Page 40 of Worst in Show

I chase after the two dogs to the fence, thinking I’ll catch Cho there, but to my surprise, she also clears the obstacle, as small as she is. For a moment, I stop panicking and allow excitement in its place. The choice between Cho and Cap is clear. I’ve got my contestant. Unfortunately, the other dogs in the arena are getting in on the mayhem, and the shouts from other owners pull me out of my epiphany.

“Call your dog back,” one man yells at Leo, who’s jogging back and forth depending on what direction the pack is taking, Tilly’s limp leash in his hands.

“You know, you really should keep your dog under better control,” I tell him with a smirk when I reach him. This time it wasn’t Cholula’s fault, and I’m more than happy to feed him his own words in place of a humble pie.

“Ha, ha, very funny.”

“I think it is. Oh, how the righteous fall. Maybe if you lie down on the ground they’ll come back. Worked last time.”

He looks down at the sawdust as if considering this.

“I’m joking. Wouldn’t want to ruin that fancy leather jacket of yours.” What was he thinking wearing that here?

“Then how will we get them back?”

Our eyes trail the romping canines, who clearly have no intention of stopping any time soon.

At that moment, the door opens and the teacher enters with one of the other patrons. She raises a whistle to her mouth and blows a long, high-pitched note. The dogs immediately stop in their tracks.

“Leash up,” she calls. Then she looks at me and Leo. “And you two—I’d like to see you both in my office.”

Leo and I gather our dogs and walk to the main building.

“Unbelievable,” Leo says. “Called to the ‘principal’s office’ like some…” He doesn’t finish the sentence but keeps muttering under his breath.

I tug Cho and Cap along across the muddy grounds. “Why are you making such a big deal about this? She probably just wants to remind us of the rules.”

“Well, I don’t like it.”

“Being in trouble? Does it hurt your feelings that someone thinks you fucked up?”

He doesn’t respond, but the crease on his brow deepens. I must have hit a nerve.

Once inside, we stand shoulder to shoulder in front of the matron in charge who’s leveling us with the glare to end all glares.

“I am sure I made it clear when we spoke on the phone that we require our clients to have at least a basic level of control over their animals when they attend our classes.”

“You did,” Leo says.

I nod.

“And yet here we are.”

Leo juts his chin out. “Tilly is usually well-behaved. But when she sees Cora’s dog—”

I whip my head his way. “It’s my fault now? Tilly started it this time.”

The woman’s ruddy cheeks puff up. “This has happened before?”

“Only once,” Leo assures her. “And like I said, it’s not typical.”

I scoff. “You would blame me. You’ve disliked Cholula from the get-go. Just because she looks different and doesn’t have a fancy pedigree doesn’t mean you can throw her under the bus.”

“I’m doing nothing of the sort.”

“Be that as it may…” The woman demands our attention again. “We will not be inviting you back here.”

What? I gape at her. “No, please. I need a place to train my dogs for Winter Fest. I promise this won’t happen again. If his dog hadn’t gotten loose—”

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