The champion of champions at the Calcutta Canine Club show this winter won not just trophies but also gold. “There was 5g gold for the winning dog and 2g for the handler,” said club secretary Shib Sankar Chatterjee. “We started this practice last year and it has proved a major attraction.”
Besides the all breed championship, the event at NKDA football ground also had specialty shows for Doberman, Boxers, Labradors and the judges rings comprised four experts, all from abroad. “I've returned to judge a show in Calcutta after 20 years and notice tremendous improvement in enthusiasm among pet lovers and the overall standard of dogs, particularly in breeds like German Shephard Dog (GSD) and Doberman,” said Deddy Tjahjono, the judge of Indonesia. "Some of these GSDs might even be the best in Asia.” The champion of champions went to Suchismita Ghosh’s GSD and here are some more of the cutest dogs at the show-
Little Bandita Law was running up and down with her French Bulldog before hitting the ring. “I’m doing junior handling today" smiled the Class III student. “Jinny listens to me, but sometimes. He’s usually quite mischievous, chasing cats and running off with my blankets. When my family was choosing which breed of dog to get, I wanted a miniature, my dad wanted a huge one and mother wanted a small dog. My mom won the vote," Bandita laughed.
A rare black GSD had travelled down from Ooty for the event and was happily posing for pictures with everyone. “Dogs should guard the owners when needed but otherwise be social with everyone. That’s how we’re bringing him up,” said handler Mathew John.
Sheebu’s flight to town was smooth too, as he is accustomed to traveling across the country for shows. “This was his 10th show of the season, following appearances in cities like Amritsar, Chandigarh, and Bhubaneswar," said John, adding that while he and other staff were staying in ordinary hotel rooms, it was AC rooms for the dogs all the way.
Black? Grey? Charcoal? “Nah! Elephant blue,” exclaimed Ajay Garg to anyone asking what colour his French Bulldog was. Bubbles was curious as a cat and smartly posed for shutterbugs and went sniffing around to meet any new dog that crossed her way. “We’ve had a Pug and Lhasa Apso before, so wanted a new breed that was as compact and which wouldn’t shed,” Ajay said. “The French Bulldog checked all the boxes.
Ever heard of a dog that does not chase cats? Well here was a Jack Russel terrier who chases not cats but rats. “This breed was developed in Britain to hunt rodents so our puppy is just being true to his genes,” smiled Debabrata Kumar. “He’s an excellent guard dog too and won a bagful of trophies today.”
Candy the toy poodle was quite the head-turner, strutting about the field with her soft brown curls. “Don’t touch!” trainer-cum-handler Rishin Mitra warned anyone approaching her. “I’ve spent too much time grooming her, for her coat to get messed up before hitting the ring.” Candy was being served chicken rice after appearing in each ring and only in moderate quantity so she wouldn’t get drowsy.
Visitors clicked tens of pictures of the beautiful Shih Tzu Sundari as she stood motionless on her grooming table. “She’s pretty naughty at home but has been trained to be on her best behavior at shows,” said Rhishita Kundu, spraying some serum on her flowing coat as her handler combed it from the other side. “On the grooming table you can keep her for 10 hours, if you please, and she wont twitch a muscle.”