With wagging tails and cheering crowds, Green Meadows in Santa Cruz buzzed with excitement on Sunday as our four-legged friends took to centre stage to strut their stuff at the Trinidad and Tobago Kennel Club championship dog show themed “A Taste of the Wild.”
Founded in 1954, the club remains the only internationally recognised dog registry in Trinidad and Tobago.
Vice President of the TTKC, Clifford Manchoon, outlined that part of the process to get competition-ready first begins with registry documentation by the TTKC, along with frequent participation in club activities.
“Get involved in one of the clubs. So like up north, we will have the German Shepherd Breed Club. We have a Doberman Club now being formed, and we have the South Trinidad Canine Club that operates from San Fernando. Years ago, we had a Doberman Club. We have a Rottweiler Club that operates in Central, so you have to be involved in one of these clubs, and they will lead you along.”
To claim the championship title, Mr. Manchoon noted the dog must first surpass all others in the same category.
“They must take part in a championship show, and they must be awarded by breed by the judge a first place and what you call a ‘CC’, which is a Challenge Certificate. He must have beaten all the other male dogs in that particular breed.”
And we can’t forget the man behind the dog. We caught up with Tyson, a Rottweiler, and his handler, Collin Edwards. The pair have participated in similar shows since 2022 with hopes of winning ‘gold’ this time around, or, in this case, a Challenge Certificate.
“This is about the third or fourth show I have competed in, showing my dog here, Tyson, and other dogs I have otherwise, competing with a total of four dogs over the years. I still consider myself relatively new and fresh to dog shows and dog competitions.”
With lots of prizes to be won, several dogs were crowned ‘champions’, claiming the ‘best of breed’ and ‘best of group’ titles of their respective categories.