Wednesday 26 January 2011

Snacking

My Dad had the dreadful habit of allowing our dogs to lick the plates and dishes after we had eaten. Looking back on it I find the thought quite revolting - I wonder sometimes how I made it to adulthood without succumbing to some noxious disease. It probably explains why I have the constitution of an ox now.

R, who came from a non-doggy family, once witnessed this mealtime ritual and it rather freaked him out. During the 'talks' that led up to us getting Moose, not allowing the dog to lick plates was one of his non-negotiables. As I secretly agreed with him, this was obviously an easy point to concede. (I find it is always good to have one or two principles that can be easily dropped in the course of important negotiations!)

We also agreed that dogs should not be fed scraps at the table.
I have a particular dislike for dogs that stand and drool on my knee while I am eating or, worse still, attempt to snatch food from the table. Moose knows that he has to lie on his bed while people are eating. Fortunately, being a mostly-Collie, rules aren't a problem to him. He likes to know how things should be done, and will make up his own rules if I don't do it first.

But he does have expectations.
After we had eaten, R would make up the dog's dinner, including any leftovers from the meal. It was one of those little things that made me smile - R went from being someone very nervous of dogs (something he learned from his Mum) to being totally besotted with our initially rather difficult and troubled Moose. The way they both grew together was lovely to watch.

The meals eaten in this house have changed somewhat over the last couple of years. There are very few roast dinners now, so much less watered down gravy to pour over his biscuits. But Moose does enjoy a bit of yoghurt once in a while. Every time I decant a little into a bowl for my lunch, there is an interested glance in my direction. He is just waiting for me to get to the end of the big pot so he can have his turn.

Yep, Moose does enjoy his yoghurt!

9 comments:

  1. Hammer loved yoghurt too. And so do Fred and Barney. Once there was a "Mexican standoff" for around an hour over an EMPTY (as in licked dry) yoghurt pot! An hour!

    They are great photos - particularly that satisfied lick of the chops at the end.

    I love the story of R running through this - it's tender and special.

    How I ache for those days when it was "we three" - the happiest of my life. Just as I know you do, thanks for sharing J - just lovely x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sweet post. I've never given our dog yogurt, but I'm going to see if she likes it when the pot gets empty!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love this series of Moose photos!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Big Bill loves yoghurt too. We don't feed him from the table but afterwards ...!

    ReplyDelete
  5. i love Moose. Bunny cannot wait to meet him and go for a walk with the two of you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Moose is not the behemoth I thought he might be... Cute!
    Bartlett is completely free of table food. All she gets is whatever crumbs may fall.
    I made a deal with her. I won't eat her food.

    ReplyDelete
  7. @Boo: Yeah. I miss those "we three" days too. Sigh.
    But the thought of the Mexican stand-off made me laugh. I can just picture them doing it!

    @Debbie: Let me know what she made of it.

    @Bev: Thank you. It always makes me smile when he tucks in like that - I was pleased at the way they came out.

    @Rose: I bet Big Bill ends up with loads all over his whiskers - saving a bit for later!

    @WnS: We are looking forward to her arrival too. A walk will definitely be had.

    @CC: Moose is a bit of a clumsy oaf at times, but definitely not a behemoth (great word that!). And that's a very wise deal you struck.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh dear, I let Mingus lick my plate, with its few scraps especially left, after I am done. I make sure I scrub it well.

    Mingus loves yogurt. Yogurt sweetens their breath you know, if they have bad breath.

    ReplyDelete
  9. :-D
    As I said, it doesn't appear to have done me much harm as a child.
    I didn't know about sweetening the breath - I have never noticed Moose having particularly bad breath, so perhaps it is the benefit of all that yoghurt.

    Now if you really want to see some fun, then you need to watch chickens and a bowl of yoghurt. They love it too, and it ends up all over their faces - they look as though they are wearing facepacks!

    ReplyDelete