This week’s Greatest American Dog was a study in courage, not only for the dogs but for the owners.

We started out with the dog bone challenge. The simple task for the owners was to keep their pup in a small circle as an elephant came at them. Yeah that’s right, an elephant. I got a kick out of watching little Andrew as 9,000 pounds of pachyderm decscended on him. He never flinched, not even when the elephant picked up the banana placed in the circle. Presley was the only other dog to pass the challenge by never moving out of the circle of trust.

This lead to a showdown between Andrew and Presley. They were both put in their respective circles while their owners were forced to stand with their backs to the elephant. The elephant was then told to charge at the group. First dog to stand up…lost.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’d be too keen on having an elephant charge me from behind. Heck, I wouldn’t want one charging me from the front, either. But Laurie and Travis showed their courage. In the end the little guy Andrew, the Maltese, turned out to be the toughest of the bunch. Who’d a thunk it?

Once in the dog-bone suite, we got to see pictures of Laurie’s family and to share an emotional moment with her as she read the loving letter her husband had written her. Ahh, I love seeing the real America on TV!!

The best in show challenge this week consisted of getting the dogs, and owners, through a bit of an obstacle course. It was situated 20 feet off the ground consisting of three parts: Walking up a very steep ramp, a walk over a thin balance beam and then jumping off the platform while attached to a zip line.

JD and Galaxy were first up and knocked it out of the park. No problems at all, and in fact, watching Galaxy’s tail wagging as she was cruising down the zip line was hilarious.

Teresa and Leroy had no issues with the first two parts of the challenge, but when it was time to jump off the platform, Leroy had second thoughts. After a lot of coaxing, Leroy finally jumped.

Bill and Star were next. Bill chose the easier of the two ramps and managed to get through the first two phases without much issue. However, when it was time for Star to jump she failed to do it. I know Meatloaf says two out of three ain’t bad, but ain’t bad may not get it done tonight.

Travis and Presley were next and they managed to get through all three sections of the challenge. They did have issues with the initial sit/stay, but they performed the challenge completely.

Laurie and Andrew were the last to compete. Recipients of the leg up, training with a movie dog trainer, they tackled the challenge . I have to tell you, seeing Andrew going up that ramp was just hilarious. He was like Thomas the Train…I think I can, I think I can…as his feet just pitter pattered along. He made it up the ramp and over the narrow section of the platform without issue. When it came time to jump, our hero just wouldn’t do it. Seeing this, Laurie cut it short and said they were done.

So who to send home. All the weak players are off the show, and I suspect this is going to get harder to do for the judges each week.

The judging came down to Bill and Star, Laurie and Andrew, and Travis and Presley. Based solely on this week’s challenge, Bill and Star were expelled. I know I was rooting for them so this is a big disappointment, but if I look at it objectively they were the poorest performers of the night.

One are of concern, Galaxy did hurt herself this week. She may have pulled or strained a muscle, but we’re not sure. Let’s all keep our paws crossed and hope she’s all better now.

I know there are a lot of disappointed Bill and Star supporters out there. Bark away!!