Fussy Finicky Pets

Our dogs get nothing but kibble. People food gives them severe diarrhoea. So do bones. They get dog treats and pig's ears sometimes, or peanut butter and treats in their kongs once in a while, followed by a very long walk as that just goes through them but they love them. The beagle has stolen loaves of bread which Gracie, the border collie, then steals. And the other day they got 6 large rhubarb strawberry tarts off the stove. Big soft poohs to follow! ugh.

Ha ha - I remember my dog when I was kid - when he was a puppy we used to leave him unleashed as he would stay around. Then I kept finding these bones around the yard. I would wonder where the heck my dog was getting these bones.

One day, I spy him in the front yard. He looks across the street and goes across towards the yard across the street from us. He stops on the sidewalk, looks around and then runs quickly into the yard, bends down and scoops something up and comes tearing back into our yard. Yep - he has been stealing bones from the dog across the street.

Who's top dog was never an issue with the three terriers I lived with one at a time over time. Each was an excellent companion. Not one ever showed agression toward family or friends. They could be amazingly persistent in getting what they wanted, and what they wanted was to share food and play.

Lived with an alpha cat for 17 years. Whatever Apricot wanted, Apricot got. Weekends and vacation time non-existent, breakfast was to be served at 6:30 A.M. And she was relentless. Iron fists in velvet paws, 8 pounds of persistence. She died in1989. I miss her.

Rhubarb and strawberry tarts sound yum. What is a kong?

Enterprising pup!

It isn't actually aggressive - it is a small nip - if anything it tickles and the kids just yell at him to stop. Sort of like to say - hey watch it; don't touch my food.

One of my cats used to nip at me like that when I stopped petting her - it was her way of telling me don't stop. It wasn't hard and it wasn't aggressive - just a way to get my attention.

Thanks for the picture. Very clever item. Must keep the beasties busy for a while. Any idea why it's called a kong?

At the Central Park Zoo keepers would freeze treats for the polar bears in ice chunks.

yeah zoos are getting better at that stuff - ways to keep the boredom from the animals. I used to be the chair for this volunteer committee and as a result got a quick private tour of my local zoo. They talked about that - how they would hide food, in toys and other stuff so the animals have to look for it and then try to get it out almost like a kong.

I think it may be called a kong because it is supposed to be extremely durable so the dog can't chew it apart.

I haven't offered Possum a chance at a gladdy; they're a bit in short supply around here - but he has been known to nibble on some plants. He sometimes tries to steal food from my plate. The silliest thing is when I'm eating yoghurt - he tries to get his (not inconsiderable!) head between the container and my mouth - on the chance that I'll find his mouth instead! If this fails, he'll try and drag my hand away and get his head into the container.

Oh yeah, they like that yoghurt. I had a kitten that was instructed to take natural yoghurt (bacteria included) to compensate for his course of antibiotics. I was dreading the force feeding process, but he loved the stuff. I tried it myself, and it wasn't half bad.

You mean you stole yoghurt from a poor sick little kitty?

The noive!

People stuff those with soaked kibble and a bit of peanut butter, then freeze them.
The dog will worry at the thing for two hours to get all the cold goodness out.

Joe(yum)Nation

It wasn't stealing, exactly. Unlike the cute little packages of sterile stuff with fruit and stuff, this was sold in something like a wash tub. It was bigger than the cat, fer cryin' out loud.

Our dogs eat a lamb and rice formula, its great for their skin and all three are doing very well on it. It’s called Diamond, they sell it in our local Pet Store.

Oh - that's a good idea when you have to leave them for a while - I don't like leaving my little guy home all day alone - but on a rare occasion we have to.

we use pedigree - but because it was suggested by the family we got our doggie from. It was recommended because some dog food could turn their coats brownish not the jet black it is supposed to be - they ran into this problem before so they called a professional show dog breeder they knew and they told them - only pedigree.

Methinks he doth protest too much. Man bites cat's food, and this is not the heart-wrenching tale of impoverished senior forced to eat pet food.

What's truly amazing is the explosion of varieties of cat and dog food choices. From national chains to boutique shops, homemade, handmade pet food is huge business. The cans get smaller, the ads get snobbier and the prices go higher and higher. I was always tickled by
the beautiful Persian eating from her crystal bowl,and imagining her later grooming her butt and later still coughing up hairballs.