When Melanie receives a letter telling her that her Standard Poodle, Faith, is one of five finalists competing to be spokesdog for Chow Down dog food, she's mystified--until her nine-year-old son Davey admits to entering the contest. Melanie and Faith travel to New York for the reception only to find that for some dog lovers, winning is a deadly serious matter. When one of the contestants takes a fatal tumble down a flight of stairs, the police label it an accident, but something smells rotten to Melanie. And with the final decision drawing near, and competition getting downright vicious, Melanie and Faith will have to work fast to sniff out a murderer...and make it home in one piece...