A FLEET charity has staged a dog show with a difference.

Hundreds of Sri Lankan people of all ages turned up for the annual show put on by Home and Abroad Animal Welfare (HAAAW).

This year’s show was held in a very poor area of Negombo.

“While it was definitely not Crufts, to the people who attended there is just as much at stake,” said Fleet resident Janice Down, who set up HAAAW ten years ago after visiting Sri Lanka and witnessing first hand the appalling conditions of the street animals there.

“There’s a great sense of pride among the local dog owners with everyone anxious to show off their beloved pets.

“Competition is as fierce as at any dog show anywhere in the world.”

HAAAW volunteers started the dog show with a talk on basic animal care.

“We teach people the correct way to pick up their dog, to always give them water, never throw stones at them and loosen their collars as they grow bigger,” said Janice.

“We then ask people to come up on stage and tell the crowd what animal care means to them.

This is also a great opportunity to take details of any animals that need to come to the clinic for treatment or to be spayed or neutered.”

Charity volunteers then hand out rosettes and cups supplied by Winchfield-based Dignity Pet Crematoreum.

“It’s hard to put into words how proud the people are when they are called up onto the stage after winning a prize,” said Janice.

“Their faces as they have their rosettes pinned on or as they are presented with a cup are priceless.

“We have to be very careful to make sure that everyone who turns up with a dog gets a prize and are very inventive at coming up with categories so that everyone is included.

“For instance we have a dog with the waggiest tail category with the purpose of getting people to interact with their dogs and talk to them to elicit the right response.

“A huge pan of rice and fish is cooked for the dogs so they can all be fed and there are a lot of hungry dogs there.

“We handed out butter cake and iced drinks at lunchtime and were nearly swamped by the rush of people to the table.

“There’s not really any concept such as queuing in Sri Lanka and it’s really a case of everyone for themselves.

“The sad thing is that people are very poor and the children and a lot of the adults were very hungry too and determined not to miss out on their share.”

Janice said she hoped that at least some of the villagers would think about the things they were told and remember some of the basic care rules.

“In such an impoverished area where people have nothing for themselves we have to concentrate on them as much as their animals and hope that in turn their animals will benefit from that.”

From humble beginnings ten years ago the charity now organises a programme of spaying and neutering, provides routine health care, re-homing and education and campaigns for slaughterhouse reform.

Anyone who wants to make a donation to HAAAW or go on one of its trips can find out more by calling 01252 629044 or visiting www.haaaw.org.