African lion's first roar in Chandigarh

For Guraseesh Sawhney, dog is certainly man's best friend. And if the dog is a rare pedigree, all the better. No wonder he finds such delight in his Rhodesian Ridgeback Hublo, a rare breed that the Chandigarh resident imported from Rhodesia, South Africa.
Hublo, with the quintessential fur line on the back that characterizes this breed, basks in the affection lavished on him by Guraseesh, who is every bit the doting master.He even has a full-time attendant to care for Hublo and he makes sure his four-legged pal gets the perfect diet.
Guraseesh says grooming is, mercifully, a simple affair, given Hublo's manageable fur. But you cannot afford to go wrong with the diet and maintenance of one of these canine beauties. According to him, he has to shell out Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per month for the purpose.
Hublo was a tiny 57-day-old pup when Guraseesh imported him through a Delhi based agent. Now a rambling eight-month-old, he is being trained. The effort made is worth it, feels 23-year-old Guraseesh, who is doing post-graduation in public administration from Panjab University.
He says only 2,000 dogs of this breed are registered by the American Kennel Club in a year, while registration of other breeds crosses the 50,000 mark every year. "In our country, there are only four or five dogs of this breed," said Sawhney.
The passion for rare breeds is not incidental. It comes with experience. Guraseesh says they owned a Labrador earlier, but his father was not happy with its indolence and extensive hair shedding. So they settled on a Rhodesian Ridgeback after extensive research. But then, he would not compromise on pedigree. "I held discussions with a number of breeders across the country and finally found one in Delhi, who assured me he would import one from Rhodesia," Guraseesh said.
He spent a whopping Rs 95,000 on the dog, apart from import and other charges. Dog trainer Shiv Kaushal, who is training Hublo, says he has never seen this breed in any of the Indian dog shows. He says Hublo falls in the hound group, is a very intelligent dog and requires lots of exercise every day. That makes this one a poor option for couch potatoes. A Google search tells that back in time, the Rhodesian Ridgeback was known as the African lion dog for its ability to keep lions at bay while its master went hunting.
Exotic breeds may be status symbols, but they can find acclimatization difficult. In Hublo's case, however, this was not an issue.
Noted veterinarian Dr J C Kochar says people are turning towards unusual breeds that do not belong to this geographical area, but such smooth-coated African breeds don't face survival issues in Indian climatic conditions. That said, probably getting a breed from the African continent would be kinder on the dog, than, say, getting a Siberian Husky and cooping it up in an air conditioned room.