Saturday 9 February 2019

Canine Enrichment

sometimes I buy a bag of bones for Harry to chew on, canine enrichment is what they call it. I usually give him one every day until the remaining ones are stinky and throw the rest away. If only there were just a few less in the bag, it would work out better....

Yesterday i pulled the biggest bone from the bag and went to the door. The door tends to jam so there I was, excited hound, bone and stuck door. That was when I made my first fateful mistake. My last dog, Taffy would have stood at the door with the bone until he could get out but i forgot it was not Taffy. I handed Harry the bone to free my hand to jiggle the door. Harry (not Taffy) grabbed the bone (can i remind you that it was the biggest in the bag) and ran to his bed. His indoor bed. 
Harry is a different dog to the one who first came here two years ago but he still has huge teeth and he still likes his bones to be his. 
I dared not try to take it and he wouldn't be distracted.
His bed became a murder scene. In the loungeroom. Then a fly magnet. In the loungeroom.

The bone took a lot of chewing and he was still gnawing away when I left for work so I didn't give him his kibble breakfast.

When it was dinner time I remembered the missed breakfast and gave him extra kibble. He ate most of it and left a little, they regulate their eating better than a lot of people do....don't they?

Soon it was bedtime and he was allowed out for his (hopefully) last pee and a sniff around. He decided to finish the kibble.

At 2am I woke to the sound which can drag anybody out of bed in a microsecond: gagging dog. By the time my feet hit the floor I was looking at dog-eating-his-own-vomit. He looked at me with mild interest as he considered which tasty morsel to eat next.

Of course, a fast waking precipitates a previously non existent need to pee so I had to ignore the whole vomit situation for a moment and the delay allowed me to see that Harry had every intention of cleaning up his own mess.

So there I was, at 2am, playing word games and waiting for an errant hound to eat, drink and pee.

At 5am I was woken again, this time to a pony sized dog turning frantic circles on  my bed. I hustled him out the door to do whatever he was going to do and blearily allowed him back in.

After all the night time activity I had a wee sleep in and then was having a leisurely coffee when Harry bolted to his freshly washed bed, flopping dramatically down and panting. I smiled dotingly for a very brief moment. Bone and bile spewed all over the freshly washed floor.

Harry is fine now, sleeping the sleep of the righteous (or exhausted) but I'm not sure if I want to enrich him, ever again!




22 comments:

  1. Sadly familiar.
    Stepping out of bed (too late) and treading in freshly laid cat vomit is not fun. And a truly vile start to the day.
    I hope you both have a better day tomorrow - though I suspect Harry enjoyed his.

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    1. I suspect he did!
      At least I didn't stand in anything.....

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  2. Welcome to the world of unpredictable canine company! I can write volumes about Chutki.

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    1. If I had thought about it, I might have done better!
      Luckily they are worth the bother 😊

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  3. Ok I know I should not laugh at your distress (And Harry's) but the way you wrote this is very funny. We no longer enrich Shelby after going through a few days of cleaning dog spew.

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    1. I wanted you to laugh! It's not a good story otherwise.

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  4. That's one of the (many) reasons I don't have a pet. As for regulating their own eating Harry is obviously neither a Retriever nor a Labrador both of which have a genetic deficiency which means they will eat anything and everything.

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    1. Harry's predecessor was a lab. He hated lettuce and could eat a whole burger without touching the lettuce. It still amazes me!

      You are too busy for vomiting dogs!

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    2. I'm with Graham. I thought long and hard about getting a dog when I retired but have decided (for the time being) that I won't - I'm enjoying my freedom too much right now. I know I would love it to bits but I have just spent 3 weeks in Wales due to my brother's sudden death and the thought of what that might have cost in a kennels (or indeed future vet's bills) puts me off for the moment until I get a better feel for what retirement finances REALLY look like. But I do feel for you. Had a dog years ago and it is no fun mopping that stuff up!

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    3. I didn't miss the responsibility, the messes or the cost of a dog for the years we didn't have one so I get that. I didn't know I missed the joy either but it's a bonus I'd hate to give up 😊

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  5. Oh no!! ... Oh, Harry :) I hope you get more sleep tonight, kylie!

    One of our cats was a champion upchucker. He's the one who has gone to live with our son. We think it's a stress-related problem with him, and fortunately our son loves him dearly and is willing to make the trade-off. I have to say I don't miss stepping in pools of bile invisible on the hardwood floor :)



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    1. I wouldn't say I'm *willing* to make the trade off! Harry is also dearly loved and we both had a great sleep 😊

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  6. My dog enriches himself during our daily walks, he has a preference for cow dung and all sorts of unidentifiable farm debris. He does know the word 'drop' though doesn't always obey, which has led to a few sleepless nights. I feel your sleep deprivation!
    Sx

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    1. Harry knows the word drop but his hearing is selective!
      Right now I'm grateful there are no cows around....

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  7. Oh dear, not so much enriched as gastrically disturbed! I hope you sleep a bit better tonight without more canine interruptions....

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    1. He got better and I've almost forgotten about it

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  8. I had to laugh, sorry. Ansa had this incredible habit of vomiting and then putting herself in a corner, facing the corner, refusing to come out. I'd clean it all up (she didn't eat it) and have to coax her out. As she was a rescue I had some idea that she may have been punished in the past. It would touch my heart tho. I'd give her extra hugs and sympathetic noises.

    I hope you get a good night's sleep to compensate for all that disturbance. You have NOT been enriched!

    XO
    WWW

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    1. Awww! my heart would break over a dog who put herself in the corner!

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  9. I must admit that I have never been tempted to chow down on my own vomit. Mind you, I can hardly remember the last time I spewed up. You must have the patience of Job, Kylie.

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    1. Nice biblical reference! I'm not patient at all, I just want to do my best by Harry

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  10. Oh Lord, how can they do that? My cats do that as well and even help one another out if need be. It's kind of a relief that they help to tidy up but just don't force me to watch!!

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