How spoiled is your pet?

If we're the pets, who's cooking special meals to tempt our appetite on the days we're less than frisky?

My Border Collie, Jack, spoils me!! And, he plays fetch with me, too. Every morning I sit on the edge of the bed, putting on my shoes. He stands on the bed with his racketball. He drops the racketball on the floor, right in front of me. I'm watching the morning news on the TV, not really thinking about Jack and his racketball. Without thinking, I automatically reach down and put the racketball back on the bed. After a few times, I realize that he's playing fetch!! I start laughing when I realize what he's doing, and he wags his tail. I've often wondered what else he has me doing, when I'm busy thinking about something else!!

When I feel sad both Bean and Carlotta pay special attention to me. I like soft furry hugs.

P&L, I believe it's the dogs who have trained us. I, too, find myself fetching more often than Jenny. She'll just give me the 'look' and I'll go get the bone or the ball or whatever and bring it to her. And I don't even get a treat for doing so!

Pacco is not spoiled, no way. Actually, I worry about his weight and teeth and don't give him extra goodies, or rarely, as in every two weeks or so. He needs to be slim as he has a long body and could easily develop back trouble. He does now own the sofa, the nice green sofa with the grey grungy doggy quilt comforter on it...which wasn't previously a doggy comforter. I have to bump him aside to perch there myself from time to time, the better to give dog tickles. Not spoiled, we spoil each other with our company: I am his task, and he is my pal, symbiotic really.
Last holiday season I got him a silly toy with a squeek thing in it. Might do that again....

He is not very fetch oriented. Lucky, since I am not very throw oriented.

The smile king, what he demands is eye contact. Gets it, too.

Jenny has a huge store of toys, most of which sit between the hearth and the tv set and most of which she rarely plays with. However, she knows that Christmas is coming and she apparently heard me suggesting to hubby that she had enough toys and never plays with most of them and therefore there really isn't any need to get her new ones this year. As a result, she has begun taking one toy after another out of the storage spot, playing with it directly in front of us for a brief period of time and then moving on to the next one. She will not be denied a new toy for Christmas!

A close-of-day ritual here is a bowl of milk for the puppies. Each has its own bowl, and own "milk spot". The distribution is in pack order, each dog waits by its assigned spot as the others are served and even the newest, the 4-month old cocker, has figured out where he belongs, that he gets served last of six, and that he must be sitting to receive the milk. Next stop is bed. The house humans use the milk-drinking interval to secure siufficient matress space and blanket before the arrival of the warming crew.



timber

Way cool, Timber. I'll start teaching the cats to line up and wait.

A close-of-day ritual here is a bowl of milk for the puppies. Each has its own bowl, and own "milk spot". The distribution is in pack order, each dog waits by its assigned spot as the others are served and even the newest, the 4-month old cocker, has figured out where he belongs, that he gets served last of six, and that he must be sitting to receive the milk. Next stop is bed. The house humans use the milk-drinking interval to secure siufficient matress space and blanket before the arrival of the warming crew.



timber

Well, tonight the doggies have had: most of my bologna and cheese sandwich, Ryevita crackers, a good deal of the roast chicken with wild rice which eBeth made for my T-day dinner, corn pops cereal (we eat this as snack food), a good deal of eBeths smoked ham & aged cheddar sandwich, and Jewish deli rye bread (a whole slice each!)--spoiled? naw . . . .

Maxie's notl spoiled. No table scraps for that little fellow ...

It's cooked specifically for him! He doesn't like dry food, don't 'cha know, so it has to be doctored!

We'll buy a tray of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, bake 'em with no seasoning and freeze individually. A roast, like a cross rib, for example, thrown in the crockpot with no seasoning. When it's done, cut up into tiny bits and frozen in small portions. The beef juice is frozen in ice cube trays, to be used to moisten his food.

timber, all six on the bed?

Usually just two or three at any one time. Big Sam is always there, at my feet, a spot he's claimed since his puppy days almost 9 years ago. Pebbles is often at the other side of the bed, down by mommy's feet. Frank often snuggles between mommy and I. Oscar will sometimes snuggle up against Frank, if there's room. Bits refuses to share the bed; she growls at any dog that tries to get on it if she is there, and leaves with a disgusted snort if a human gets in. The puppy, Louie, wanders around the whole bed (frequently earning himself a canine reprimand and reminder of his social status), but seems to be taking a liking to a spot up at the head of the bed between mommy and me. Oh, the bed is a "California King", over 7' Square.



timber

Bless you, timber. We have a king bed also and I can't imagine sharing it with one doggy let alone 2, 3 or more.

What a picture, timber! Love it.

So, ah, you actually describe temperatures in terms of the number of dogs it takes to keep warm? Like Three Dog Night?

I guess I need to retrain these clowns Timber.
Were the cats lined up for dinner tonight Roger?

Well, not exactly Mikey, but I did get them trained to wash their faces after eating.

You bet, roger ... this is The Northwoods, after all.



timber

What's your secret Roger? I bet I know, those pre-packaged handy wipe things.