At dog show, canines do a cat walk

The five silky haired and slim Afghan Hounds were royally resting on the crates under a shelter. As their neatly dressed caretakers were busy grooming, combing and spraying perfume on those foreign dogs, the onlookers squealed in excitement.

The master, with lot of ease, made the canines fall asleep. It was the sight sometime before the five show quality pets, belonging to single owner K S Nagraj Setty, were preparing to compete - in the second round -  pitted against each other at the 34th and 35th Grand All Breed Championship Dog shows.

The event was hosted by the Bangalore Canine Club here in the City on Sunday. Of the 20 Afghan Hounds, all owned by Setty, five dogs selected in the second round, did attract a crowd of all ages.

Dog lovers, who went around the venue looking at the various pets, were glued at the very sight of DA Maya Huffish Trademark, a Standard Poodle owned by V Vijay Prabhakaran.

Besides, the show saw the participation of about 45 breeds like the German Shepherd, Labrador, and including rare breeds such as one NewFoundland and Maltese, who stood obediently next to their handlers to be judged by internationally renowned judges.

Avinash Mohanty, owner of five Labradors from Odisha - with two imported dogs purchased for a fancy prize - said that he displays dogs in many shows across the country. Rajendra Prasad, a techie, was at the show to learn about rearing and handling the display dogs. The winners were classified into ‘Best of Breed’, ‘Best of Group’, ‘Best in Show’ and ‘Breed in India’.