THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ever seen Siberian Huskies drinking tender coconut water to beat the scorching sun? Or the one-ft-tall Miniature Pinscher sharing serious glances with the nearly five-ft-tall Great Dane, like exchanging some encoded message.
Ferocious-looking dog breeds turned ‘pookies’ at the Dog Show organised by the Ananthapuri Canine Club at the Police Ground in Thycaud on Sunday. The programme offered a cherishable experience to visitors of all ages.
Beagles, Golden Retrievers, Labradors, German Shepherds, the venue was a dog lover’s dream come true. All trainers, who clearly shared a deep bond with their dogs, checked on their pals every now and then.
“They don’t need to be trained strictly, just made to understand how to socialise,” said Surjith Gopan, who has been taking his dogs to similar programmes for the past seven years. Not just seasoned trainers, but also young enthusiasts and their canine pals attended the show.
Adithya S Rao, a student of Central Polytechnic, Vattiyoorkavu, came to the dog show with two Beagles, a male and female. “Jhanvi (the female) was not in a good mood. In fact, she slept in the ring when she was asked to run,” laughed Adithya.
Children were the happiest and most excited group. Despite having a Persian Cat at home, Prahlad Praveen Nair, a Class 5 boy, urged his mother to get him a dog. Government employee Karthik T came with his daughters, Nakshatra and Nainika. While the elder Nakshatra did not touch the big pointer dogs – the newbie Mark and the champion Ravanan – Nainika gathered courage and patted the two.
Annamma Mathew, in her seventies, came with her son’s family. “I like dogs, but haven’t been to such shows,” said Annamma, with a wide smile. Social media personality Sowbhagya Venkitesh, who came to compete in the best lady trainer competition, said she has been to similar events, but it was her first time as a participant.
Navaneeth Mohan, one of the organisers said, nearly 250 dogs from 30 breeds were brought for the show from various parts of the district. “The footfall was around 8,000,” he said, adding the number of participants was higher than the previous year. Awards were also given for the best junior handler at the event.