Outside the rope

An original literary non-fiction-style account of taking a family dog to a small community dog show.

I had entered Pip in the category for the dog with the most appealing expression. His ordinary expression had persuaded us to share toast, abandon comfortable chairs and forgive a damaged slipper. In the kitchen, I had considered our chances excellent. I had even straightened the blue ribbon on his collar before we left.

At the field, he was more interested in the hedge than the other competitors. I took this for indifference until we approached the waiting area. He stopped beside my leg and would not move forward. When I stepped back, he came with me at once. I tried another approach, slower this time, and he again stopped at the same place.

My daughter asked whether he had forgotten how to walk. Then she crouched beside him and noticed that the ribbon had slipped under his collar. We removed it. He shook himself, but he still turned away when the steward called our number. A dog behind us began barking. Pip pressed against my knee.

The steward said that we could wait for a later round if we wanted. For a moment, I imagined telling everyone that we had at least reached the judging ring. My daughter asked whether Pip knew that there was a prize. Outside the rope, a boy was rolling a tennis ball along a quiet strip of grass. Pip lifted his head to watch it.

I told the steward that we were withdrawing. We walked towards the quieter grass, and Pip's pace changed immediately. The boy asked whether he could roll the ball for him. Pip followed it, returned without it and waited for another roll. I had wanted a judge to admire the expression we knew from home. I could see it again now, although nobody was holding a score sheet.

Explain why the narrator withdraws Pip from the show rather than waiting for another round.