by H. Y. Hanna
As if echoing her thoughts, Honey heard the Vet ask the Breeder if she had seen anybody suspicious hanging around nearby recently.
“Oh gosh, I don’t remember! Let me see ... I was talking to one of the stewards and then Marie stopped by with her poodle for a chat. She’s a good friend of mine—came over from France with her star poodle, Colette, especially for this show. And then Olivia arrived with her friend and their dogs.” The Breeder shook her head. “But there were lots of other people passing by, to tell you the truth, and I wasn’t paying that much attention to them. I suppose any of them could have put something in the bowl.”
Honey glanced at Ruffster. The insides of his ears had gone really pink again at the mention of Colette’s name.
“It’s not Colette!” he growled indignantly. “She wouldn’t do anythin’ like that!”
“We don’t know her that well,” reminded Honey. “Maybe she—”
“No!” he snapped.
“Ruffster, just because you like her—”
“I don’t like her!” He shuffled his paws, his ears turning pinker still. “I just ... er ... I just know she wouldn’t do somethin’ like that, OK?” He jutted his jaw out. “I still think it’s that Ferrari. I mean, he—”
“Shh!” said Honey suddenly, pricking her ears and looking at the humans. “I think they’re talking about me!”
They had helped Anja to stand up and settled her back in her crate. Her eyes were flickering now and she seemed to be breathing more normally. The humans were standing around her crate, talking in serious voices. Honey saw them glance in her direction several times and felt uneasy. What was going on?
“Honey! Come here.”
Honey went obediently over and stood nervously as the Breeder ran her hands expertly over her body. What was going on?
The Breeder turned to Olivia and said, “She’s in great condition. Needs a bit of grooming and tidying up, of course, but that should be easy. I was watching her stack earlier and she’s got great potential. Look, you said yourself that she and Anja could be doppelgängers—they’re so alike! If I take Honey into the ring, I’ll still be able to have a dog in this show.”
What? Me in the show ring? Honey stared at the humans, horrified. No!
“Ooh ...” Olivia laughed, her eyes excited. “You think Honey could do it? How flattering! I never thought I’d have a show dog! But can you swap her in at the last minute like that?”
“Not usually,” admitted the Breeder. “The entries are usually closed by now. But the show secretary is an old friend. I think she might bend the rules for me a bit—especially when she hears what happened. I’ll have to speak to her, but I think we can swing it.” She turned and hurried off.
Honey started to whine in protest. She couldn’t do this! She wasn’t a show dog!
“Hey, your dappy-goo-goo is callin’ you,” said Ruffster.
Honey looked over at Anja. Her cousin was lying in her crate, with her head up, looking much better, although her eyes were still a bit glazed and she was panting slightly. Honey went over and touched noses with her.
“Are you OK? You gave us such a scare!”
“I’ll be fine,” said Anja, moving restlessly. “But Honey, the show ... you’ve got to go into the ring for me.”
“I can’t!” Honey paced in front of the crate. “You know I’m not a show dog! I’ll just totally mess it up.”
“No, you won’t. You were great earlier when we were stacking. You just need a bit of practice, that’s all.” Anja looked up at her. “It’s really important that our kennel is represented in this show. It’s too late now for the Breeder to drive back home and get one of the other Danes. You’re our only hope. I know you can do it. Please?”
Honey sighed. She looked over to see the Breeder hurrying back, waving a form in her hand, a big smile on her face. “Looks like I don’t have much choice.”
The next four hours passed in a blur. GREAT DANES were on straight after lunch so it was a race to get ready in time. Since Olivia’s idea of “regular grooming” was once a month—if she remembered—Honey stood in embarrassment as the Breeder combed out enough dead hair from her coat to make a small Yorkshire Terrier. Next came the nail clipping and Honey squirmed as the Breeder tried to pick up her paws.
“Ooh! Tickles! Tickles!” she squealed.
“Never knew you were such a baby about groomin’,” laughed Ruffster, as he sat nearby watching.
“I just don’t like people touching my paws,” grumbled Honey.
“You’ve got to learn to hold still, Honey,” said Suka, who was at a bench a few feet away, being groomed by her Boy. “The judge is going to be touching you all over and whatever you do, you mustn’t squirm!”
Honey gritted her teeth as the Breeder picked up her right back foot. “OK, OK ...”
Finally the makeover was done. Honey had never felt so brushed and clipped and trimmed and smoothed in her whole life. A thin lead was slipped over her neck, tightened high behind her ears, and then Honey practised walking up and down next to her Breeder.
“That’s it! Trot! Trot! Lift your paws up high!” called Anja from her crate as she watched. “Don’t forget to raise your chin and keep your head up ... arch your neck ... prick your ears ... keep trotting, don’t stop! Step gracefully, don’t drop your head—”
“I’m never going to remember all that at the same time!” wailed Honey, coming to a halt and panting, drool dripping off her tongue and onto the floor.
“Howling Hyenas, Honey, you can’t slobber like that!” cried Suka, her blue eyes wide. “That will totally ruin your chances! Whatever you do, you’ve got to keep your mouth dry!”
Honey gulped. The Breeder shook her head and grabbed a towel to wipe Honey’s mouth.
A bell sounded. They were being called.
“Good luck, mate,” said Ruffster, touching his nose to her shoulder.
“Yeah, good luck, Honey,” said Suka, waving her fluffy tail.
“Remember, think majestic!” called Anja from her crate.
Olivia crouched down next to Honey and gave her a hug. “Make me proud, Honey girl.”
Honey gulped again. She followed the Breeder out towards the centre of the arena. Spotlights had come on and were now circling the show rings. A row of Great Danes stood ready to go into the main ring, their coats gleaming, their eyes bright with anticipation. Honey took the last place in line, behind a dainty Dane with a beautiful, smoky blue coat who turned her head and peered at Honey curiously.
“Anja?”
“No, I’m Anja’s cousin,” said Honey shyly. “I’m ... I’m sort of standing in for her today.”
“Wow, you look exactly like her,” said the blue Dane. “First time?”
Honey nodded nervously.
“Don’t worry,” said the blue Dane with a flick of her tail. “It’s easy. Remember, we’re Danes. Majestic is our middle name.”
Great, thought Honey. But what happens when slobbery is your middle name? A man’s voice called out and then the Danes in front of her began moving forwards.
This is it. Show time.
Honey took a deep breath and stepped into the ring.
CHAPTER 5
The judge stood in the centre of the ring, watching the Danes file in. He had a bald head encircled by tufts of ginger hair and a big, droopy moustache, which made him look a bit like a walrus. He narrowed his eyes at Honey as she walked past him and she tried to lift her head even higher.
They lined up along one side of the ring and all the other Danes stretched into the STACK pose. Honey hurriedly tried to copy them, as the Breeder helped her position her back legs. She felt herself teetering a bit, but drew herself up as tall as she could and fixed her eyes on the other side of the ring.
“Good girl, Honey, you’re doing well.” The Breeder patted her.
One by one, the judge began moving down the line, stopping to examine each dog before asking it to do a solo turn around the ring with its human. Beautiful Dan
es sailed past Honey as they trotted around the ring, each looking more majestic than the last. A glossy black, a striking Harlequin, a rich fawn, another ebony black ...
Honey shifted her weight. Her neck was aching from holding her head up high and her back legs were beginning to tremble from the unfamiliar stretched position. She released a breath, letting her stomach sag, and peeked ahead. The judge was three dogs away. I can’t give up now! She sucked her stomach back in and stood up tall again.
A white light flashed on the other side of the ring. Honey stole a look from the corner of her eye. It was Olivia with one of her cameras. More flashes. She must be taking pictures of me! Honey felt her chest swell with pride and tried to stand up even taller. She glanced over at Olivia again to see if her human was admiring her—and found Olivia waving her hand frantically, a horrified look on her face.
Huh?
“Honey!” came a loud whisper right next to her.
Honey jerked her eyes around. It was Ruffster standing near her, but on the other side of the ring barrier. He had the same horrified expression as Olivia.
He leaned over the barrier and hissed, “You’ve got a giant goober hangin’ from your mouth, mate!”
What?
Honey looked down and realised that a huge string of drool had leaked out of her mouth. It was now attached to her chin, dangling down in a long, slimy white rope that stopped just five inches short of the ground.
Oh no!
Honey looked up in panic. The judge was two dogs away now. Quick, she had to get rid of the slobber. She tried to lick it off, but couldn’t quite reach the bottom of her chin. She tried to rub her mouth against her Breeder’s clothes, but her head was being held tight with the thin leash and she couldn’t turn it enough.
One dog now.
What am I going to do? The drool dangled lower and lower. Maybe it’ll drop off by itself before the judge gets to me, thought Honey hopefully. Or maybe not. Her drool was so sticky that sometimes, at the park, it would dangle from her jowls for half the walk, picking up leaves and twigs along the way ...
“Toss it!” hissed Ruffster. “Shake your head and flick it away!”
The judge was looking over the dainty blue Dane ahead of her now. Honey rolled her eyes desperately. She shifted her weight from paw to paw, swaying her body as much as she could while remaining in the stacked position. The string of drool began swinging like a pendulum. Back and forth, back and forth it went, faster and faster, but still it didn’t drop off.
“You’ve got to shake your head, mate!” said Ruffster. His pacing and whining was starting to attract looks from people and dogs around him. The Breeder glanced over at him, distracted, and loosened her hold on the lead around Honey’s head.
Honey saw her chance. She gave her head a quick shake, flicking the drool off her chin. It sailed through the air like revolving alien slime and—splat—landed on the judge’s head.
“Aaarrrrgggghhh!” cried Ruffster, reeling back in horror.
Honey stood frozen. The judge turned around, a puzzled expression on his face, and groped behind his ears with his left hand. Honey held her breath. He brought the hand back in front of his face and stared at it. Nothing. Honey started breathing again. He looked around, then shrugged and turned back to the blue Dane.
Oh. My. Dog.
Honey stared at the back of the judge’s head. The drool was there, draped across several tufts of ginger hair. She didn’t know whether to scream or laugh. She risked a peek at Ruffster who was standing with his eyes bulging, fixed on the judge’s head. Then she didn’t have time to worry about it anymore because the judge was coming towards her.
Think majestic! She reminded herself frantically as she stretched as tall as she could, arching her neck even more. She felt strange hands run down her body, past her ribs and over her back legs. Ooh. Tickles. A giggle bubbled up her throat and she fought the urge to squirm as the judge’s hands moved back up her body to her chest. He probed her head, lifted her jowls to look at her teeth, and fiddled with her ears. Honey tried to focus her eyes in front, but they kept drifting back to the drool hanging from the back of his head.
“Around the ring, please. Then in a straight line to the far corner and back.”
The empty ring seemed to loom in front of her. Honey took a deep breath and started trotting next to the Breeder, lifting her paws up like she was walking on broken glass. Trot. Trot. Trot. Trot. Head up, ears pricked, legs stretched out ... hey, this isn’t too bad, thought Honey, beginning to enjoy herself. I can do this! I’m floating, graceful, majestic—
“Omph!” She tripped, stumbling over her own paws. She yelped in horror as she lurched forwards and realised that she was going to fall flat on her face.
CHAPTER 6
Honey braced her paws just in time to stop herself head-planting on the ring floor. She jerked up and continued trotting, trying to pretend that nothing had happened, but she could see the judge fingering his moustache disapprovingly. When her Breeder finally brought her back to stand in front of him, it was hard not to hang her head. I totally messed up.
“Keep your chin up, Honey. Good girl, you’re doing great,” the Breeder whispered, stroking her ears.
Honey felt a bit better. She stole a look over to the ringside to see Ruffster wagging his tail encouragingly. She thought of Anja and how much the other Dane had believed in her. I can’t let them all down now. Taking a deep breath, Honey stood up tall again as she took her place in the final line-up. The judge walked up and down the row of Danes, his eyes darting back and forth over the dogs.
Then suddenly, he strode forwards to hand a yellow ribbon to the human of the Harlequin Dane. Third place.
A blue ribbon to the human with the dainty blue Dane. Second place.
A pause. Everyone held their breaths.
Then he walked towards Honey and handed the red ribbon to the Breeder. First place!
Me? Honey stared stupidly at the judge, who cracked a smile and patted the top of her head.
“Ruff-ruff-ruff-ruff-roo!” Ruffster hopped around, barking in delight. An explosion of flashes came from the other side of the ring and Honey looked over to see Olivia smiling as she snapped more pictures. Honey let out a deep sigh and began wagging her tail. She still couldn’t quite believe it, but somehow, she hadn’t totally messed up! More than that—she had won!
As the Breeder led her out of the ring, Honey glanced back at the judge. The drool was still hanging from the back of his head. She hoped somebody would tell him about it soon.
They were mobbed as soon as they came out of the ring by Olivia and a dozen other people. Everyone stood laughing and talking by the wall next to the main ring.
“Honey!” Ruffster came bounding up to join her. “That was pawsome, mate!”
“It was not bad for a beginner,” came a sneering voice. “But you’re going to have to rely on a lot more than luck next time.”
Honey turned around, face to face with Dior the Afghan Hound. A loud sneeze came from behind him as the Afghan Lady joined the group surrounding the Breeder. Dior didn’t share her smiling face, though. He was looking at Honey like she was a flea he’d found in his bed.
“It wasn’t luck,” growled Ruffster, squaring up to the big Afghan. “Honey won fair ’n’ square.”
Dior looked Ruffster up and down. “And you are?”
“Name’s Ruffster, mate.”
“Oh, you’re that mongrel.” Dior took a step back in distaste.
Ruffster’s ears drooped momentarily, then he snapped, “And you’re that big hairy buffoon.”
Dior snarled. The humans looked over at them and the Afghan Lady said a sharp word. Dior lowered his head slightly, but his eyes remained hard. He thrust his narrow snout at Honey and growled, “This is no place for pet mutts like you. Stay out of the ring, Great Dane—leave it to the professionals.”
“Dior!” A smaller, mousy-brown Afghan came up behind him. It was Tiffany, his sister. She gave Honey an apologetic l
ook as Dior tossed his head and stalked off. “I’m sorry about my brother. He—he’s under a lot of pressure. Anyway, congratulations, Honey. I thought you said you weren’t a show dog?”
“I think your brother was right and it was just dumb luck,” said Honey, laughing and shaking her head. “What about you? Have you done your class yet?”
“I didn’t win anything,” said Tiffany shortly.
“Oh. I’m sorry.” Honey lowered her head. “Maybe that was just bad luck.”
Tiffany shrugged. “Well, at least I’ll be safer.”
“Safer?” Honey looked at her in puzzlement.
“Haven’t you noticed? All the dogs who have had bad things happen to them were all strong contenders for ‘Best in Show’. You were taking Anja’s place, weren’t you? And now you’re a winner. Someone is out to get all the winners. Better be careful ... you might be next.”
Honey felt unease creep up her spine like a stealthy insect, but she laughed it off. “I thought everyone said it’s some Phantom Hound that’s causing all the trouble?”
Tiffany shivered. “Don’t laugh. Maybe the Phantom Hound is out for revenge.”
“Revenge?” Suka the Husky came up to join them, her ears pricked eagerly. “Why would the Phantom Hound want revenge?”
“Some dogs say—” Tiffany hesitated, then shook her head. “Nothing.”
“What about your brother? Isn’t he worried?” asked Honey.
Tiffany looked up at the wall above them. “All my brother wants is to get his picture up there.”
Honey followed her gaze and looked up to see several portraits of dogs hanging on the wall. A sign above them said “THE ROYAL SHOW—‘BEST IN SHOW’ WINNERS”. Each picture had a year below it, together with the dog’s name. The last picture was from ten years ago. It showed a magnificent dog with a coat of white dreadlocks covering his face and body.
“Who’s that?” asked Suka, looking up at the portrait.
“That’s Graf. He was the last ‘Best in Show’ winner here at the Showgrounds before they were shut down,” said Tiffany.