Indians who love to parade their canines Published duration 27 November 2016

image copyright KARAN VAID image caption Yorkshire Terrier with owner at a dog show in Delhi, September 2014

Every winter, dog enthusiasts and "professional" breeders travel across India to participate in dog shows.

India has a rich and long history of these shows - the first one was held in 1896 and flourished under the patronage of the British colonial elite. Today, these are organised by the Kennel Club of India.

The average person may consider a dog show to be a glorified beauty pageant for dogs, but these canine owners and breeders take these competitions very seriously.

There is usually no prize money to be had but breeding a pedigreed dog can lead to big financial returns and many people aspire to be at the top of the dog show world in India.

The breeders spend great sums on importing pedigreed dogs, hiring professional handlers from abroad and flying these dogs to various shows across India.

Delhi-based photographer Karan Vaid, whose parents are dog show judges, has been travelling around India for the past three years, covering these events. Here are some photographs from his album.

image copyright KARAN VAID image caption A French bulldog in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, October 2013 |

image copyright KARAN VAID image caption Labradors at a competition in Delhi in 2015

image copyright KARAN VAID image caption A Great Dane at a show in Mumbai in 2015

image copyright KARAN VAID image caption Cocker Spaniels at a show in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta)

image copyright KARAN VAID image caption English setter and German shepherd, the 2014 show winners in Tamil Nadu's Nagercoil, get their trophies

image copyright KARAN VAID image caption A dog handler at the show in Ludhiana, Punjab, in November 2013

image copyright KARAN VAID image caption A Doberman in Patiala, Punjab, in November 2014

image copyright KARAN VAID image caption A Labrador and and a Pug at the November 2014 show in Ludhiana, Punjab

image copyright KARAN VAID image caption A dog show judge in Jaipur, Rajasthan, in January 2014, shows off his canine love

image copyright KARAN VAID image caption A Miniature Pinscher participates in a show in Dehradun, in Uttarakhand, in December 2014