True to form, Spot enjoyed her day in the limelight and was justly proud of the 4th prize rosette the two shearlings were awarded in the PAIRS class. Mia, however, has a stubborn streak... Mia will do exactly what Mia wants to do - or else go into spoiled child syndrome and throw a massive sulk
So the moment I opened the pen gate to lead the two into the arena, that behaviour shone forth. Spot leapt forward towards the party with total enthusiasm and a fair turn of speed. Mia declined the invitation. With Spot on the end of her lead and through the second gate into the arena, Mia threw herself onto the ground in her pen gateway.. With a pocket full of food, I coaxed, pleaded, pushed, pulled and lifted. But when I hauled the back end up, the front end slumped on the ground. When I pulled the head up, the back end collapsed... And hungry she was not! It was Spot's incessant bleatings of complaint and usual impatience that finally allowed her to permit being half dragged and half carried into the line-up, where she buried her head between her knees. But luck was with us - we were not asked to move again until Spot's sweetest smile had influenced the judge, and leaving the ring was far easier than entering it...
That left the rest of the day to be enjoyed. So Spot played up to her admiring public and rushed back into the ring for the "Meet the Sheep" event, whilst Mia preferred to keep her nose firmly planted on the ground... But was she pleased to go? Of course not! Obviously warming to the whole idea of a party, she dug her heels in once more, being the last of our little group to be dragged back into the trailer.
