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An uncommon friend

Unconditional love and undying loyalty—there are some things that only four-legged creatures with a furry, shiny coat can provide; for everything else there are fellow humans! Well, on a serious note, dog-lovers come in all shapes and sizes, much like the dogs themselves.

An uncommon friend

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Manpriya Singh 

Unconditional love and undying loyalty—there are some things that only four-legged creatures with a furry, shiny coat can provide; for everything else there are fellow humans! Well, on a serious note, dog-lovers come in all shapes and sizes, much like the dogs themselves. 

Here’s celebrating some uncommon breeds in the city, beyond the regulars like Labs, Poms and Pugs. 

Royal lineage

Seven-year-old Fudge has a lineage that might give any family tree a run for their prestige! The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is the preferred breed of Queen Elizabeth (she has owned close to 30 corgies during her reign), while his grandfather has been owned by none other than cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi. “They are one of the smallest dogs in the Herding Group and have been favoured by British royalty for more than 70 years,” shares the owner Lakshneet Singh, engineering student

“His coat and hair are the best part. They are the softest coats I have ever experienced on a dog.” 

Terrier trail

For anyone who remembers Jim Carrey’s comedy The Mask, partly do so for the terrier dog in there.  Well, off the screen too Jack Russell Terrier is a delight to own. As Chandigarh-based lawyer Arjun Atmaram will have you believe. His seven-year-old Scooter, he shares, “Is the most alert breed there is, extremely athletic too. They are also very sociable, not snappy at all.” 

Well, he also owns Tibetan Mastiff with one of them as old as eighteen years! As for the name Scooter, he laughs, “You’ve heard the phrase in Punjabi bhajde firda. Well, that is literally the case with him. He can chase squirrels up the wall!” 

Rare passion 

Mohali based businessman Sam Sahota next wants to own a Kangal, a breed that originates from a province in Italy. Currently he has a Tibetan Mastiff and a six-month-old American Akita.  As much as a dog-lover, he is a collector of rare breeds, never mind what it takes to sustain the passion. “My Tibetan Mastiff has to have 10 packets of paneer in the morning and two kilos of chicken in the evening, everyday.” 

He adds, “Akita is a rare breed; they are wonderful guard dogs, the only thing being they are expensive and need to be kept in AC rooms. They also eat a lot.” 

Word of caution

Well, it shouldn’t take animal rights activism to point out that a dog is more than a garden accessory. They are living beings with their own peculiar needs. So although a proud owner of a three-and-a-half-year-old Siberian Husky, Rumo, and a Parisian cat, there is something that Panchkula-based Anuradha Sharma, associate professor Government College—11, Chandigarh, wants everyone to know. “Siberian Huskies are pure bred; they are very affectionate, healthy and independent dogs. They are also very friendly to guests in the house, but they are not meant for this weather.” 

She adds, “We bring them here to feed our own fancy egos, but it is cruel on them. Although we keep Rumo in the AC all the time, but even then he is panting.” 

Celebs love their pets

Well, who doesn’t know about Paris Hilton and her once upon a time equally famous Chihuahua? The celebs’ popularity equally translates onto their pets, if nothing else. Looking at animal-lovers from the current crop of Bollywood. 

Priyanka Chopra When a celeb lends their surname to a pet, that’s the ultimate statement of their being a family member. Meet, Priyanka’s pampered goober Diana Chopra  who not just has the lady’s surname but a fair share of the limelight too, with a hastag @diariesofdiana being followed by as many as  67.9k followers!  

Sophie Choudry Meet Sophie’s Shihtzu puppy Tia Choudry! Be it declaring on a National Hug day, how she could squeeze and hug her little one all day long to several frequent posts that involve Tia.  

Anushka Sharma Meet Dude, Anushka’s dog…err…pet that is.  For anyone who follows Anushka’s social media knows how she is not just a dog-lover but also an animal activist. Diwali time is when her posts for a noise free Diwali with Dude pleading one and all start going viral. 

Vet speak

Chandigarh is into uncommon breeds of dogs, in fact many people are into uncommon pets! Like hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits; the best part about them being that they are low maintenance, stay right in your room and don’t have to be taken for walks. As for the rare breeds of dogs, they stand apart and are ‘trendy’ to keep.  — Dr Antarpreet Toor, Chandigarh-based veterinarian.

The culture of keeping uncommon or even exotic breeds of dogs is there, but many are not suitable for this climate. Especially the breeds whose original habitat is sub-zero temperatures and considering we have summers eight months in a year, one must definitely keep the cons in mind before going in for a rare breed. — Dr Kunal Kshatriya from Pet Bloom Clinic, Mohali.  

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