Chow Down (A Melanie Travis Mystery)

went a long way toward softening some of the prickliness I’d been feeling. What can I say? Praise my dog and I’ll love you forever.
    “I wish I could take special credit, but honestly that’s just the way Poodles are. It’s highly unusual to find one that doesn’t love people. Poodles would much rather spend time with their owners than with other dogs.”
    As if on cue, Faith sat down, nestled herself next to my legs and rested her head on my thigh. Her dark eyes lifted to link with mine and she and blew out a happy sigh.
    The effect wasn’t lost on Doug. Actually it was my impression that the contest chairman didn’t miss much of anything. I was also cynical enough to believe that even this seemingly spontaneous break we were sharing had probably been scripted ahead of time.
    “We tried to take breed characteristics into account when we were choosing our finalists,” Doug said. “Not that every breed doesn’t have some great qualities, but I think most people would agree that not every breed is equally suited for the unique function we have in mind.”
    He leaned back, rested his arm across the top of the bench, and gazed out across the meadow. Even while sitting with Faith and me, he was still evaluating the other finalists’ performances.
    I wondered whether he’d been picking up on the same things I had: That Brando didn’t always respond favorably to unwanted attention from strangers. That MacDuff could be aloof, showing more interest in the chipmunks and squirrels that crossed his path than in the people. That Yoda was sometimes overwhelmed by all the fuss; small children poking their fingers in her direction intimidated the Yorkie enough to make her hide behind Lisa’s legs.
    Not that I was trying to be overly critical of my fellow contestants. What the committee was asking us to do was a difficult task. But if the spokesdog for Chow Down was going to be required to make numerous personal appearances on behalf of the product, I supposed we’d all just better buckle down and get used to it.
    “Picked a favorite yet?” I asked idly.
    I didn’t really expect an answer, so I was surprised when Doug said, “We all have our favorites. I suppose that’s human nature. Right or wrong, it’s been that way from the very beginning.”
    As he spoke, he was watching Yoda. Lisa had gathered the Yorkie up in her arms and was standing off to one side. Body hunched protectively around the small dog as if shielding her from potential harm, Lisa’s demeanor clearly proclaimed that the two of them wished to be left alone.
    It wasn’t to be. Simone strode purposefully toward the pair. She reached out and draped a comforting arm around Lisa’s shoulders. I half-expected the dog owner to shrug her off, but she didn’t. Instead, heads tipped toward each other, the two women quickly became engrossed in conversation.
    “We’re trying to cut her some slack,” Doug said when he realized I was watching, just as he was. “I’m sure none of this is easy for Lisa.”
    “And yet it was her choice to stay in the contest,” I pointed out. “Some people would find that an odd decision under the circumstances.”
    Doug only shrugged. “Who knows how other people’s minds work? Especially women. Certainly not me.”
    Charlie had been tracking Ginger, who’d been romping with some teenagers, but now he zeroed in on Lisa and Simone. The photographer started to head in their direction, but Doug caught his eye and waved him off. Then Dorothy plucked at the photographer’s sleeve. Charlie turned and focused his lens on MacDuff. Doug relaxed and went back to speaking.
    “We all noticed right away that Lisa and Yoda were uncomfortable out here. Then Simone pointed out that according to the information we’d received, Larry was the one who always took the dog in the show ring. Lisa was accustomed to remaining in the background.”
    I hadn’t thought about that either. I supposed it put a new spin on Lisa’s somewhat defensive behavior.
    “So maybe it was unfair of us to spring a test like this on her.”
    “You sprang it on all of us. If Lisa and Yoda can’t cope now, what’s going to happen if they win?”
    “Good question. And something we’ll have to take into consideration when we make our decision.”
    Doug’s eyes were still following the two women. With all the activity going on around us, something about the pair continued to draw his interest.
    I thought about Dorothy and Chris, who’d met the