After a one week delay, our annual kibble hunt took place yesterday. As you may recall, there were cheating accusations in 2022 that have yet to be addressed. Therefore this year I made a few changes in the judging. First the treat total would be kept in a written tally, and not as just a verbal count. Second there would be video footage of the entire kibble hunt. Third rather than trusting the Easter Bunny, it was Dad who was assigned the responsibility of hiding the treats. Despite my best efforts though to make this a fair hunt, Asa was once again declared the winner for a second year in a row.

I immediately challenged this decision and we watched the 4.54 minutes of footage with the judges. It is obvious that Asa jumped the start by a split second, thus giving him an unfair lead. His lead was further advanced when I was tricked into finding a very chewy treat first, which slowed my pace, and allowing him to gain a 2 treat lead. I quickly caught up, and for awhile there we were neck and neck.

However, this time I cannot help but accuse Dad as aiding in this cheating scandal. After a few minutes of searching, he announced, “There are two treats left! This is anyone’s game to win!” Yet after a meticulous search of the room, no additional treats were found. This is when Dad began calculating how many treats he hid and where, while Mom double checked the locations. Originally I was told there were 11 treats hidden in the room. But then suddenly Dad reduced the treat total to 9. This sounds very suspicious to me.

I also question the last minute change from our tradition of kibble mixed with a few special treats, to this year’s use of a variety of treats with no kibble. In fact, although Asa’s friend the Easter Bunny was not involved in our hunt this year, his other friends may have helped him to cheat. The treats used this year were given to Asa as get well gifts from his friends and ranged from fish snacks, to blueberry, to peanut butter, to magical meatballs, and even the chewy ones called “Mutt Mallows.” This change by the judges was not discussed with me prior to the hunt. As a certified scent work dog, I am trained to focus my nose on specific scents. In this case, I was sniffing for the scent of kibble. The failure to use kibble gave Asa an unfair advantage, because I had to readjust my focus after the game had already begun, costing me precious seconds!

Therefore, in summary, Asa’s jump start, the confusion by the judges as to how many were hidden, and the last minute change in treats, have given me no choice but to put an asterisk next to Asa’s title this year as the 2023 Reigning Kibble Hunt Champion.*

Despite the questionable outcome, I accepted my defeat with dignity….

…unlike Asa who decided to gloat over finding that extra treat. This is just further proof of Asa’s unsportsdoglike behavior.

Asa’s Rebutal: I sniffed, I found, I ate, I won. I think my record speaks for itself. Better luck next year, Chuck Billy!