Armenia presents a new national dog breed at international dog show in Yerevan

On November 20, Yerevan hosted the third international exhibition of dogs of all breeds of the rank CACIB (candidates for international beauty champions), named "Armenia-2011". One of the main objectives of the event, as stated by the organizers, was promotion of the indigenous Armenian Gampra Wolfhound.

The dog show was attended by 160 dogs of various breeds from Armenia, Georgia, Bulgaria and Russia, aged starting from three months and with the respective supporting pedigree documents.

At the contest, the dogs were split into nine age groups: "babies" of 3-6 months, "puppies" of 6-9 months, "juniors" of 9-18 months and "young dogs" of 18-24 months. The category "open class" included dogs aged from 18 months to 8 years.

Vagan Mkhitaryan, the owner of the club-kennel "Mkhitar" and the owner of a three-year-old Gampra, said that Gampra is the only breed brave enough to fight wolves. "They are very durable and balanced dogs," he said.

The Dog-Handling-Sports Association of Armenia is a member of the International Kennel Union, which unites 17 countries. The Union cooperates with experts from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Latvia and Moldova. Last year, Armenia for the first time hosted the International Dog Show of All Breeds.