Greatest American Dog Recap #6
So last night the family sat down for another episode of Greatest American Dog. It produced a few cringe worthy moments, almost making me turn the channel. What can I say, I don’t deal with conflict very well. We’ll get to that shortly.
The dog bone challenge this week was an intelligence test; put some people food behind a wall and see how long it takes the contestants to figure out how to get at it.
It looked like Teresa and Leroy or JD and Galaxy were going to win with times of 15 seconds. Then whaddya know, Bill and Star came on the scene and totally destroyed that number, getting to the food in 8 seconds. Star knows what she likes, and she likes her people food!
Bill, reciprocating Teresa’s kind act of last week, gave her the dog bone suit and the leg up on this week’s Best in Show competition. People being nice to each other, we love to see that. Unfortunately, we weren’t going to see much more of it on this week’s show.
The Best in Show competition was focused on dog painting. Basically the contestants were given a blank canvas and they were tasked with creating a work of art that spoke to the relationship between the owner and their pup. The difficulty? Only the dog could paint the canvas.
All types of methods were crafted to let the inner Pawcaso’s (thanks Beth Joy) out. It ranged from stencils to sponges on feet and backs to peanut butter powered paint rollers. In the end some of the paintings were pretty good, albeit only if viewed through the prism of a six year old’s eyes. But hey, it’s canine’s painting!
So let’s talk about the controversy from last night. When Beth Joy was creating her masterpiece, she put Bella Starlet’s paws into a paint pan. Don’t worry, all paint was canine friendly. It was made apparent that Bella Starlet has issues with anyone touching her front paws and she made a yelping sound. This happened several times, prompting others to look over to see what was going on. From a distance it appeared the dog was being forced to do something it didn’t want to, but I leave that judgement up to Beth Joy who would know better than anyone if this was the case. There’s no doubt she loves Bella Starlet more than anything in the world.
Enter Laura and Preston. I don’t know why they were up against the clock when everyone else seemed to have been done, but their painting wasn’t very good. I forget what it was supposed to represent but it just looked like a few paint cans had been tipped over. Yup, Bo could have done that.
When Laura was pressed on why it was so bad by the judges, she indicated she only worked Preston up to his limit and wasn’t willing to push him past it…unlike others in the competition. Yikes! The judges asked who, and Laura backed the bus over Beth Joy.
Next thing you know, Travis pipes up and supports Beth Joy. Not the greatest move if you’re looking to have a relationship with the accuser. Then, while the judges were making their decision, a confrontation occurred between Beth Joy and Laura. This is the point I wanted to change the channel. This is not why I’m watch the show.
So in the end we had the bottom three…JD and Galaxy, Laurie and Andrew and Laura and Preston. Based on the paintings it wasn’t hard to see who to expel. Bye, bye Laura and Preston.
A couple of highlights from last night, at least for me:
- Star holding a pretzel in her mouth until Bill finished reading the ingredients on the package to make sure it was OK for her to eat it.
- There was a quick shot of Leroy on the bed sleeping with his tongue out. Gets me every time.
- Galaxy showing how good he is at catching frisbees and Presley showing how good he is at attacking doggie beds.
- The dogs with paint on their faces.
- Travis admitting he has commitment issues to the judges and then pushing his budding romance with Laura away by siding with Beth Joy.
It was nice to see a bit more dog action than what we’ve seen in the past. Hopefully they’ll concentrate on that more than the human issues going forward.
Hey, next week we get to see puppies in action!! Puppies on camera!!! Yeah, can’t wait.
I know you have opinions…let us hear ‘em.
It is interesting to see who will say what when someone is trying to get points for themselves. In the case of Laura it backfired.
I commend Travis for having spoke up in favor of Beth Joy even though it meant he was siding against Laura. He felt those comments from Laura were unjustified.
Once in a while you see those who want to be the winner do something thoughtful, kind and unexpected for a fellow contestant. Three cheers for Teresa & Leroy, Bill & Star.
For what it conveyed Teresa & Leory’s artistic expression was my favorite.
I agree with Sally T. Laura could see that her painting was not up to the judges standards, and instead of being a gracious loser she lashed out at Beth Joy and yes it did totally backfire. Laura’s face when she looked at Travis was one of betrayal, but I think Travis could see through her facade.
I would like to see Travis & Presley win, he has such a special realtionship, Travis seems to have a kind heart. I also love Bill and Star, but have a feeling their time may be short on the show.
Love Greatest American Dog and hope that it is renewed again.
Coco
I failed to see where the “intelligence” figured in on the painting exercise. That was a creative endeavor. Oh, well.
Couldn’t believe Laura threw Beth Joy under the bus and then rolled over her a couple of times. I thought she was above that, but you never know what people are going to do or say when under pressure.
Beth Joy must have known she was going to be called out for making Bella yelp during the exercise, so she decided to address it first by saying they were “working through Bella’s paw issues” while they were painting. Nice one!
I’m a little tired of JD thinking he’s all that for every event. His ego is massive!
Go Bill and Starr!
Of course Star would win the intelligence competition. Brittanies are super smart. I could tell you tons of “smart” stories about the Brittanies I’ve owned. Go Bill and Star!
I was SO sad to see Laura and Preston go I loved them and thier bond is INCREDIBLE. She was wrong for calling out Beth Joy but I understand… Beth Joy gets on my LAST NERVE, she acts like such a little girl! I’m not sure why they picked on JD so much, he did what they asked and the words jumbled up MADE it art in my opinion… I loved it, Galaxy is a little Doggie Picasso!
I’m rooting for Bill & Star. I’ve been torn between the 2 of them and Laura & Preston. But all the pups are just so NEAT! Like in reality it’s usually not the dog it’s their owners… in some cases (cough.. Andrew & Beacon) its too bad they can’t they keep the dogs on and just send their peeps home!
I’d actually buy a print of JD/Galaxy’s art….all it took was ONE of the words to be right and the message came across. It’s a really great piece. But then none of the judges are artists so their evaluation was kinda wonky, in my opinion.
I’m rooting for Bill & Star although I think JD/Galaxy and Teresa/Leroy are ‘up there’ as well but then I have a weakness for herding/working/sporting breeds….not the little fuzz balls. But that’s just me.
I don’t much care for Beth Joy, but you could tell that Bella Star’s yips weren’t due to abuse or unnecessary pressure on her paws. She just doesn’t like her feet touched. Lots of dogs, including Abby, are overly dramatic — sometimes yelping due more to surprise than distress. Heck, who hasn’t stepped on a paw or tripped over a furry napper in the dark? If we all got busted for an occasional yelp, we’d all be in jail!
In fact, we have a little rescued Basenji in our neighborhood — he has sensitive feet because his first “family” got mad at him for scratching and tried to pull out his toenails with pliers. That says it all. There are several of us who are trusted to help reduce his anxiety by gently touching his paws when we see him. There have been a few yelps along the way, but he is becoming so trusting now that he rarely fusses at all. It has been a wonderful tranformation.
Anyway, Beth Joy will be gone soon enough, but this week I think she was in the right. Of course, I’m pulling for Bill and Star!!!
I can’t beleave that I am still watching the show but I am addicted. I wish that we were the ones who gets to vote not the judges. they only see and judge them only what they do on the best in show contest. not the rest that they do . I can’t beleave that Jd and Galaxy was even put in the bottom 3. and I love his art work. The judges that they have i don’t like. they make them look like they dont even know how to train there dog. MY best to me is Leroy and Galaxy and star. these are the smartest dogs on the show .I can tell who spends alot of time with there dogs like Galaxy and star . I can see they bond and the training they have with there owners. good luck to all 3 of my fav. But I have to root for the border collie and the border collie mix. because I am a border collie owner. and I know what they are going through. can’t wait to see who wins.
We have a Brittany, named Ginger. She reminds us so much of Star. Her coloring is different, but her personality is the same. They are truly the most intelligent breed of dogs. Everyday Ginger does something that amazes us. She is two and we are thinking about having puppies. We look forward every week, to the show, and we are learning from it.
Good luck Bill and Star. Your doing great!
i love bill and star!
I was disappointed in the judging of the paintings. I thought Laurie and Andrew’s was the best - it was well thought out, and the little iconic portrayal of Andrew was perfect!
I shed no tears about the spat between Laura and Beth Joy; Beth Joy irritates me with her constant crying at the drop of a hat, and I don’t have any particular fondness for Laura. The whole thing seemed, like so many of the other interpersonal conflicts, to have been manufactured in the interest of adding drama.
Still, I like the show and watch it (recorded) every week. I don’t care which dog wins; I just like watching dogs on TV. What can I say?
This show is addicting! We even talk about it at the dog park! LOL!!!
When you are going to throw someone under the bus you have to be willing to accept the consequences, which is what happened to Laura. Beth Joy is a bit over the edge with her dog, but she does love that dog and was smart enough to address the issue.
Go Bill and Star