Chow hound

Three and a half weeks ago, I was writing about how slowly and deliberately Dionne ate. Ha! Those days are a memory. Now she gobbles down the cup of dogfood that she gets morning, noon, and night. Her interest in food outside of her dog bowl also has grown avid. This afternoon we witnessed something almost scary. Dionne was in Steve's office, with the door closed, when I came down from my office and went into the kitchen to start roasting the chicken for tonight's dinner. I had scarcely cut open the plastic bag encasing the bird, when I heard whining from Steve's office -- through a wall, around the corner, and down some steps. It was Dionne, communicating her desire to get out of the office and into the kitchen. We think she must have somehow smelled the chicken and responded, wanting to hang around whenever food was being cooked, in the manner of dogs throughout the millennia

We never feed our dogs scraps from the dinner table, and we're scrupulous about keeping them from the (seemingly growing) list of foods that could hurt them -- chocolate, raisins, onions, grapes, sugarless gum,  etc. etc. But I'll confess here that we've done something with all our puppies that probably isn't strictly proper. We've always let our dogs lick dirty plates and bowls. (If this grosses you out, you might want to re-think your response, the next time you have an opportunity to dine with us.)

We don't give them substantial amounts of leftovers because we don't want them to get fat. We don't worry about their germs making us sick, because after being licked, the bowls and plates go into the sink or dishwasher for vigorous scrubs with soap and very hot water. We do it for the obvious pleasure and entertainment it provides them. I think of it as a variation on the Kong (those CCI-approved dog toys that one fills with peanut butter or cream cheese or something similar.)

Dionne has taken to such activity with zeal. We have to hold her back so Tucker can get his licks in; otherwise, she bashes her way in and crowds him out (and he's such a sweetie, he never growls or pushes back.) She may eventually rank with our best bowl-polishers ever. Here she is, working on the molecules of marshmallow left over from the making of some Christmas cookies:

Still, there are limits.

This is one (for us, obviously not for her!)