The Chihuahua Affair: Best in Show

by Amy Jarecki

  Amanda gave Patches a scratch behind the ears. “Just have fun out there.”

  “Thanks.” Matt’s eyebrows arched, taken aback by Amanda’s cordiality. She seemed so much better behaved when he saw her at a dog show. He wondered if it was because she dressed in a suit, or because she was in front of a lot of other people, or possibly because she was not at home where she pulled off the tyrant act beautifully. Whatever—he’d buy it. Boo ya, she wore her friendly face today.

  Matt inhaled a healthy dose of Rebecca’s mind-numbing perfume when she stepped up and looked at Patches. “You gave him a bath?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “He looks good.” She set him on the grooming table and ran a comb over him, then took a few snips off the end of the tail and trimmed up his paws. Taking a cotton ball from her grooming box, she cleansed his eyes and dock, trimmed his whiskers and handed him back to Matt. “He’s good to go. You can put his kennel on top of Bruno’s.”

  “That’s it?” Matt asked, thinking that Patches would need a lot more time on the grooming table.

  Rebecca smiled with those dimples that made his knees turn to mush. “That’s the beauty of a smooth coat. As long as they’re clean and their coat is shiny, they don’t need hours of grooming like that poodle over there.”

  Matt followed her finger until his gaze stopped at a Standard Poodle flopped across a table, tolerating the attention with a bored glaze over his eyes, as if he had been there for hours while his handler toiled to see to every detail of the difficult cut.

  With some time to walk around before he had to be in the ring, Matt sauntered over to the vending booths that displayed everything imaginable for any dog’s needs. He purchased a white show lead with brown thread woven through it so that he wouldn’t have to borrow one of the fancy ones Rebecca reserved for the ring

  “Matt,” Jack called from across the aisle.

  “Hello, Matt,” Alan echoed.

  He managed a quirky smile when he recognized the pair. “Hey guys.”

  They moved in his direction and Jack eyed him from head to toe. “Love the suit. You look like Howie Long when he gives NFL commentary or something.”

  Matt took a step back. “You’ve got to be joking. That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard today.”

  “Well you’ve got to be as tall as him…”

  “And you have that square jaw like his…”

  Jack waggled his eyebrows. “Oh yes, and the flat-top haircut’s so butch.”

  Matt shifted his weight with increasing discomfort. “Right. Are you ready for the show today? Everything seems so much more intense.”

  “Yeah, people get nervous when there are TV cameras around,” Jack said.

  “But we wanted to talk to you about our little sister,” Alan added.

  Matt knit his brows. “Who?”

  Jack slid his hand into his pocket. “Rebecca. She’s the sweetest person we know, and so fragile, if you get what we mean.”

  Matt nodded. “Yes, I know exactly what you mean.”

  “She could use a man in her life, one that treats her right,” Alan said.

  Now that Matt realized why they’d singled him out and relaxed, transferring his weight to his left hip. “There’s no other way to treat her. She is as precious as the Hope Diamond.”

  Jack and Alan looked at each other and grinned.

  ***

  Beads of perspiration dotted Matt’s forehead when he stood outside the ring holding Patches. Watching the Papillons, he studied the judge’s eyes and gestures, noting that she was scrutinizing top lines and bites. The pattern was a simple down-and-back which was a relief. A difficult pattern would have made him that much more nervous.

  Rebecca arrived at the ring pushing a cart stacked with crates. Somehow she’d transformed into a stunning woman in a sateen pink suit.

  She stepped in beside him. “How’re Jack and Alan doing?”

  “Jack got Winners Dog. Alan hasn’t gone in yet.”

  “Nice.”

  Matt leaned in and cupped his hand against his mouth so only Rebecca would hear. “You’re the prettiest woman in the place.”

  Rebecca giggled and teased him with those dimples again. “You didn’t tell me that you’re blind. Are you ready?”

  Matt held up the show lead he’d just purchased. “Yeah. I got a new lead for Patches.”

  “Oh, it’s perfect—masculine, but not bulky and it will complement Patches’ coloring.”

  “Glad you approve.”

  “Can you show Fifi in long coats for me if she gets to the B.O.V. class?”

  “Sure, I guess.” Matt glanced over his shoulder. “Where’s Amanda?”

  “I think she’ll still be tied up with junior showmanship. Once Chihuahuas are done, we need to head over to the main ring to see if we can catch her class. They’re televising the seniors.”

  Rebecca pulled out the show catalogue that listed the number of dogs in each class and their rings and examined it with Matt. “When they call for smooths, Patches will be in the first class, six to nine month-old puppy dogs. There are only two entries in that class, so you have a good chance of winning. If you win, you will go into the Winners Dog class.”

  Matt snapped his fingers. “And the Winners Dog goes to B.O.V.”

  Rebecca’s eyes lit up and she blessed him with a delightful wink. “Yes. You are catching on quickly.”

  “Yeah. I got on the internet and found a few blogs on how it works. I don’t like looking like a big oaf when I’m in front of a lot of people.”

  “Good for you. There are a total of sixteen entries—eleven dogs and five bitches. This is a four-point major for the dogs, so the competition will be fierce. ”

  Matt rolled his eyes and let out a nervous chuckle. “Now you tell me.”

  They looked up to see Jack take Papillion B.O.B. with his dog and Alan receive B.O.S. with his bitch.

  Rebecca flashed a thumbs up. “See you in the group ring, Jack.” Then she returned her gaze to Matt. “You ready?”

  “Beats standing around.” He put Patches on the floor and stepped up to the entrance of the ring.

  The steward faced the contestants, clipboard in hand. “Chihuahuas—Six to nine-month-old puppy dogs, number four and number eight.”

  Matt rechecked his number. He was four which meant he was first in the ring and this time he stepped in with confidence, circled Patches around and free-stacked him so that the judge would get a good side view. The hours of classes and practice paid off as he knew exactly what to do. Also, the brief interlude he had in the ring with Fifi the week before prepared him for what to expect.

  “Once around, first dog on the table,” the judge snapped.

  Matt walked Patches around the ring in step with the dog, thrilled that Patches looked up at him and wagged his tail. He had watched other skittish puppy dogs coaxed around the ring by embarrassed handlers. He hoped that Patches wouldn’t suddenly realize that he was in a big scary ring at an important dog show. He definitely preferred the happy puppy attitude and Matt could tell by the smile on the judge’s face that she thought so too. What a confidence builder.

  Patches wagged his tail and only wiggled a little while the judge went over him on the table. He took a couple steps when the judge examined his rear conformation but Matt corrected him immediately. They executed a flawless down-and-back with Matt using a piece of chicken to get Patches’ attention while finishing him in a solid stack in front of the judge. Holy smokes, Patches was made for the ring.

  Kneeling to showcase the puppy, Matt maintained the dog’s attention by tempting him with the chicken. A worthy contender, the second puppy looked absolutely adorable—a fawn coat with a darling apple dome. He shied a bit on the table, went down perfectly, but threw his head and pulled on the lead on the way back. The handler opted to restart. The puppy stacked well at the end but shied again, tail tucked, when the judge moved to look from another angle.

  “All dogs around,” the judge ordered,
critically assessing each dog’s conformation as they pattered around the ring.

  She pointed to Matt. “First.” Then pointed to the other puppy. “Second.”

  Rebecca cheered and gestured to the side of the ring where Matt needed to line up to receive his blue ribbon. Heaving with excitement, he tucked Patches in the crook of his arm. His first win with Patches—no points yet, but definitely a positive start to his dog’s show career.

  On his way out, the Steward reminded him to wait for the Winners Dog class.

  Matt felt like he won the lottery as he strolled out of the ring. Rebecca met him with a big hug and Jack and Alan were there to shake his hand.

  “Cute pup,” said Jack.

  “I can’t believe Rebecca let you have him. He’s a natural,” Alan added.

  Jack’s eyebrows arched. “Matt’s a natural.”

  Rebecca beamed with pride. “You were unbelievable. If I hadn’t known you were new to the ring, I would’ve assumed you were a seasoned handler.”

  Matt ran Patches’ lead through his fingers. “I would have fallen on my face if it weren’t for your training.”

  His excitement grew as they watched the other classes being judged. All too soon, however, the ring steward announced, “Chihuahua Winners Dog class, Number four…”

  All Matt heard was his number and he knew he was first again. The judge had the dogs go around and asked each one to execute a triangle. Though this added some difficulty, he was grateful Rebecca had made him practice it. She told him that the triangle was the second most popular pattern to the down-and-back.

  After, the dogs were all stacked in a line on one side of the ring. The judge walked up to each dog and made a kissing noise to get their attention. Patches’ ears perked up and he wagged his tail when she stopped at him. The dog behind Patches broke his stack and shied away. The older, more seasoned dogs also perked up when the judge walked past. Matt’s palms perspired as he glanced around trying to guess who would win. Sensing his distraction, Patches jumped up against his leg and pattered around in a circle.

  Matt quickly corrected him right before the judge walked back down the line. “Take your dogs around.”

  Standing tall and assuming an air of confidence, he walked Patches around the ring with the other dogs following. His jaw practically dropped to the floor and he threw his fist in the air when the judge pointed at him. “Winners Dog!”

  The judge handed him a purple ribbon and the steward reminded that he needed to return to the ring for the Best of Variety class.

  Rebecca beamed. He fell into her outstretched arms. “I can’t believe it. Your first show—for both of you—that’s amazing.”

  “How did that happen? I was concentrating so much on Patches I had no idea we were running for a touchdown.”

  Barbara patted Matt on the back. “Congratulations on your major.”

  “Major?”

  Rebecca scratched Patches behind the ears. “Remember I said this would be a four-point major if you got winners dog? Now you need eleven more points and one more major with a different judge to finish him.”

  Matt ran a hand across his flat top. “Holy cow!”

  “Way to go. You looked like a professional handler out there,” Jack said.

  Rebecca went through the same process and won Winners Bitch with another of her smooth coats, Madeline. “She’s finished. An official AKC Champion.”

  “Congratulations.” Matt snapped a picture with his iPhone.

  “This is so cool, we’ll be right next to each other in the B.O.V. class.”

  Matt grinned. “Yeah, you can give me pointers.”

  She shook her head as if giving pointers in front of a judge was a bad idea. “I think you’re doing just fine without me coaching you. The judge would notice that, too.”

  The ring steward’s voice rang out. “Best of Variety Class, number twenty-seven, number four, and number seven.”

  “There’s only one champion entered?” Matt whispered.

  “Yep. That’s pretty amazing for such a big show.”

  Just as they entered the ring, the television cameras appeared to film the class. But the judge had them moving so quickly no one had time to worry about being filmed. She examined the champion dog while Rebecca and Matt stacked Madeline and Patches.

  “Take them around.” Sandwiched between the champion and Madeline, Matt led Patches around the ring, the judge pointed at Matt. “Best of Variety and Best of Winners.” She pointed at Rebecca, “Best of Opposite.”

  “Oh my goodness,” Rebecca whispered behind him. “She put Patches ahead of the champion. That doesn’t happen unless the judge thinks your dog is outstanding.”

  On top of the world, Matt lined up to receive his purple-and-gold rosette ribbon while the handler of the champion dog huffed out of the ring. The judge shook Matt’s hand. “Lovely puppy. I expect to see more of him.”

  “Thank you.” Matt pointed to Rebecca as she received her red-and-white B.O.S. ribbon. “I owe it all to her.”

  After hugs and congratulations, Rebecca headed to her grooming station to prepare for the long coat classes while a reporter sauntered over to Matt. “Are you the Matt Johnson, former UCLA quarterback?”

  Like all handlers in this show, he had signed a release when he entered the building, providing some basic information about his background and his dog. Matt looked up, amazed that someone would remember him from his glory days, eighteen years ago. “Holy cow, no one has asked me that in years.”

  “Would we be able to interview you with your dog?”

  “Ah, sure. Why not?”

  The reporter waved at the cameraman and raised the microphone to his lips. “We’ve got former UCLA quarterback, Matt Johnson, here today. He just won Best of Variety and a major with his Smooth Coat Chihuahua and we’ll be seeing him in the Toy Group later today. Tell us about your dog, Matt.”

  With a blink, Matt froze. Holy hell, he was a rookie heading for the Toy Group with all the professional handlers?

  The reporter grinned. “He’s a cute little fella.”

  “He is.” Matt gave himself a shake and focused on the first question, blocking out the overwhelming stimulus around them, a tactic he had learned when speaking to the media during his football days. “I recently moved to New Jersey and purchased Patches from breeder, Rebecca Lee. She’s an outstanding trainer and runs handling classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights. I’ve been memorizing the plays of the show ring just like I did back when I played ball.”

  “That’s interesting, relating the show ring to plays in football. How long have you been showing Patches?”

  “This is his first show. He just turned six months on Tuesday.”

  “That is amazing. Folks, this puppy is brand new to the ring and today he beat an experienced dog, handled by a professional. Congratulations to you, Matt.”

  “Thank you.”

  The rest of the morning finished with Rebecca Taking BOV with Bruno.

  Breathless with excitement, she pushed the dog into Matt. “Would you take him back to the bench? I can’t miss Mandy in junior showmanship.”

  Left holding Bruno and Fifi, Matt took a moment to admire Rebecca’s skirt swish across those sexy hips as she trotted away. Bruno yipped and Matt gave the dog a squeeze. This is wild.

  Once he was dog-less, he caught up with her at the junior showmanship ring in time to see Amanda execute her pattern. Four cameras focused on the senior for the Thanksgiving telecast.

  Amanda looked as professional as an attorney, her chestnut locks tied up and softened by ringlets that cascaded down the back of her neck. Gordo was brushed out beautifully with his ruff pronounced like a lion’s mane and he carried his tail arched over his back, showing off the wispy feathering of his fur. “They’re the perfect duo,” Matt said.

  Rebecca watched with a critical eye. “She’s giving it her all today.”

  The junior handler judge made it difficult for the seniors, having them execute L patterns and
judging down and backs with dual dogs. Rebecca leaned close to Matt’s ear. “This shows how much control the handler has over the dog. Sometimes a judge in the conformation ring will ask for two dogs to go down-and-back together when there is a difficult decision to be made.”

  “I got my money on Amanda. She and Gordo move flawlessly together.”

  A faraway smile crossed Rebecca’s face. “They are a great pair, always have been.”

  Chapter Nine

  Amanda took the Junior Handler Championship.

  Filled with relief, Rebecca squeezed Matt’s hand. “This is quite a day for us. Amanda took junior show, you took smooths, I took longs. Holy smokes, I can’t believe it.”

  “You got that right, this is unbelievable. Is it always so euphoric?”

  Rebecca laughed. “Absolutely not. Sometimes nothing goes right and I wonder why I bothered to show up. You just need to enjoy the good times when they come and put the bad behind you.”

  Back at the bench, she brushed out Bruno and handed a comb to Matt to go over Patches. Neither said a word as they prepared for the Toy Group…and the cameras.

  “Are you ready?” Rebecca asked, a little nervous herself.

  Matt gave her a crooked grin, looking adorable. “I guess, but I’d rather be playing in the Super Bowl than out there with a bunch of people who’ve been handling dogs for years.”

  “Don’t let it worry you. You have a great dog and that should give you confidence. As long as you don’t trip and fall on your face, you’ll be fine.” She chuckled. “Thinking of it, that happened to me once and I still lived.”

  The cameras panned across the dogs as the handlers lined up behind the black velvet curtain before the Toy Group. Unlike smaller shows, there was a mandated lineup. Matt would follow Rebecca into the ring—that would help his nerves ease a bit. She recognized most of the handlers there.

  Jack stood in line ahead with his Papillion and waved. “Hey, Matt. Congratulations on getting to group. You’re lucky to have Rebecca to show you the ropes.”

  “You got that right.” Matt slung his arm around Rebecca’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze.