|
Scene one:
"Isn't she cute? See how she watches my every move? What a clever girl
she is. She somehow knows just when a tidbit falls to the floor when I am
cooking and she snatches it up so fast you can't even see it happen!"
Scene two:
"Do you realize what she has done? That pâté was for the Christmas
buffet! And -- not only is it impossible to get another order of goose
liver, but -- do you have any idea what it cost me in vet bills? She was
really sick. And -- oh, the mess!"
So -- what is the
problem?
If one allows the
canine member of the household to snatch up tasty goodies that happen to
fall on the floor, it is perfect canine logic to help things along by
taking it off of the counter top! Add to that, the oh- so-clever owners who
toss treats while cooking, and (this really gets to me!) while eating, and
then wonder why Twinkletoes makes a total
nuisance of herself whenever there is food being served, being prepared or
even simply being transported from the shopping bag to the refrigerator.
That
dogs will learn such
bothersome behavior is not so surprising. What IS surprising is that people
will teach their dogs these behaviors, and then punish them for
"stealing" the pâté.
While
gastro-intestinal upsets may result in simply a vet bill and the poor dog's
discomfort, it could well mean that dog's life. It becomes a lot less
trivial then, but the owners crying about their loss is one thing. The
other part of this equation is the dog suffered and died because the owner
did not teach proper manners.
And, if the dog
doesn't die from eating things it shouldn't, such dogs often find
themselves being "re-homed." What a detached way to say -
"Hey -- he has a home in the country!" The "country"
may well mean no home, no bed at night, no one at all to give the dog the
attention he deserves and to which he has been accustomed. It also offers a
high risk of getting lost, being killed for chasing livestock or suffering
from the diseases the "country" dogs so willingly bring when
visiting his site.
Dogs so easily
learn priorities. What is not given to them is not theirs! There is no
hardship involved. It is very "canine." IF you, the dog's
caretaker, do not give those tidbits and don't act silly about it and think
you are depriving your dog of something s/he really needs, The Canine Kid
won't ever give it a thought.
Think about it.
Wouldn't it be nice to place the cheese and crackers on the coffee table,
and find them there when you return from answering the phone? It is your decision.
[Please see Charlotte's Recommended Reading.]
"One can
measure the size and moral progress of a nation to how she treats her
animals." Mahatma Gandhi.
|