Playing it fair at Australian dog shows
Updated
In the cut throat world of dog shows, owners can sometimes seek any advantage to win even though they may be in breach of the rules. Britain's famous Crufts dog show has recently been in the headlines with organisers cracking down on owners who touch up their showdogs with makeup or hairdye. In Australia there's also some debate in breeding circles about playing fair.
Presenter: Simon Santow
Speakers: Athea Atkinson, Australian pet shop owner
SIMON SANTOW: Coco, an apricot, toy-size Cavoodle is holding court on Sydney's fashionable Oxford Street. Her mate Louis is black and also a cross between a poodle and a Cavalier King Charles spaniel. The two dogs are with their owner Anthea Atkinson.
ANTHEA ATKINSON: Coco is wearing a crystal-encrusted collar and Louis is wearing a red collar that has spikes on them. And yeah they get groomed probably every six weeks or so. So if they're not actually clipped then they'll be washed and tidied.
SIMON SANTOW: And you can groom them but what things can't you teach them?
ANTHEA ATKINSON: Not to wee on a couch while you're doing interviews. (Laughs)
SIMON SANTOW: At this exclusive pet shop called Dogue dogs are sold and groomed. And nothing is too much trouble for sometimes fussy owners.
ANTHEA ATKINSON: We have a dog that comes in who is a black dog who's now turning grey. And so he comes in and gets dyed because they don't want him to be a lighter dog. If they want a certain cut, possibly colour their tails or colour their parts of their body if necessary.
A lady has come in once who wanted to do a moustache for Movember to raise money. So she had some blue put on the eyebrows and the moustache so we could be in Movember.
Generally then there's a lot of people who like to come in and have them washed every week, have areas where they call Brazilian cuts done, trimmed around the eyes, clean inside the ears, don't clean inside the ears - all different things. So yeah.
They often will buy nail polish or have their nails actually painted if they have got something special on that they need to go to. So yeah. Generally not a lot of makeup, I haven't actually seen that happen as yet. We don't actually have it so where they actually get it from I'm not sure.
SIMON SANTOW: There's nothing illegal in colouring hair or nails. It's only when dogs are put on show that rules are being bent as owners search for an advantage in a cut-throat competition. The Sydney Dogs and Cats Home is a world away from the show ring or from the pet boutiques. It's where lost dogs are fed and exercised and attempts are made to reunite pets with their owners or find new homes. The vet there told PM she hadn't seen evidence of dogs having their appearances altered by humans. Back at Dogue there's no shortage of accessories as owners seek to spoil their pride and joy.
ANTHEA ATKINSON: So we have a dog carry bag. It's orange and white chequered. It has a cushion inside it where the dog can lay comfortably and has a little area where you can pop its head out the front and be carried into taxis, buses, shopping centres I guess if they can sort of conceal it. The bags are now made to look very much like a handbag, mostly some designer handbag. So...
SIMON SANTOW: And the size quite obviously is not for a German Shepherd.
ANTHEA ATKINSON: Definitely not. More smaller size dog - Chihuahua, maybe Malteses. Yeah very small dogs generally.
SIMON SANTOW: And there's one word of advice for anyone worrying about what a hair dye ordered by a human might do to a dog's self-esteem.
ANTHEA ATKINSON: Dogs are colour blind so (laughs) I don't think that would worry them! But I know that when they have been clipped and they have been groomed they do come out quite proud.
