A show strictly for German Shepherds, with a judge flown in from Germany

The German Shepherd Club, under the aegis of the Kennel Club of India, organised the Delhi chapter of the German Shepherd show at the Air Force Club in Chanakyapuri. In this fiercely competitive event, only the best could win. Even the fine details of a dog’s hairline were taken into consideration while rating the contestants. Not surprising then that most winners were dogs purchased in Germany, now part of the Indian dog show circuit.

A hundred and twenty German Shepherds took part in the event, of which at least 40 were sourced from Germany. The reason for the expensive passion, owners explain, is to stay close to the original bloodline.

“The best place to get a German Shepherd is Germany without a doubt. A good German Shepherd should stand 24 inches at the shoulder for a female and 26 inches for a male,” he says.

Vishal Sudam from Hyderabad has literally travelled the world with his dog. “I was originally based in the UK and I love German Shepherds,” he says. He got his dog, Franjo (pronounced Franho) from Germany. “I flew my dog in from there. He’s taken part and won numerous events in Germany and Hyderabad and we have come to Delhi to compete with the dogs here,” he says.

Indian-bred dogs do have a whisker of a chance. “This is my first trip to India and the quality of German Shepherds here is very good. Some of the Indian-bred dogs, too, are good. We look for posture, movement and angulation,” says Bernd Nagel, from the KV Club in Germany, who was here to judge the event.

But Delhi is not enough for dog lovers. Expect some of these canines to take part in an international German Shepherd show in Sieger, Germany, next year.