The North Calcutta Kennel Club organised a dog show at the West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences, Belgachhia on December 2, 3 and 4 and the participation count was over 450.
Dogs came from all over the city and other parts of the state to participate in the show.
The organisers were obviously delighted with the response. Soumen Kumar Basu, secretary, North Calcutta Kennel Club, said: “We are very happy that we can finally take our pets to these shows again. Many people who are trainers and others who are associated with the event had been wanting to see the show, especially after a gap of two years. But this time it was a wonderful show, because the participation was huge. People came from all corners of the state to take part in it. It has become even more popular than it was before.”
A 10th obedience show was held on December 2 and the 54th and 55th all breed championship dog show was held on the two following days. The club that was established in 1996 held the Chandra Sekhar Sarkar Memorial Show on the final day. C.V. Sudarshan, Gouri Nargolkar and C.R. Patnaik were the judges at the show.
Stella won several trophies in various rounds, including best behaved. Her owner Sanjay Gupta said: “She is a winner wherever she goes. I have displayed some of the trophies she has won at other shows as well. She is almost a year old now and has been participating in competitions for the last 34 months in a row.”
Tanu, the cute little pug from Baguiati, followed his master around like a good student. Arijit Dandapat, a resident of Cuttack, said: “I participate in a lot of dog shows. I came to Calcutta for this show, particularly from Odisha. It was wonderful to meet so many like-minded people here. I’m planning to go for shows to other states as well.”
Dragon, the 21-month- old Chow Chow from Behala, took a run on the field whenever possible and made sure the owners never got more than five minutes to rest. He seemed to love the winter sun!
Pepe, the Pomeranian, made everyone take notice as soon as she walked in. Armed with intelligent eyes and a stylish gait, Pepe was a headturner right from the word go! By the time she finished her rounds she already had quite a fan following in the audience.
Her owners have lovingly named her Fuluri. It seems their love for fritters have overtaken their love for pets or could be the other way round. “She is so delicate and so sweet in nature that we have decided that Fuluri is the right name for her. She is 18 months old and loves dressing up. The pink hairband that she has on her fur is actually her favourite. She loves it when I brush her fur. She is the queen of our hearts,” said her owner Dona Mondal, a resident of Dum Dum.
When owner Rupak Kumar Das took to the ring with his Siberian husky duo, the audience was left enthralled. Though a little weary of trainers, the duo instantly made friends with some children on the field. “The two of them are like two peas in a pod. They are always together. They fight but get back together again in no time. They live in their own world,” said Das.
Boss, the Alsatian, made a grand entry into the ground. Right from the moment she stepped on the premises she seemed to be master of all she saw. Owner Anirban Das said, “Everyone is a bit intimidated by Boss. Her body language is such that everyone is a little scared. But her heart is very soft and she is a kind being. We are training her to be a guard dog.”
Two-year-old Dodo was quite a star at the show. His master Soumyajit Biswas loved showing him off to his friends and other people in the audience. “Dodo is quite short-tempered. She is a guard dog we bought in Punjab. However she does not get along with everybody and can be very moody at times,” said Biswas.
Pictures by Diksha Saha