day pet industry expo, PETEX India held last weekend, every visitor was in awe of the dogs, cats and birds that were brought in. If you thought you need to cheer and clap for your child’s first race, look at the pet parents. Animal lovers sat patiently through various rounds of the dog show where the participating pets of various breeds were judged for posture, coordination, grooming and other points to vie for the coveted ‘best’ prize.

The parking at Hitex was chock-a-block with cars and bikes of visitors who wanted to see, touch, pet and cuddle the furry beauties. These meetings also made them realise that dogs don’t just randomly shake hands when asked to. Many pet parents seem annoyed when visitors innocently extended their hand to greet. “That is not the only trick that a dog does. Also, pets are moody. Almost everyone wants to shake hands and I find it very annoying,” said Alka Rana, who came with her pet dog.

Some pets, especially puppies, were eager to lick and jump all over new faces. Using the event as an opportunity, many pet-loving parents brought in their children to introduce them to the world of pets, where they could touch and cuddle and understand the pets’ temperament. Little Akshita wasn’t ready to leave the side of Max, a St Bernard that was double her size in height. While a mother was clearly petrified of coming close to Max, Akshita was inseparable from the patient dog.

Breeds like Pashmi and Great Danes attracted a lot of attention. The questions asked to the owner of Emmanuela the Pashmi were ‘why are they so thin’ ‘does he bite’ ‘is he friendly’ etc. Paul Durkee explained how Pashmis started gaining popularity with a rise in the awareness of saving and rescuing indigenous breed of animals.

Kebo the Doberman owned by Shyam came all the way from Chennai. “His name on the document is Iron man. He is a patient dog, but ferocious when he senses danger. Dobermans are known for their temperament. I have taken care of him since his birth, hence could train him to be gentle with children,” says Shyam.

A lot of visitors were also seen flocking to the avian section and the Persian cat enclosure.