Chance Goes To The Dog Show

Chance the Weather Dog, along with Dave Price, The Early Show weatherman, had an excellent adventure this week at the Westminster Kennel Club Show.

"It's very foo-foo, but we broke down those barriers," reports Chance's owner. "I was prepared to bring Chance, have him tossed at the door and I brought this well-trained version of him to compete. (So much for that.)… But instead what happened was Chance was kind of welcomed with open arms, much to our surprise."

Here is part of Dave's report:

Chance is a rescued shelter dog, so what was he doing at the famous Westminster dog show? With 2,500 dogs of 162 breeds, all competing for the title of best in show, I figured Chance could network, even if he wasn't allowed to compete. But before Chance or any other dog steps into that arena, there is primping and training and pressure.

Perhaps a quick shampoo and blowout? I figured Chance looked so typical that maybe we needed to try for something a little special to make him stand out. Because there were a lot of goldens, I was thinking maybe a blond streak down the back.

But how do you figure out what kind of 'do' to put the dog in? According to one expert: "Trial and error."

Now most of us would love that kind of attention – stylists, beauty consultants. But these are dogs. They don't care.

Make no mistake. The pooches may look cute but Westminster isn't about "cute." It's about fierce competition. And it's among the owners, not the dogs.

In the end, my dog Chance may have had no chance. But there's nothing wrong with a man and his best friend having a dream.

There are a lot of great dogs out there. If you want to be a pet owner, why not adopt a pet? They're wonderful.

This shelter animal, Chance, has enriched my life to the nth degree.