Representatives of a hundred of breeds were competing for the titles of candidates to the national champions (CAС) and the champions of the Russian Canine Federation (CRCA). The winners’ qualities were duly appreciated by the experts of the dog show «Star Marathon» and of the eight groups show of the International Canine Association (FCI) of the «Neva Favorite» club.

Beauty and obedience were demonstrated by Golden Retrievers, American Akita, Chihuahua, Pomeranian Spitzes, English and American Cocker Spaniels, Basenji, Australian Shepherds and other representatives of the dog variety.
We have caught Lyudmila Komyakova, the owner of the Pomeranian and Small Spitz breeding house «Dan-Star-Com», at combing the fluffy champion of Russia and Europe, who was getting ready for walking around the ring.

«First of all, the dog shows its exterior, but it should also move gracefully, have stable mental health and should not show any aggression to human beings and dogs», Lyudmila Komyakova says. In her opinion, in Petersburg, the dogs of all breeds demonstrate the highest breed standards. «Everything is organized perfectly here, there is much space, the rings are large», the champion trainer noted the venue advantages.

RCI expert referee for the exterior of all breeds (or all-rounder) Valentin Fyodorov from the Republic of Belarus, who has been estimating the pure-bred four-footers for over 30 years already, has talked about the nuances of his job at the show.

«We estimate the dog for conformity with the breed standard. It should be noted that an opinion of an ordinary person often coincides with the expert’s one: if it is a beautiful dog it is highly likely to be conforming. The rest is just details that we estimate in each dog», Valentin Fyodorov says. He underlined that the exhibition is not only the «dogs smile to you» show, but also a serious zoo technical event, where a dog gets a breed estimate and conformance to the standard. It is for the second year already that the expert is working at «Star Marathon». «Now we have just an excellent prize fund, individual for each breed. ExpoForum is a great platform with a light spacious premises and wide possibilities», the referee commented.