Giving Table Scraps

We have a fairly strict policy at home about treating Bella with human scraps. Depending on what the food is, we are okay with it as long as we aren't cooking or eating. I don't want her drooling while I cook, hoping she'll get something, or begging at the table.

Recently I had an incident with a house guest who was liberal with handouts. Although I give her kudos for telling me, she mentioned she'd fed Bella some avocado and did I mind. I know there is controversy around avocados, but I was not concerned about the little bit she gave her. However, that she gave Bella anything without asking me first, did concern me. Not only for health issues (did she know about grapes, for instance), but for the fact that I don't want our four years of training to go down the tubes in a single week! I asked that she please not do it again.

Case closed I thought, but then saw her giving Bella bread and cheese. I asked her please do not feed Bella scraps. She apologized and laughed, "Oh! Her face is so cute and she looks so hungry!" I agreed to the cuteness (of course!), but assured her that Bella wasn't starving, but a bottomless pit.

The next day, same story, different page. Stop! Feeding! My! Dog! She was contrite, but not apologetic.

Lucky our guest has left–but she's left us with a dog who now puts her face too close to plates, food, compost all the while sniffing and drooling. It will take some undoing, I fear. Before where Bella would lie in the kitchen, out of my way, and watch, she's now underfoot. Each time I have to remove her to a further corner or put her on a down/stay while eating. What a bother to continually remind her one week of a bad guest and free handouts does not mean a perpetual license to beg.

Have you experienced this with others trying to ingratiate themselves to your pup via free food?

Hard-Working Dog Honored

I love these kinds of stories. I particularly like them when the animal, in this case, Rusty, the dog, can be honored and is alive to see it, versus posthumously. Not only has Rusty served his community well, but he gets to live out his life with his coworker as a regular family dog.

I wonder if after a life of work, if he'll be bored or able to enjoy his retirement with walks, ball tosses and swims?

Multilingual Dog

Bella is multilingual. I'm quite proud of her. Of course she speaks Dog. Here, in Baja, I don't know if the other canines speak a different dialect, but she seems quite at home with them and has had no problem making herself understood.

Then of course, she understands (though cannot speak) English. Her vocabulary is large. When she is being pesky with her ball wanting someone to toss it, she knows the command "be self-entertaining" and goes off with the ball to play by herself.

She often stays with some friends when we can't take her on our travels. I know they speak German to her. I don't know what she knows, but they say she's got the basics down. Maybe I should learn German...

And now she has some Spanish under her belt. I am working with the program Rosetta Stone to improve my Spanish and each unit starts starts and ends with "hola" and "adios." The first time I said "hola" she ran to the door and barked. I didn't get what the connection was until the second time. Now, if we're inside, and I say "Hola," she always runs to the door or out into the yard to see who's there!

How many languages does your dog understand?