The participants came from near and far, so did the judges. And the spectators applauded every move of the canine stars.
Kolkata Dog Tales organised an all-breed dog show at Gora Bagan Park, near Scottish Church School in Hedua over four days. The judges at the show were Olga Khmelevska from Ukraine, Ravi Lalit Trehun from Mumbai and Pradip Ghosh from Kolkata.
In the first round of the obedience test, the dogs had to jump past a ring of fire. Most of the contestants were enthusiastic about it and looked pretty comfortable with the activity. However a couple did get nervous and refused to jump.
The next round was called Sit Still, where each dog was asked to walk into an enclosure, walk up to the middle without their owners or trainers, and sit still at one place. This too was an enjoyable round as the audience clapped hard for the dogs as well as the owners.
The level of participation pleased the organisers no end. “I’m very happy to see the turnout at the dog show. More than 150 owners have registered. After the pandemic, this is a sign that dog owners want to return to the ring. This was the beginning of many more dog shows coming up this winter,” said Debasis Das, one of the organisers.
“I love being around pets, especially dogs. When I was asked to step in as a judge here, it felt really nice. I am honoured to be made a part of such an endeavour,” said Olga Khmelevska, a dog enthusiast from Ukraine, who was living in the city for a while.
Siroh, a golden retriever, was just 10 days old when Pranoy Mondal, 16, found him abandoned in a drain in Behala, suffering from injuries. On taking a closer look, Pranoy realised why he was abandoned - the pup had only three feet. Pronoy took the dog in. Today Siroh is a year old.
What can a lovely shihtzu be called by her master? Sundari! The name itself was so apt for the pup that admirers waited in queue to watch her antics. “I am very proud of Sundari. Her mane is so beautiful that we decided to give her this name. She performed really well in all the rounds and has made us extremely proud of her,” said Rishita Kundu, her owner, who had come from Kidderpore.
Stella a poodle, came with his master Sanjay Gupta from Maniktala. Not only did Stella impress the audience with her moves, she also made everyone gasp at her leaping skills across the rings. “Stella is nine months old and a very mature pet. The best thing about her is she knows exactly how to behave in front of strangers. She is also very intelligent,” beamed Gupta.
genie a Dalmation owned by Abhijeet Mondal, is only eight months old. She is extremely suave and very obedient.
jack the Pomeranian, strutted the ring like a showstopper. Her turn made the audience clap as she paraded with poise and attitude.