KARACHI: There were two dog shows at the Dawn All About Lifestyles. On the opening day of the exhibition there was the Dawn German Shepherd Champion­ship and on Sunday, the concluding day, there was the Dawn All Breed Dog Show. Both were held in collaboration with the Pakistan Kennel Club.

When asked why there was an entire day dedicated to German Shepherds and another to cover all other breeds, Imtiaz Shah of the Pakistan Kennel Club said that it was due to the fact that most pet dogs in the country happened to belong to that breed. “Of course, there are many Labradors her too but the number of German Shepherds even exceed them,” he said.

About the All Breed Dog Show, he said that it was easier to keep a separate day for all the other dog breeds. “We have registered around 25 breeds for the competition,” he said.

The contesting dogs, meanwhile, were having a tough time controlling their excitement. It was their day after all. Sky, a four-and-a-half-month-old off-white Labrador puppy also seemed to be modelling her little white and red printed woolen jacket and her black Labrador brother Bruno, wearing a bright red jacket was almost dragging his keeper to the competition area.

‘There’s also one day in a week where he is only fed water; it is very important to cleanse his system and keep him healthy’

Their owner, Hafsa, was also looking forward to the competition.

“Both Sky and Bruno belong to the same litter,” said Hafsa. “We know they are both very young but they obey basic commands such as walking along the track with us or sitting when told to do so.”

Asked about their striking jackets, she smiled and said that she and her daughter specially go shopping for kids’ clothes to fit the dogs. “It is so cold. How can we not protect them in this weather by dressing them in warn human clothes,” she said.

Eight months old Alaskan Malamute Foxy with blue eyes also looked very smart and almost grown up. Asked if caring for him was difficult in Karachi’s weather, his owners, Shabana Naeem and her son Muheeb Naeem Khan, shrugged and shook their heads. “The only thing we need to take care of is shedding his heavy coat every once in a while,” said Muheeb. “It is a cold climate dog and has long hair which can be very troublesome in our warm weather,” he explained.

Most of the dogs taking part in the competition were under a year old. Elton De L’arbre, a reddish brown Neapolitan Mastiff, a bulldog variety, was 10 months old but huge and still growing, according to his five-year-old owners cousins Syed Ahmed Raza and Syed Khizr Mustafa. “We give him multiple feeds such as meat and chicken, mixed with rice or pasta and vitamin supplements. There’s also one day in a week where he is only fed water; it is very important to cleanse his system and keep him healthy,” said the young owners’ uncle.

There was also tiny eight-month-old Pedro competing in the toy breed category who was a model of good behaviour though it also became slightly testing for him when Sky started barking at him. She didn’t seem to like him very much and was causing problems for her own owner.

But then Pedro being of cool temperature, turned his attention to Mariam Samad, a little girl with a pink ladybug antenna headband. He started sniffing her shoes and rubbed his head like a cat on her knees. “I have a dog at home so maybe this little one has picked up his scent,” Mariam giggled.

When asked why her own dog was at home, Mariam said that he is a mixed breed dog so she thought it better to leave him at home. “His name is Blue but his is black in colour and quite beautiful actually, only I am not sure what breed he belongs to. He is some mixed breed,” she said. “I was only attending the Lifestyles exhibition with my parents when I thought of coming here and watching for a bit. And here I learn that it is an all breeds dog show. Perhaps next year I will also enter Blue,” she smiled as she patted little Pedro.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2019