The Chinese New Year celebration from last year was so successful, it was small wonder that this year was even more anticipated. The Miss Zodiac competition in particular was the one that everyone wanted to see most. Last year had been pretty impressive. But as the Year of the Rooster ended and the Year of the Dog began, this year promised to be even better. However, there were quite a few differences with this pageant. While there were only a few hens last year competing, there were 200 hundred dogs who were wanting to claim the title of Miss Year of the Dog.
As such, to help narrow down the finalists for the Miss Zodiac title, there was first going to be a Best of Breed subdivision. It was fittingly like a dog show in several ways. One particular event that was carried over was the canine obstacle course, though adapted for bipedal competitors. While the principles were simple. executing them was not. It was a bit tricky to get through the obstacle course without knocking something over. Particularly in the pole-weaving stretch where the dogs' generous racks could knock a pole over if they were careless.
But there was more to the contest than simply that. The Best in Breed subdivision tested the various contestants by their breeds' particular designs and functions. For instance, the Herding Group had to herd a flock of non-Animalian sheep into a pen within a time frame. The Hound Group were to use their noses to sniff out pouches that have been hidden in a particular area. The Sporting Group and Non-Sporting group were combined as both groups consisted mostly of dogs who were bred for retrieving game, though there were two separate prizes for the retrievers and non-retrievers to receive.
The Working Group had the most variety as there were different 'jobs' for the different breeds. Some were bred for rescue, some were bred for guarding, and some were bred for sled-pulling. It was the latter that Sarah and Malice were competing in. But after their months of training, this wasn't much effort for them. Yes, the sleds were weighted down a bit more than their practice runs, but they've gotten pretty good by this point.
Still, even if there would be three different finalists from the Working Group, it had to be either Sarah or Malice who'd could move on to the Miss Zodiac pageant itself. Still, despite the closeness of their racing, Malice was able to just come out ahead of Sarah. She'd soon become the Best of Breed for Sledding Working. Malice was amused to see the other finalists of the other breeding groups, including Dot for Non-Retrieval Sporting, Beth for Guarding Working, and Tiffany for Retrieval Sporting. Those who didn't make it to the finals but were still the best for their individual breeds were given medals to commemorate how far they got.
But the competition was hardly over now. The title of Miss Zodiac will be determined after the pageant division. And there was still the Mr. Zodiac Competition to look forward to.