PCCI Philippine Circuit 2019 holds successful ‘Asia’s biggest dog show’
Dubbed as the biggest dog show in Asia, the Philippine Circuit, organized by the Philippine Canine Club Inc., is now on its eighth year and continues to feature some of the cutest, most unique and lovable dogs in the world.
An exclusive showcase that happened recently at the Big Dome for the fourth straight year, The Philippine Circuit 2019 has drawn the best of the best among purebred dogs from the Philippines and other parts of the globe.
Holding it at the Smart Araneta Coliseum also proved advantageous for the group, since the Araneta Center has stepped up pet-friendly regulations last year through its successful Pet Pals program.
This year, almost 600 entries have been registered for the circuit, with the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Italy, China and Thailand sending in the biggest delegations.
“We have dogs that are one or two per breed,” notes PCCI president Augusto “Dinky” 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.
Multi-awarded
Russian dog owner Svetlana Mironenko simply finds joy in seeing her two-year-old Pomeranian charmer Nina take home an elaborate 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 says proudly.
Mironenko says she participated in the first show of PPCI here in the country, eight years ago. “Every year my dogs compete here. If I don’t come, my dogs still go here,” she adds.
Another proud owner of a winning 10-month-old Yorkshire Terrier, Elsa, says she is happy to see the fruits of their four-day labor pay off. “Gigising ka nang maaga, tapos ang grooming nito, napaka-delicate, paplantsahin mo pa,” she says of Elsa, whose father is a champion and mother a Hall of Famer.
Santos also notes, “It feels good (when you win). It’s the pride. You work hard all the time, you condition your dog, you try to breed the best dogs.”
Romanian judge Petru Muntean says it’s not that hard to judge from among different breeds. “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 says.
Big venue for a big show!
Santos, who has already announced the dates of next year’s event during the dog show’s last day, says that key to the success of PCCI’s shows is the location.
He shares, “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 the alleys are nicer. So far, everything’s been good and it’s getting better.”
Muntean, who has already served as judge in Manila for the fourth time, notes, “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.”
Dog lovers also get the chance to see and even get up close to different dogs like Labradors, Pekingese, poodles, as well as breeds rarely seen here like the Pharaoh Hound, the Russian wolfhound Borzoi, the Whippet, and even the gentle giants, the Great Danes, when they go to the show at The Big Dome.
The winners of this year’s Philippine Circuit 2019, which ran at the Smart Araneta Coliseum from Jan. 10 to 13, may be viewed on their website www.pcci.org.ph.
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