Friends with fur rule Ooty as number of participants doubles

Nagina Reddy, Secretary, South of India Kennel Club, said that the event here marks the beginning of the annual dog shows across the country. The three-day event began with an obedience test on Friday, in which 55 dogs participated.

“The number of participants has doubled this year. We had to rope in an additional judge for the obedience test,” she said. 

Competitions for five categories, including Golden Retriever speciality show, Great Dane speciality show and Dachshund speciality show were organized on Saturday, Nagina said adding the rest of the competitions will be held on Sunday. 

“For the first time, we have a separate category for native breeds. As many as 25 native dogs from four breeds – Caravan Hound, Pashmi, Rajapalayam and Rampur Hound – are taking part in the event,” she said. Out of the 25 native dogs, 16 are Caravan Hounds. 

On Saturday, maximum participation was from Golden Retriever (52), followed by German Shepherd – Double Coat (48), Labrador Retriever (37) and Beagle (32). 

Philip John of India was the judge for the Kennel Club of India’s (KCI) 4th APAC. Luis Catalan of Portugal was the judge of the 124th Championship Show and Fabio Amorim from Brazil judged the 125th Championship Show. 

The event will conclude with prize distribution on Sunday. A total of 30 trophies will be handed over to the winners of 10 categories, including best Indian breed, best bred in India and best puppy. 

“The winners of the prestigious Dog of the Year and Reserve Dog of the Year awards for 2016 will be announced on Sunday,” Nagina said.