Every Bite You Take - They'll Be Watching You

January 2021

Who here among us has not, while eating, felt that tug: “I know I shouldn’t feed him from the table, but look at those puppy eyes…”

Our old dog, Charlie, had always been a pretty good dog during dinner- he hardly paid attention as we were diligent in not feeding him from the table. Then our twins were old enough to sit in highchairs… and it all changed. Charlie soon realized that those messy little eaters were a treasure trove of goodies. Strategically placing himself between them, scooping up all the delicious food that rained down on him. This was helpful, as there was hardly ever a mess. I often said that our next dog should be named “Hoover.”

Charlie didn’t turn into a beggar, though, just an opportunist.

There are a few categories of beggars. The whiners. The pawers. The silent starers. Our dog Cooper is sort of a mutt of beggars- he sometimes silently stares and sometimes gently places his paw on my lap as if to say, “Hey, this can be just our little secret- no one has to know.”

I try so hard not to give in. I’ll even get up and bring some food to his dish, hoping he won’t make the connection.

So long as he continues to eat his dog food, I don’t have an issue with him having some “people food” once in a while. There are, of course, some foods that dogs cannot have, either because it can make their stomachs ill, or worse, some of these foods are toxic to dogs. Here’s a (perhaps not comprehensive) list of foods you SHOULD NOT feed your dog:

Grapes/raisins

Onions/garlic

Xylitol (found in gum)

Chocolate

Macadamia nuts

Most nuts (peanut butter is fine as peanuts are not nuts- they are legumes)

Caffeine

Alcohol

Avocado

You likely already know this list, and if you know of anyone who is a new pet parent, please share it with them!

www.cooperthedog.com

Comments

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