Judging the indigenous dogs was like being in a temple, with breeders and owners showcasing their blood diamonds to us, said FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale) President Tamas Jakkal of Hungary as curtains closed for The Kennel Club of India’s (KCI’s) 32nd and 33rd FCI International Dog Show and The Madras Canine Club’s (MCC’s) 139th & 140th All Breeds Championship Dog Shows on Sunday, January 28.
The aim of this show, apart from highlighting Indian breeds, was to obtain approval from the FCI for the registration of three Indian breeds – Rajapalayam of Tamil Nadu, Mudhol Hound of Karnataka, and Caravan Belgium of Maharashtra. The dogs are to be judged by a panel of judges from across the globe – FCI President Tamas Jakkal, Jorge Nallem of Uruguay, Attila Czeglédi of Hungary, and Mariko Harase of Japan.
Member of Parliament to Lok Sabha from Chennai Central Constituency Dayanidhi Maran, with Director of The Hindu Group N. Ram, Honorary President of The Madras Kennel Club C.V Sudarsan and the judges distributed the prizes for the Best In Show dogs, at a convention centre on Poonamalle High Road here.
Mr. Maran, recollecting his time as a participant with his Golden Retriever gifted by Mr. Ram in the 1980s, requested more such shows to promote the Indian breeds.
Mr. Ram, dubbing the shows to be a major trendsetting event for the KCI in their calendar, said, “A special feature of this show this year is the participation of a large number of dogs of the Indian breed. As we know of the Indian breed, there was a decline, but there has been, in recent years, a very impressive effort to bring up some of our best breeds to a large number of viewers and some [breeds] have been developed in the last decade.”
Over 130 dogs of indigenous breeds took part in the shows, which is the highest number in the country for any dog show, he added.
A male Doberman of Rajat Sanpui from Kolkata won the ‘Best In Show’ in the MCC’s 140th dog show, and a female Dachshund of Indranil Sour won the award in the 33rd FCI International Dog Show.
Mantish Chawan who brought his Mudhol Hound ‘Raja’ from Bagalkot in Karnataka said his family has been involved in raising the breed for generations and that it is his pride to participate in such a show.
Sandra Patel, a native of Slovakia settled in Ahmedabad in Gujarat, said she had her White Swiss Shepherd ‘Snow’ to take part in the shows to raise awareness of the need for therapy dogs in India.
Published - January 29, 2024 12:59 am IST
