CHENNAI: It was an evening of excited smiles and wagging tails at Blue Cross of India’s signature annual event — The Great Indian Dog Show (TGIDS). Held on Independence Day, the 2019 edition saw nearly 3,000 people at Phoenix MarketCity in Velachery to voice their support for the freedom and dignity of stray animals in India.
They all watched in awe as adorable Indian dogs (colloquially known as mongrels or strays) sashayed down the ramp with their ‘human’ parents. Every animal that went up on stage had an inspiring story of how they found a loving home and lots of love after being on the streets. Puppies and kittens from Blue Cross’ shelter in Velachery were also adopted during the event. “Blue Cross of India has been conducting this event since 1984 and each edition has only become bigger and better. Our mission has always remained the same — to show that Indian dogs make for as good if not better companions than exotic breeds,” said the NGO’s co-founder Chinny Krishna.
“This time, I was thrilled to see that more than 100 Indie pooches, as we fondly call them, have found good homes and families to look after them,” he said. TGIDS 2019 was graced by yesteryear actress Amala Akkineni, who founded Blue Cross of Hyderabad. She was one of the judges of the dog show along with Dr Jayaprakash Ramamurthy, former director of clinics at Madras Veterinary College. The panel of judges also had Dr Nanditha Krishna, member, Governing Body of Blue Cross of India. Commenting on the occasion, Pooja Patti, centre director of Phoenix MarketCity said, “It was a wonderful opportunity for the people of Chennai to showcase their love and affection towards the four-legged companions at Phoenix MarketCity. We are glad that we could host this in our premises.
We were thrilled by the amount of registrations that we had for the ramp walk that was specially curated for the pets. We would like to express our gratitude from the depth of our hearts to everybody who turned out and supported us by coming forward to adopt pets and making a big difference in the lives of many.” “This wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our sponsors and we’re grateful for their support,” mentioned Sathyaa Radhakrishnan, honorary joint secretary of BCI.