Macy,

Sorry to hear about Sammy, but I'm sure the snack was worth the pain. The only birds we have around here are the ones that land in my front yard. I bark at them and chase them away. They are more pitiful than I am. They have no food and always seem to be looking for something to eat on the ground. They are pure entertainment for me, but they never leave anything in the yard for me to eat. And, they don't fight me -- at least, not yet. I think I need to check out where they are eating in my yard to be sure there's no food there. Never leave any stone unturned when it comes to finding a snack treasure.

Hope Sammy's tail is okay.

Tell your mommy that my mommy said there is a difference between a post and a comment and that is a new thing she has learned today. I don't care the first thing about this kind of stuff because this thing we are typing on is nowhere near the kitchen, which is my domain.

Love, Tina

Birds and Pain

Hi Tina,
Funny you should be talking about "no pain, no gain." Tonight, we were doing one of our evening rituals. We have a sister and brother that are BIRDS - you heard us correctly, at least our parents refer to them as our brother and sister. Anyway, they always get people food for dinner and we just cruise around their perches waiting for something good to fall. We have to stick close to their perches because whoever is closest when something is dropped - gets it. Sometimes, we think the birds drop food on purpose just to watch us dive for a crumb. Tonight, Sammy was NOT looking (too busy watching for food) and our sister, Lizzie, was on the bottom of her perch and reached out and bit his tail. Talk about a yelp! He's a tough guy though, he went right back to looking for food and almost got bit again. He says it is worth the bite to get a taste. Sammy would be very embarrassed if he knew I told you this story. But I think everyone should know - birds get great food!!! Hmmmm, maybe we need wings and feathers!
Love,
Macy

Macy and Sammy,

That's good advice and I'll try it. Pitiful works and so does staring with sad eyes. Sometimes I try standing real close to one of my parents in the kitchen. Only be careful, if you get too close, they step on your tail, but it's worth it. If they do step on your tail or kick you, be sure you scream or whimper even if it doesn't hurt. This is a surefire way to get a snack. I think it's called guilt. Anyway, they bend over, pat your head, scratch your ears, feel real bad, and then hand you some food. No pain, no gain. That's my motto.

Tina

Pitiful Look

Hi Tina,
We have been working on training our mom and dad. They still will NOT let us in the chairs but after they take the round things away, we just sit in the kitchen and look pitiful. That seems to work. They have been saving a bite of something from those round things for us. Sometimes, they forget about us and we just sit there until someone wonders where we are and comes looking for us. That's when we give that pitiful look and we always get something for waiting. We even heard our mom say, "Oh, how could we forget them - look how cute, they won't leave the kitchen."
Macy and Sammy

We have chair duty at our house. We are very quick to jump in a chair as soon as someone leaves the table. We sit so sweetly and yet they NEVER serve us. Why do they put round things with delicious smells in front of people when they sit nicely on a chair at the table but not us? We thought we would ask you, Tina, since you were able to eat that wonderful chocolate ganache tart. Any suggestions??

Macy and Sammy

The purloined dessert

It all started with a purloined dessert.

My name is Tina, although my parents call me a bunch of names, like "sweet T," little T," huggy, but most of the time, they call me, "The T." These are pet names, which are totally appropriate because I'm a dog. Once in a while, my parents call me Tina Louise -- only when I'm bad -- and this is ridiculous because only dogs with a pedigree have middle names and I'm a mutt.

I have a very serious job where I live. I'm in charge of the kitchen. I must respond at a moment's notice and always be alert to the most subtle changes -- like a refrigerator door opening, a drawer being pulled out, a box or bag being ripped open, something hitting the floor. I will wake up from the deepest sleep when humans tiptoe into the kitchen. They think they are sneaky and can actually get something to eat without me hearing them. But, guess what? I'm parked in front of their feet before they can get completely into the room. I supervise all meal preparation and clean-up, and, of course, watch carefully while the food is consumed.

I got serious about kitchen supervision shortly after being adopted from the Humane Society and coming to my new home. My mom and dad went outside to say goodbye to my grandparents after a visit and they left my favorite dessert sitting on the table where I could reach it. At least, it was within my grasp after I climbed on a chair and knocked the plate to the floor where I wiped out what was left of the chocolate ganache tarts. This is nirvana to a dog. If I died from a chocolote overdose, it was worth every lick.

A call to the local 24-hour veterinary hospital reassured my mommy that I wouldn't die, but I might get real sick. Well, that's for wimps and those fru-fru kinds of dogs who wear bling and paint their nails. Chocolote has no adverse effects on my health. I have a cast-iron stomach.

Anyway, this is when I got serious about kitchen supervision and I've been at it every since.

Let me introduce myself