Dogs Get Their Day - StarMetro

Thursday August 14, 2008

Dogs get their day at UPM

By VIJENTHI NAIR BAILAND

MORE than 600 dogs and their owners got together at Bukit Expo, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), for a day out and made it into the Malaysia Book of Records as The Biggest Gathering of Dogs in Malaysia at the recent 12th Dogathon.

A slight drizzle in the morning failed to dampen the spirits of those participating in the event themed Aerospace-Astronaut, Asteroids, Astrodogs Woof off!

Nearly 1,500 people braved the rain to watch the show.

The highlight of the day was a 2.5km race where dogs and their owners overcame obstacles on a hilly course through UPM.

Big win: Logendran and Tiger came in first in the large dog and male owner category at the UPM Dogathon 2008 on Sunday.

The winner of the large dog and male owner category was an 18-month-old Rottweiler-Boxer mixed breed, Tiger, and his proud owner Logendran Retnam, 28.

“This is the sixth time I’ve taken part but the first time with Tiger. Before, I brought his father, a four-year-old Boxer named Bruno, who won the first place twice,” he said, adding that he also owned a Rottweiler and an Alsatian.

Pet-n-You, one of the sponsors of the event, organised an agility demonstration which attracted a lot of attention. With a dog dancing to the beat of Crazy Little Thing Called Love, dogs playing fetch through hurdles and performing other tricks, the demonstration definitely kept the crowd rooted to the spot.

Off they go: The dogs and their owners get off to a running start.

Among the competitions were Space Idol where dogs paraded in interesting attire and showed off their tricks, Fastest Eating Duo where dogs and their owners had to finish a set amount of food in the shortest time and the Dog-Owner Lookalike Competition.

There were also doggy play zones, mazes for dogs to find their owners and agility training equipment that included a wading pool set up for the dogs to have a good time.

Many booths were also set up by exhibitors and sponsors, showcasing products and services including dog food and nutrition, pet apparel, accessories, pet beds and bags.

Flocking together: A group of Huskies enjoying the sights.

Pet Positive president Anthony Thanasayan, who was also the guest of honour, was pleased to see the positive change in people’s attitude towards dogs.

“It is important to me for people to accept my dog everywhere I go as I depend on him a lot,” Anthony, who is disabled and takes his service dog wherever he goes, said.

The annual charity event was hosted by UPM’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine’s Zoological Club and all proceeds will be channelled to Pro-Kasih, its community catch-neuter-release project which aims to control the population of stray cats in the campus.

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