Scavenger Pups

When we rescued Lucky from All Creatures Great and Small back in 2004, the shelter manager told us that Lucky and his sister Katie had been found running along a road as 4 month old pups. Lucky's propensity to eat anything, and his extreme skill in "scavenging," has caused me to wonder about this more than once over the years. How long were they out on their own, foraging for food? A few days? Or was it a couple of months? Who knows, maybe it's just because they're dogs. I'm used to German Shepherds, and they are notoriously finicky eaters.

Like brother, like sister. Katie demonstrates the same razor sharp ability to hone in on a morsel of food from a hundred yards. Last week she found a turkey eggshell in the front yard. Even though it had already been cleaned out by some critter, I didn't particularly want her eating it. So I took it from her and tossed it into an inaccessible location. Or rather, what I perceived as an inaccessible location. No matter where I tossed that eggshell over the next several days, Katie found it. And she's SO sneaky about it. I don't even notice her grab it, I just happen to glance down and notice that her mouth looks strangely full as we head down the sidewalk. "Katie, do you have something in your mouth?"

I'm never quite sure until she gives me that little sideways look, avoiding direct eye contact, mouth puffed out, the picture of guilty innocence.

Last night I was filling Lady and Lucky's food bucket from the 40 lb. bag I'd lugged up from the garage. I use the scoop to save my back, and Katie quickly discovered that this method is a bit messy and imprecise. Ever present to help in such circumstance, she was quick to grab any wayward pieces of kibble that fell or ricocheted down the hall.

That is, until I had the bucket almost full, at which point she discovered it was much easier to simply eat off the top of the heap. I don't know what was funnier, seeing her take advantage of this situation, or witnessing Lady's consternation at the whole improper affair.

I swear, they make me laugh out loud sometimes. As funny as this was, I had to interrupt Katie's scavenging extravaganza before she ate the equivalent of a second dinner. For the sake of fairness, and to ease Lady's crinkled brow, I provided all three dogs with a small handful of kibble bites. Funny dogs!