Meal Management, Life With Dogs

Dogs of the outside world. On the social media of your choice, look up a video by the 2Huskeeters – Indiana Bones and the Raiders of the Lost Bark! Watch out for those boulders … 🐕🪨🐕🪨🐕🪨

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One morning, Jasmine decided to give my anxiety meter a workout. She’s fine.

Chef dished out breakfast. Left. I put down meals.

We do it this way so that he has time to drive off before Rose takes her after-breakfast constitutional. Get the car out of the way before the low-slung, slow-moving dog starts parading around the front yard.

On this particular morning, Jas got halfway through her breakfast and stopped. She left half of the meal, including part of the egg, which she usually scarfs down first thing.

Fire, fear, foes! Awake!

Refusing food is not in a Basset Hound’s genetic makeup. Sure, individuals can vary. As a breed, they are the definition of easy keepers, foodwise.

Houston, we have a problem.

Jasmine doesn’t get about much. We worry. Her excitement at mealtime is one of the metrics we use to guage her quality of life. [Asking The Questions]

She not only stopped eating. She dramatically turned her nose to the wall. She was done with this.

I may have panicked. I canceled my plans for the day. I was not leaving the house. No way was anything happening to this dog on my watch.

I finally calmed down enough to administer the treat test. No problem.

She looked fine. But the meal! The food!

Turned out the it was the meal. Chef had added fiber to her breakfast. The Duchess was notifying us of her disagreement with the menu choice. She was, in fact, dramatically turning her nose to the wall. In protest.

Thanks, dog. I’ll settle down eventually.

Rose is Rose. I tried to give her the leftovers. A treat? Egad, I must run away. Took her until the evening to ninja over to eat it when no one was looking.

Previous dog posts. [Jasmine & Rose archives]

Onwards!
Katherine

Still Silly After All These Years

Awareness of the outside world. Southern Living: How Biltmore Estate Employees Successfully Sheltered 54 Horses During Hurricane Helene, Five employees and the director of the property’s equestrian center ensured all horses were safe. Hanson, November 15, 2024. Hat tip Digby’s Hullabaloo: Friday Night Soother November 15, 2024.

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There is an upside to not riding. [Looking Ahead]

We are much more willing to let Rodney get loopy – within the bounds of horse and human safety – if that’s what he needs in order to gain weight. It’s much easier to laugh at the antics when one’s feet are on the ground.

Milton remains unamused.

On a recent morning.

Rodney: Did you hear that? (sirens) And that? (dogs barking at sirens) I must investigate! I must go hither! I must go thither!

Milton: Really? You see this as a reason to trot? I do not see this as a reason to trot.

Rodney: Thank you for the carrot! I must go back on patrol!

Milton: (sighing) Herd protocol says I must follow.

Onwards!
Katherine

Silly Season, Morning Walk Stories

Awareness of the outside world. BBC: 100 Women: How the ‘urinary leash’ keeps women at home, Mitra 2017. Although the article is several years old, public toilets remain an urban design issue. UN: World Toilet Day.

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As I’ve said, Rodney is getting extra grain, in an attempt to put on weight.

The excess is starting to bubble out his ears.

During the off-lead portions of our morning walk, Rodney has taken to freestyling. Trot. Canter. Flip your feet. Shake your head. Do a little dance.

He’s not being mean. He doesn’t do this near people. He minds his manners when connected to a human. He’s just, um, exuberant.

Meanwhile. Milton stomps along, clearly thinking, ‘My roommate is weird.’

Onwards!
Katherine

Adjusting the Lunch Protocol

Awareness of the outside world. Flu shot last week. Enough reaction to know I had it, but that’s about it. “The test of flu, by the way, is if there is a £50 note in the garden, would you be able to go and get it. If you couldn’t, then you definitely have flu. If you could, then it’s a cold so get over yourself!” My Shetland: Vaccinations.

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Milton now gets lunch, or more accurately “lunch”. He gets a mouthful or two of grain to keep him occupied while I serve Rodney. It’s gone up a bit since first lunch (pictured), but still just one handful. [Three Squares]

I’ve also adjusted the service plan for lunch to match the other meals. Initially, I served Rodney’s lunch grain at the same time I served the lunch hay. Reasonable, right?

I changed for two reasons.

One. Bellies. For various reasons, the convoluted details of which I will spare you, we serve breakfast and dinner in three stages. Hay is split into two servings – well Milton’s is, Rodney has free choice, I told you it was elaborate – and grain. I’ve rearranged lunch so that it matches breakfast and dinner. Horses appreciate & do better with consistency.

Two. Behavior. When Rodney entered the stall, he was starting to exhibit confusion about where to go, either toward hay (breakfast & dinner) or toward grain (lunch). Again consistency. Also, Milton was getting overly curious about what was going on. [Did You Say Lunch?]

The downside is more work for the minion. Oh well, that ship has sailed and disappeared over the horizon.

Onwards!
Katherine

Companionship as Told in a Senryu, Poetry

Cats & Dogs

I feed. I clean. Work.
They watch. They eat. They sleep. Rest.
Who is the smart one?

Horses

I feed. I clean. Work.
They chill. They graze. They sleep. Rest.
Who is the smart one?

Afterword

“The subject of the haiku is nature; the senryu, human nature.” Poetic Society of America: Senryū: The Haiku’s Comic Cousin, by Kimiko Hahn.

Onwards!
Katherine