Bhubaneswar, Dec. 6: The locality where Amrit Bera resides in Kharagpur, Bengal, is infamous for burglary. Every other night thieves break into a number of houses in the area except Bera's.

His family has never faced any such incidents in the past five years, as the thieves would never dare to mess with Tyson.

'We lead a peaceful life unlike other residents of the locality,' said Bera, the proud trainer of Tyson - the five-year-old German shepherd.

Like Tyson, canines of several exotic breeds are taking part at a two-day dog show that kick-started on the Unit-I Boys' High School ground in the city on Saturday.

Organised by Odisha Kennel Club, around 250 dogs from all across the country have enrolled themselves for the show.

While the first day tested the obedience of the canines, the second day will be all about their physical appearance.

'In the obedience show, the dogs are judged according to their capacity of obeying orders at various levels such as pre-beginning, beginning and advanced level. On the second day, the participants would be judged on their height, tooth structure, walk and posture and even the angle of their tails,' said Odisha Kennel Club secretary Subrata Ranjan Prusty.

Dog owners and trainers from Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and others have arrived for in the event.

Canines belonging to various uncommon breeds uch as Afghan hound, Dogo Argentino (Argentine mastiff) and Alaskan malamute were major attractions at the show.

Besides, breeds such as Doberman, Siberian husky, Chihuahua, Poodle, Rough Collies and German shepherd were also present.

However, it seemed that the shining trophies did not matter to them. All that they were interested in was pleasing their masters by following their instructions.

Lisa, a nine-year-old black Labrador retriever, has come to the show all the way from Calcutta with its owner Mahesh Joshi, an IT professional, who has been training and keeping dogs for past 20 years.

For Joshi, a dog's necessity is not just for guarding the homes or protecting the owner, but also for companionship.

'If you have a dog you will never feel lonely,' said Joshi.

'One of the motives behind organising the show is to make the dog owners more responsible. Trainers should know the proper way to treat the dogs. Canine lovers can unite and discuss on ways to take care of their pets,' said S.K. Ray, the founder member of Odisha Kennel Club.

A panel of three judges, including one from Philippines, will judge the shows.