Native canine breeds turn centre of attraction at Madurai dog show

At the 29th and 30th edition of the ‘All Breed Championship Dog Show’ organised by the Madurai Canine Club, over 180 dogs participated. Dogs of celebrities such as DMDK leader Vijayakanth also took part in the event. Two judges, Jae Yong Kim from South Korea and Shyam Mehta from New Delhi, judged the canines based on their standard breed size.

Speaking to DT NEXT, Vinayagamoorthy, president, Madurai Canine Club, said there are three different types of dog shows in the world. During the show, 45 Sippiparai and Kanni variety of native breeds were also exhibited. A large number of spectators assembled and took photos of the native breeds. 

Ramanathan, secretary of Madurai Canine Club, said the native breeds are easy to raise and there is no need for any special maintenance. They are showcased in the dog show to heighten awareness about the native breeds among local people and to make them come forward to own them, said Ramanathan. One is the breed show, second is the obedience show and the third is the agility show. 

In the breed show, the physical aspects of the dog would be tested. The strength of the teeth, the animal’s obesity level and the total body strength would be taken into account, whereas in the obedience show, the obedience of the dogs to the commands of his/her master would be tested. In the agility show, aspects such as running and other agility-related characteristics of the dogs would be tested. The one that was conducted in Madurai is a breed show in which basic qualities such as height, health of the dog coat and physique of the dog were tested, said Vinayagamoorthy. 

On having pets, including dogs, Vinayagamoorthy said people are now losing interest in pets mainly because of misconceptions like dogs would transmit diseases to humans and would bring ticks and mites into houses. Also, several house owners impose restrictions on tenants having pet dogs and force them to abandon the canines.