A pet show at FE Park recently saw furry pals competing in games, walking the ramp, and even showcasing extreme training skills.
Petcetera was organised by the social and cultural group Aamar Bidhannagar, in association with TheTelegraph Salt Lake, and brought together pet lovers from not just various parts of town, but also the country. “Pets are members of families, and doing something for them was an extension of what our group tries to do — make people happy,” said president Debashis Sen.
Chief guests included former tennis player Jaidip Mukerjea, who found the show “fantastic”. “I had never watched a K9 show before,” said Mukerjea, whose tennis academy is adjacent to the venue.
The guests were invited to felicitate Zabi, an AD-Block Siberian Husky, who has saved two people from drowning. “A few years ago, Zabi, a friend, and I were driving in the Dooars when our car crashed into the Teesta. I’m an excellent swimmer, but the icy water and strong current were dragging us down,” said Raunak Jana. “It was Zabi who swam and pulled us to shore. Then, on land, we were about to be attacked by monkeys, but again, Zabi guarded us. If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t be alive to tell this tale.”
The other chief guest, chess grandmaster Dibyendu Barua was visibly moved by the story. “It was a golden moment for me to felicitate Zabi. He is a living example of how loyal and courageous dogs can be,” said the FD Block resident, who has a Golden Retriever, Skai, and a Maltipoo (a Maltese–Poodle mix) named Sushi.
"Our trainers will wear special padded bite sleeves for this exercise. On command, the dogs will charge, leap and bite the arm. The sleeve is very thick, but still on one such occasion, the dog's teeth penetrated and the trainer needed seven stitches," said Jay Biswas, founder of Jamshedpur-based Burning Eye's K9, a training institute whose canine students are recruited to the armed forces, police etc. And then, with a grin, Biswas asked the crowd: "Now, who would like to volunteer?" The audience burst into nervous laughter and collectively took a step back. Four Belgian Shepherds took part in this demonstration
– Moon, Laika, Zeus and a puppy named Baaz. The dogs showcased obedience, detection and the most dramatic segment bitework-where the dogs leapt fearlessly at the padded arm, at times nearly knocking the trainer off balance. But they released their grip instantly when commanded: "Off!"
"We were even prepared to fire blanks in the air using my licensed gun to show that these dogs are not afraid of them," said Biswas. "While these dogs are specially trained for security, pet dogs can also be trained as per their needs. Many dogs with behavioural issues are sent to our boarding facility for correction too."
In the games section, the spoon- and-leash competition had pet parents racing to the finish line with a lemon balanced on a spoon in their mouths while holding on to their dogs' leashes. It was fun to watch some dogs leading their parents astray, while others caused the lemons to roll off mid- race. Kakoli Majumdar and her Golden Retriever, Chris, won this race. Chris, who had travelled from Bengaluru with his parents, couldn't quite decide whom he loved more. During the stay-a-thon later, where he was to remain seated while Kakoli walked away, Chris quit the race and ran straight to his father, Rijith Mr. Later, during the ramp walk, when Rijith was handling him, Chris jumped off the stage to reach his mother, Kakoli.
Payel Malakar's Lhasa Apso, Barbie, won a prize for strutting the ramp in a lehenga, but what also caught the eye was that she came with anot vanity bag but- vanity trolley! "You don't get these here. My dogs Barbie and Popo love dressing up so much that I had two Gucci trolleys imported-one for myself and one for them," Payel smiled.
Miffy was the only cat contestant in the ramp walk - although she didn't technically walk it. "She's a little scared at seeing so much activity around, so she's staying put on my shoulder," said Rishi Ganguli Biswas of AJ Block.
Judging the pet ramp walk were mother- daughter actresses Bhawna (centre) and Yukta Shah (left), seen here with one of the winners, Saranya Middey's Shih Tzu Pluto. "The effort taken by pet parents to dress them up is incredible," said Yukta. The Shahs themselves have 11 dogs and feed many more around their Vedic Village home. "I was about to fly out for a shoot today, but stayed back an extra day so I could attend this show dedicated to pets," added Bhawna.
