"Best of Winners", grinned her friend revealing the telltale Blue, Purple and Blue/White Ribbons in her hand. "Congratulations," Shelley replied. "And how did my favorite Siberian, Miss Lee, do in obedience?", Gail queried as she stooped over to pet the graceful silver and white dog beside her.
"Lee really liked the judge," Shelley explained. "In fact she liked her so much she brought the dumbell back to the judge each time instead of to me. If only she would perform at a show as sharply as she does for her friends at the nursing home. We just learned some more tricks for them. Check this out."
Turning to face her dog Shelley smiled down at her dog. "Lee, watch me," she instructed. Turning her hand she pointed her finger at the expectant Siberian like a gun. "Bang," she exclaimed. In an instant the Siberian Husky dropped to the ground and rolled over on her back with her paws tucked up close to her chest.
Gail laughed and inquired "Can she do anything else?" "She can play the piano and do a bunch of other tricks with just the slightest hand signal", Shelley bragged. "The people love it! And the more attention she gets, the more of a show she'll put on. If only she'd get fired up like that at a show," Shelley sighed. "Well at least at the next show she's in she's going back in the breed ring. She never misbehaves there. "Thanks again, Gail for taking her in for me," Shelley smiled. It would be the same weekend my parents are coming through town. Lee really likes you and I know she will do her best!"
The following weekend Gail picked up Lee and loaded her in her van along with her Whipppets. Waving goodbye to Shelley as she headed for the interstate she mercifully had no idea of the lengths Lee would go to please her.
Siberians showed late in the day after a large supported entry of Borzoi. Gail groomed Leah and arrived at ringside just as the Borzoi judge called in all the dogs for Best of Breed. The crowd packed in tight under the colorful tent as the first droplets of an afternoon shower splashed off its sides.
The Borzoi judge motioned all the dogs return to the protection of the tent overhang and only examined one dog at a time. At the end the judge kept only 5 dogs. The crowd was abuzz with the suspense.
The rain continued in torrents drowning out any normal conversation. The Borzoi judge asked the people outside the ring to be quiet so that the exhibitors would hear his instructions. "We had better be quiet Lee, Gail directed her dog as she put a finger in front of her mouth to "shush" her Siberian charge.
At that gesture Lee's ears pricked sharply. Her black-rimmed mouth formed a perfect circle as she raised her muzzle to the skies and yodelled loudly. "Ah-wooooooo, ah-woooo," Lee chortled happily. The Borzoi judge glanced in the direction the ruckus was coming from clearly annoyed. "I'd like quiet here please," he shouted barely audible over the din.
"Turning red-faced Gail once again put her finger in front of her mouth leaned over and pleaded "Lee, shush. Shush, girl.". But it was to no avail. Wagging her tail enthusiastically and much to her handler's embarrassment, Lee serenaded all with her Siberian rendition of singnin' in the rain.
"Ah-Wooooo, wow-wow-wow. Ah-Wooooo, ah-wow-wow wow", Lee crooned increasingly louder, her clear soprano inflection vocalizing the gamut of the entire canine scale. "Can't we have some quiet here," the judge demanded but it was no use. Lee's infectious singing incited the other waiting Siberians to share that glorious feeling and join in her revelry. All other ring activity stopped as 31 Huskies joined voices in a simultaneous chorus of Siberian jubilee.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOO" they crowed in unison. Ah-ooooooooooo, they sang. It was deafening. Gail was mortified but was unable to move in the tightly packed crowd. She felt like she was at an nightmarish outake from Call of the Wild and tried her best to subdue her dog.
But the more she tried to quiet her Siberian instigator, the louder and more persistent Lee howled. "OOOOOOOOOOOOO", Lee led the 31 dogs in song. "Hoo-ooooooooooo" they all replied. "I will have quiet, the judge barked," adding to the bedlam.
Realizing that it was no use Gail dropped her arms to her sides looked at the judge sheepishly and shrugged. Immediately Lee ceased her spontaneous medley, unmindful that her 31 comrades continued without her. Enormously pleased with herself, the Siberian looked up at her handler with sparkling eyes and prodded Gail's pocket as if expecting a treat for a job well done.
Much later, Gail recounted to her friend the story of what happended that day at the show. Shelley laughed uproariously. "Oh Gail, I'm so sorry", Shelley hooted unable to contain herself, cackling so hard she had to hold her sides.
"Remember me telling you all the tricks that Lee has learned?," Shelley guffawed, tears streaming down her face. "When you held your finger in front of your face to hush her", Shelley gasped breaking out again in peals of laughter, "that is the command I use when I want her to sing!"