I needed Coalby in top shape for the dog show at the county fair in twenty minutes. To begin with, there was blistering heat at the fairgrounds that day. Everything was going horrendously; I was waiting to show Coalby, but then, without warning, he used his ferocious bark at the other dogs. That’s how I figured out the importance of grit. He didn’t listen to my commands either! All my training of half an hour a day for two months seemed to be lost. My parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and everyone I knew standing in the stands counted on me to show my dog well enough to earn a prize. My nerves rattled inside my stomach to the point I thought I might pass out from the heat and pressure. I paced outside around the arena wanting to quit
