Uganda holds annual dog show

Over 100 of Uganda’s excellent dogs had a day of tail wagging fun on Sunday at Uganda’s annual Ultimate Dog Show.

In its fifth year, the competition featured a variety of breeds vying to claim the top. Dogs have to show great levels of agility, obedience and tracking while taking different tasks including walking on hind legs and jumping through rings and high hurdles.

As the saying goes, every dog has its day. The winner of the show, an eight-kilogram male dachshund named Winnie, is walking proof that size is not quite everything.

“He was the smallest dog at the pitch. So I believe everything he did was every exciting, like everything the big dogs did, he did,” said Joshua Semambo, owner of the dachshund.

Cash, a doberman that won the last year’s crown, also appeared in the show.

“For Cash, he can do almost anything you ask him to do, like if he is not allowed to stay in the house, he won’t. If he is not allowed to do this or do that, he will listen to whatever you say,” said Leo Xavier, owner of the dog.

Competitors say the time they spend with their dogs is worth it. It’s from shows like these that many dog lovers can pay tribute to the unconditional love given by man’s best friend.

“The whole thing about this dog show concept is to entice people to be able to live with their animals, that association between the animal and human being. So we thought we need to sensitize people to be able to get that point,” said Nicholas Ndirangu, an organizer of the dog show.