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| Asia’s Biggest Dog Show Hosted in Manila |
The exclusive event gathered together over 600 dogs and pet owners from all over the world, with the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, China, Thailand, and Italy sending in the biggest delegations.
The Smart Araneta Coliseum is an apt venue for the said dog show since Araneta Center has implemented its pet-friendly regulations just last year to welcome pets within the vicinity of the malls in the modern city.
“We have dogs that are one or two per breed,” notes PCCI president Augusto Santos III, who expects more breeds to join next year. He says the Shih Tzu is still among the more popular ones, with the Welsh Corgi increasing in popularity as well. This year, the breed with the most entries is the Pomeranian, followed by the Siberian Husky.
“Araneta Coliseum has been good to us. They have been helping us. This year, we have more rings, which make the show shorter and faster. At the same time, the alleys are nicer. So far, everything’s been good and it’s getting better,” Santos added.
Among the awardees of the said dog show include Pomeranian Nina who’s with her Russian dog owner Svetlana Mironenko. Nina was awarded a ribbon for Best in Show.
“It’s not the first time that she won (the award). She’s gone around the world and she’s been a champion already. She has won in many countries. She started when she was just a puppy,” Mironenko said. Mironenko and her dogs have regularly participated in the annual dog show of the PCCI.
Meanwhile, one of the judges for the dog show, Romanian national Petru Muntean said that choosing the best dogs among the pool of participants didn’t give him a hard time.
“First of all, we look at the quality of the dog. Because it’s Best In Show, the dog must impress, must give the pleasure to put him first in the podium,” he said.
Muntean, who’s been a judge of the dog show for four consecutive years also lauded the venue. “The venue is excellent for the dog show. It was really excellently organized. The facilities, the air-conditioning, the lighting, the cleaning, everything was very well done.”
Among the adorable dog breed that participated in the dog show were Labradors, Pekingese, poodles, as well as breeds rarely seen in the Philippines like the Pharaoh Hound, the Russian wolfhound Borzoi, the Whippet, and Great Danes.
Winners of this year’s Philippine Circuit 2019 may be viewed on their website www.pcci.org.ph.