Adorable Pet Daily Life Ch. 101

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At the pet showcase event, the competition categories weren't divided as finely as official events. They were mainly split into races for speed, working-dog events like search tasks, and obstacle courses. Of course, beauty contests were a staple too, but those came later. The first few days were all about ability-based events.

That afternoon, Ethan was signed up for the amateur division of the speed race.

Because there were too many dogs competing, the event had to be split into multiple rounds—prelims, semifinals, etc. Compared to cat competitions, this ran way longer.

Shen Luo brought Ethan to the track. It was a circular running course. He walked Ethan around once, explaining what he'd need to do during the race. Ethan was a smart dog and picked it up quickly.

There were over a hundred dogs in the amateur speed race, mostly medium-sized breeds like Golden Retrievers, Border Collies, German Shepherds, and Labradors. Chinese rural dogs were pretty rare—probably because most people didn't think non-pedigree dogs were presentable.

Ethan, after listening to Shen Luo's instructions, could wait quietly in position for the race to start. Other dogs weren't so well-behaved, so most owners had to stay by their dogs' sides until the start, then run to the finish line to wait for them—just to make sure they'd actually complete the race.

Around 2:30 PM, the race officially kicked off. There were over ten separate heats, and organizers tried to group same-breed dogs together to minimize breed-based advantages.

So, all of the dogs in Ethan's heat were Golden Retrievers—but even at a glance, Ethan was clearly the best among them.

After waiting for the earlier heats to finish, Shen Luo brought Ethan up and guided him to his designated lane, then took off his leash.

A whole row of Goldens lined up looked pretty impressive. Shen Luo gave Ethan a pat on the head and told him not to be nervous.

Soon, all the dogs were in position. The starting gun fired—and the Goldens shot off like arrows. Of course, a few didn't know what was happening and just stood there. Some went off-track entirely, and one even made a beeline for the audience seats.

Shen Luo didn't have time to watch any of that. His eyes were locked on the dog racing ahead of everyone else. In his mind, it was already clear: unless the dogs behind suddenly grew wings, first place was a done deal.

Ethan's running form was beautiful—like a streak of golden lightning. Shen Luo had never seen him run this fast before. Normally, Ethan was always calm and obedient.

It only took seconds for Ethan to race back to Shen Luo's side. As expected, he took first place in his heat. Shen Luo scooped him up, gave him a thrilled kiss on the head, and said, "Keep it up later too. If we get a good ranking, we're having a feast tonight."

"Woo woo! Woof!" Ethan clearly understood what "feast" meant and was totally on board.

Back in the rest area, Shen Luo gave Ethan some water he'd brought from home and massaged him all over to loosen his muscles and help him relax.

Just like that, the ten-plus heats were done. They announced a 30-minute break before the semifinals. The rest area suddenly got a lot quieter—only the top three dogs from each heat qualified, so just over forty dogs remained. Most of them were herding or sled dog breeds—makes sense, since those types tend to be energetic and naturally fast.

Before the competition, Shen Luo had done his homework. He knew that among dogs, the fastest runners were Greyhounds—also commonly known as Whippets. These dogs had long legs, sleek builds, strong chest muscles, and short fur—basically the textbook definition of a racing dog.

But since this was the amateur group, most of the dogs had similar builds. Goldens were at a bit of a disadvantage because their coats were longer, but that could be made up for with stamina and training.

What Shen Luo didn't expect, though, was to see a few Huskies in the waiting area. That a breed known for goofiness could be entered in a race was pretty wild. Still, Huskies had undeniable physical abilities—they were sled dogs, after all.

After the half-hour break, the semifinals kicked off. This time, the groupings were random, so all breeds were mixed together.

Shen Luo wasn't feeling too stressed, since Ethan had taken first place in his group with ease.

In the semifinals, the rankings were determined by all dogs' times, and the top eight would move on to the finals.

While waiting in the rest area, Shen Luo did start to get a little anxious. Ethan had placed first in his group, sure—but what if dogs from other groups had even faster times?

Eventually, a staff member came in and announced the numbers of the dogs that made it to the finals—but not their rankings. The owners of the finalists were thrilled, while those who didn't make it could only leave with a bit of regret.

In the end, Ethan was the only Golden Retriever who made it through. There were two Huskies, two German Shepherds, two Labradors, and one Alaskan Malamute left. The Alaskan was at a bigger disadvantage—even more than the Golden—because its fur was ridiculously thick.

The final round was the most important. All eight dogs entered the arena. After the leashes were removed, the owners stepped off the track—what happened next was all up to the dogs.

Before stepping off, Shen Luo crouched down and gave Ethan a quick pet and a kiss on the head. "Do your best. We've already placed, so there's prize money no matter what."

Ethan licked Shen Luo's face, and Shen Luo couldn't help but smile. This guy was still so chill even now.

The last race was definitely intense. Every dog that made it to the finals was outstanding. As soon as the starter pistol went off, not a single dog messed up—they all shot forward. The mix of coat colors racing together made for a striking sight on the field.

Shen Luo saw Ethan suddenly stumble midway, falling behind one of the German Shepherds. But he quickly surged forward again, running neck and neck with it. The audience buzzed with excitement—no one could tell which dog was going to win.

Near the end, Ethan suddenly kicked into another gear, speeding up and bursting past the finish line. Then he pounced straight at Shen Luo. Shen Luo wasn't ready for it and got knocked flat on the ground, drawing laughter from the crowd.

Shen Luo rubbed Ethan's head. What a champ. He'd actually outrun all the other dogs and taken first place.

He sat up, ready to praise Ethan, but then he noticed blood on himself—and his expression changed instantly. "Ethan, what happened? Are you hurt?"

All credit goes to the original author
Feel free to pinpoint us if there are any grammar error or typos
Please don't use Guazi's translations to re-translate in other languages

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