The 124th and 125th Champion Dog Show organised by the South of India Kennal Club (SIKC), in which more than 450 dogs are scheduled to participate, drew large crowds to the Government Arts College Ground in Udhagamandalam on Saturday. The Gopinath Memorial APAC Championship was also held alongside the championship dog shows.
The three-day-event, which began on Friday with the obedience test and the three speciality shows is set to conclude on Sunday. More than 45 different dog breeds will take part in the show.
The 450 dogs have been split into 10 groups and are judged on a variety of parameters, including body structure, coat and also their movement in the ring. Of the 450 dogs, half of the dogs were on show on Saturday, while the others will be judged on Sunday.
Nagina Reddy, Honorary Secretary of the SIKC, said that winners of two of the most prestigious awards – The Hindu Trophy for Dog of the Year and the Padmavathi Ammal Trophy for the Reserve Dog of the Year - will be announced on Sunday. She added that for the first time, the show would feature a separate category for native Indian breeds, including the Caravan Hound, Rajapalayam, Pashmi and Rampur Hound. The APAC Championship was judged by Philip John from India, while the Championship Shows were judged by Luis Catalan from Portugal and Fabio Amorim from Brazil.
