It was a woof woof here and a woof woof there as North Calcutta Kennel Club hosted its all-breed championship shows this winter. The event was held at West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences in Belgachhia and dogs and dog-lovers alike came for a fun day in the sun.
So many kids followed Choco the Beagle around that it was difficult to guess who he had come with. “Choco loves kids as he plays with my 10-year-old son the whole day. My son couldn’t come today but the kids here are more than making up for his absence,” laughed Abhishek Ghosh of Lake Town.
Ten-year-old Tamanna Rai and her younger sister Sakshi had grown so familiar with Choco that they had taken his leash from Abhishek and were walking him. “You can pet Choco, he doesn’t bite,” Tamanna assured whoever they met and little Sakshi tumbled over a few times as the year-old dog dragged her by his leash.
Kids play with a beagle Sourced by the Telegraph
Another popular dog was Zara, an American Cocker Spaniel. “She loves people so much I fear she may get kidnapped,” laughed Priyadaishini Biswas. “Today when someone stopped petting her, she jumped off her table to run after him.”
Priyadaishini is the mom of six dogs but says Zara is the most energetic one. “Once all of us took a train ride to Jabalpur for a show. We were all exhausted by the time we reached but this one was raring to go.”
Tiger, the French Mastiff, was quite a showstopper what with his muscular built and wrinkly face. “He’s both naughty and adorable,” said Snehasish Banerjee. “He weighs 50kg but jumps on me as he wants to be carried.”
English Cocker Spaniel Milo was attending his first show. “We have shifted from Pune recently and have got him here to socialise. We don’t care about prizes but Milo should be comfortable around people,” said Babu Ghosh.
Golden Retrievers line up for the judge at the Belgachhia show. Sourced by the Telegraph
Lessons from dogs
One of the busiest corners had a family of four puppies. “We’ve come with Boo, a Labrador, Buchu, a Golden Retriever, and Lucy and Hamba who are Siberian Huskies,” counted Soummika Nair. Of them, Boo was the eldest, at all of six months.
“They’re quite a handful but they’re very loving. I lost my father recently and got these puppies to help me deal with the loss. Each of them has her own personality and is teaching me something,” said Soummika.
Lucy, who refuses to jump like the others, teaches her poise and dignity. “Boo teaches forgiveness. We scold her so much but she forgets it all and rushes to us afterwards. Hamba is the epitome of obedience and the playful Buchu teaches me to never kill my inner child,” said the resident of Bangur Avenue. “Our patience has increased after getting dogs and my mood has lifted.”
A Basette Hound looks around Sourced by the Telegraph
Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya dropped by for a while and she too praised canines. “My family loves dogs and we have a Shih Tzu at home now,” she said. “Dogs are adorable creatures and they teach us loyalty most of all. It’s lovely to see everyone being themselves here.”
Love all
The best in show award in the three rings went to a German Shepherd Dog of Pritam Ghosh, another GSD of Koushik Ghosh and Debashis Mohanty’s Australian Shepherd.
Club secretary Pallab Saha asked people to show compassion towards street dogs. “So many families took in dogs during the pandemic but then abandoned them. I myself have 19 rescued and disabled dogs at home,” he said.
Siberian Huskies and Labrador puppies have fun Sourced by the Telegraph
Vice-president Amit Bose said they got over 350 entries, which was comparable to pre-Covid times. “This industry generates a lot of employment as handlers and groomers must work round the year to keep them in shape for the show season,” he said.