We went to the USDAA show in Monterey on Sunday. My thought being, to eek out any last bits of dog show left in my dogs. And I bought a tiny red mini tent, made by Chinese slave labor and sold by costo, the nifty kind that folds into a little sack, pops right up and weighs as much as a chipmunk stuffed in a sock. Big enough for me and the dogs if my legs stick out the front.

Will also work as a guest room for any out of town visitors. We could also all zip ourselves in a hide out if we wanted to. I much like my new little red tent.

Otterpop, apparently upon hearing the rumor this may have been her last time in the show ring, flipped me a massive F-U and reverted to super speedy Otterpop of Awesomeness, winning Gamblers and Standard, the only 2 classes I entered her in. Go figure. Otterpop messes with my mind. This is after being pretty lame all week, not able to jump up into the car or on to the tall things she enjoys jumping up on in her daily chores of official asshole of our house and barn. She even had to walk on a LEASH at the beach one morning because I thought her hinky leg looked that crummy one day.

So whatever, Otterpop. You are are so damn mysterious, with your blinky chihuahua eyes and cattle dog tail and it sure is a good thing I really, really, really like you.

I don’t know if Otterpop is retired now. You’ll have to ask her if you’re interested. And likely she’ll lie and yell obscenities and start hollering about crawdad fishing or something. Good luck getting anything out of Otterpop.

Gustavo just ran the 2 jumpers classes. In regular masters jumpers, big disaster and that was that. So much for his amazing Masters Jumpers streak. Gustavo and his weirdness washes over me like a river of grasshoppers. In the Masters Challenge Jumpers, the interrnational flavor class, a pretty good run, just one fatal handling error by me that put him in an off course tunnel, but these are the kinds of courses we really do like to run and he was focused and just so, normal. After he ran away off the startline. Then came right back which caught me flat footed and I felt like I spent half of the run just trying to catch up.

I love Gustavo very much. Whatever he does, I am not going to sweat it. Running away off of a startline is a pretty despicable offense, but because I have no expectations of him, we just go on. Chipping away, maybe some day there is some more agility for him, and maybe not.

Also, there was an outdoor bar with various types of beer at this trial. Beer for lunch! Somehow in my scurrying around of dog show stuff, I never made it to the beer. Or got lunch. Sad but true.

And also, I irritated many people with new project I will call Sort of Dog Shopping. I am sort of shopping for a puppy. I am a very picky, all over the map browser, being the poor shopper that I am, and a creepy stalker of puppies and friends that are good at raising puppies soliciting advice about my imaginary puppy that exists in my mind.

I would like a puppy that would grow up to fit into an airplane tote bag and run in the 16″ or 12″ divisions. It would have long legs, short fur, and a cute face. It would be very sweet and as smart as a monkey. It would probably be a little wild and a lot fast, get along with the rest of team small dog, and have some kind of herding ancestry. It may come from a breeder, unless this makes me feel to sad for all the dogs in rescue. It may come from rescue, unless I am too nervous to get a puppy of unknown origins. In the crapshoot of dog training, me with the random selection of roadside rejects, I would like to stack my deck just a little more by getting a puppy who is a learning sponge of a clean slate, ready to learn about how awesome agility can be. And who will pee on my floor and wake me up at night and probably chew on my furniture.

Maybe I am asking for too much. But I just thought I would let you know. Because you never know.