Ya Gotta Laugh

Our County Fair Dog Show ran today.  The heat index was 107 when we left the fairgrounds about an hour ago.  It made for many hours in which we could all bitch at each other, or laugh because the heat and humidity proved to everyone there is only one truth in dog shows:  No matter how well a dog is trained, the dog will do whatever it wants on show day.

Two dogs managed to look as if they'd had more than an hour or two of training.  Not surprisingly, the two placed as Grand and Reserve Grand Champions.  All the other dogs decided that, on hot days, training doesn't matter.  Their goal was to have incredible fun between bouts of sloth.  The kids had no choice but to go along for the doggie ride.

Agility--starting early so we could get out of the sun ASAP--set the tone for the day.  One dog had a perfect run.  The rest were...amusing.  One got so excited, he ignored his trainer and simply ran the course in whatever order struck his fancy.  Tunnel!  A-frame!  More tunnel!  All the jumps!!

Another dog trotted up to the jumps, came to a complete stop, and waited for her trainer to move so she could walk around it.  Gambit alternated jumping over the bars with dashing beneath them, and was so proud of himself for coming up with that new trick that he took a victory lap around the entire course.  By the time he finished, his tongue was flopping out the side of his mouth.  One observer said, "That dog's got more tongue than face!"  And Ty?  Well, he made a couple jumps on his own, then had to be charmed over the rest.  He just walked right through the last one, knocking down the bar with his chest.  (At State, that's an instant non-qualification). 

Yet after all that, all the dogs were running so messy that Ty ended up with Reserve Champion for Agility.  Last year, he would have been dead last with his performance.

By the time we hit the obedience rounds, Ty was ready to go home.  He lost a ton of points for lagging, for messy sits, and slow responses.  I didn't blame him, truly.  He came in second to last.  In retrospect, Ty should have been shown in the Veteran's division.  Dogs are eligible for it at the seventh birthday.  Ty is going on eleven.

But Gambit pulled out a win in obedience!  Champion of his division, trophy and all.  We really didn't expect the Little Bit to take to obedience at all, but did expect him to shine in agility.  Twice now, it's been the opposite.  Go figure.

Dev managed to win Reserve Champion for his educational poster.  I tossed him a sausage treat and patted him on the head. :)

Next up is the State Fair, where only Ty is competing this year, and he will be in the Veteran's division.  Dev would love to pull out a third straight win there.  If it isn't over 100 degrees, we might have a chance!

Now, I must finish laundry, help Dev pack his suitcase, and figure out something for dinner.  Tomorrow is the many-hours drive to law enforcement camp.

Sunday night I will draw the curtains, turn off the phone, and wallow in quiet solitude.

With the dogs, of course.