Pet rituals and routines
Do you have any rituals or routines that your pets just love?
My dog Zoe, a real Daddy's girl, gets to go with The Boss to the garbage dump every Saturday morning. She whines like crazy when she knows it’s time to roll. The routine is so set in her mind that now whenever I simply take out garbage just to the outside can, she thinks it’s time to go for her ride and starts squealing like a pig! When it’s really time to go, she hops in the truck and sits calmly and quietly. It’s so cute to see how much she loves this adventure. I swear, she looks proud in that truck, because she sure loves special time with her beloved Daddy! The above picture isn’t the best, but it shows the joy on Zoe’s face as she looks at The Boss.
I recently started a ritual with my Little Man, Peanut the Mama’s boy. When I get home from work late at night, I greet the excited dogs and get ready for bed. Zoe and Scooter settle back down, but Peanut sticks by me, because he knows my next step is to fix something to eat. We don’t feed our dogs food from the table or kitchen, because we have enough issues without creating three little beggars. But sometimes we “accidentally” let something drop on the floor for one of them, like a small piece of chicken. (Can’t do this if more than one is around or there’ll be a smack down!)
So now, every night when I come home and am fixing something to eat, I let a tiny bit of something drop for Peanut. He lurks in the kitchen until I'm finished, hoping something else will drop. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s our special time for just the two of us, something hard to find when you have several pets. Dogs are great for when you truly accidently spill something edible, because instead of having to bend down and clean it, you just call the doggie maid to lick it right up!And they are very thorough in their cleaning! Peanut loves this job. I think it's because he hates to see me work hard in the kitchen!:)
So now Peanut and Zoe have a ritual to look forward to, but what about Scooter? Well, he’s the dog I take with me when the Humane Society or some other organization has a pet event, because he’s great on a leash and perfectly behaved in public, thanks to his private dog training. Since he's my most difficult child, my ritual with him is putting up with his Dennis the Menace ways!
posted by Sandy at 1/16/2007 12:04:00 PM
Pet People
21 Comments:
Hi,
Trying this again. I wrote earlier but something was wrong with my account. I want to tell you about my girls morning and evening routine but want to make sure this will go through.
Pam
Yeah, Pam, this system has had some glitches since the Blog first started. But, it's getting better. Your post came through.
I have a morning ritual with the dogs. Reb, my geezer, gets some joint medicine and an aspirin each morning, served with peanut butter. Well, you can't leave Lucy out. So, while Reb gets meds with his peanut butter, Lucy just gets the peanut butter. She gets SO excited. She gets all wiggly.
The routine is that he gets his 2 joint pills first, then she gets some p/b, then he gets his aspirin, then she gets more p/b. This never changes, same way EVERY day. But, she watches every inch my hand makes, to be absolutely sure she doesn't miss out on any.
The pet sitter knows the routine as far as Lucy getting the p/b, but I don't know what order the sitter does it in. I never thought of that. I'll bet Lucy gets all out of whack then.
ok, it went through trying again. Brittany, Courtney and Penelope are all on Eukanuba dry cat food but they get a little bit of canned for thier breakfast and dinner. Brittany and Penelope get a teaspoon and Courtney gets about the size of a pea. Courtney needs to lose aboiut 5 pounds and Brittany just lost the two that she needed. They are on weight control. Penelope has IBS so she is on the low residue. Courtney is so picky that half the time she sniff her treat food and walks off. Penelope not quite as picky but sometimes sniffs and walks too. Brittany bless her heart likes everything and usually gets what the other two leave then goes to her dish for her dry food too. Brittany and Penelope usually sleep with Jon and me but Courtney only does taht once in awhile, good thing we ahve a king size bed, huh? Thier routine starts at 4:45a.m. when Daddy's watch alarm goes off. Usually Brittany has already tried to get me up by pacing back and forth and getting in my face. They know it's time for breakfast. This same thing happens around 3:30 because they get dinner about 4:00p.m. They will sit and stare at me and come around my feet letting me know that ok, Mom it's dinner time.
It's so hard to monitor thier food all the time and we even keep it in site in our family room now. I try to put Penelope's and Brittany's food out of Courtney's reach when they're finished eating but I do forget at times and so Courtney gets into it that is one reason she hasn't lost the weight yet. Another is laziness. She does play when she is in the mood but not often. I ahve Fibromyalgia so on days when I ahve a lot of muscle pain I can't play with them for exercise and they have to be in the mood to play on thier own. Penelope is the most active one. Brittany has Hyperesthesia too so she gets some exercise running around from that.
I do wish I knew of a way to get the weight off Courtney so if you ahve a idea let me know. Anyway that is the daily routine at our house and if we're late with the food they act like they are starving even if they have food in thier dishes. Our girls are very spoiled and we love them that way.
Pam
Hi Stacey,
I was having trouble because it kept saying I was using the wrong password when I knew better but I had to eset it anyway and it went through. Also it was coming up weird when I typed, it would do a lower case letter then two upper case even though I was typing everything the same, weird weird! I am so glad Sandy put this blog up, it's great to talk with other pet lovers and hear how they spoil thier kids like we do.
Stacey, your routine with the p/b and asprin reminds me of how my girls are with thier treats. When one of them scratches on the scratching box or when Brittany gets her treat for bringing us a rag or sock then the other two have to get treats too. We ahve to be fair, Whoever does the scratching or present bringing gets extra treats although Courtney usually gets a few less because of her weight. Sometimes she gets only one. You may have to tell your sitter the routine so as not to have anyone upset,ha.
Pam
Yes, routines are very important for our dogs as well. About 15 minutes before "dad" drives up in the driveway, I tell them that "dad will be home soon." The three of them instantly come alert and run about finding a favorite toy to present to dad when he walks in the door. When they hear the car drive over the gravel in the driveway they start yelping and dashing about often times stealing each other's toys. Aimee, our terrier mix leaps on the couch and gazes out the window looking for dad and then leaps down when she sees him and dances by the front door. Max and Charlie bark and whine. My husnabd always has a smile on his face when he opens the door. He puts his lunch box in the kitchen and then goes into the bedroom to change. They all follow him but when they hear me unpack his lunchbox, Max and Charlie scoot into the kitchen to share the bite of sandwich dad always saves for them. Aimee doesn't care for people food and just wants to be with her dad. I just smile and feel all warm inside.
All your babies sound so neat and I just loving reading about your routines.
My white boxer Harley is my shadow when I am home. I work from my house quite a bit and whatever room I move to-she follows me and lays down by my feet. I also share whatever I am eating with her. But like you said Sandy, not from the table. Anything I am nibbling on in the kitchen(and I nibble a lot!)I save the last little piece to give her. I think it makes her feel loved and like she is part of the family.
Dogs are so smart. I eat 2 boiled eggs for breakfast every morning. Harley hears me breaking the shell and you can hear her toenails hitting the floor as she jumps off the couch to come get her morsel of egg. My fawn boxer Cody was going through chemo several years ago and there was a portion of his medicine I gave to him at home. I couldn't touch the pills so I would shake them out of the bottle onto a slice of cheese and then roll up the slice of cheese to feed to him. He learned very quickly that the shaking of the bottle meant CHEESE and he came running everytime.
And Pam, I would love to hear weigh-loss tips too. My Harley has been on weight mngt food for a couple of years now and she just gets bigger and bigger. Because of her age (she will be 11 next month and I think this is considered old for a boxer)she isn't very mobile and she really doesn't get store bought treats or table food. Altho once in a while if the kids leave the pantry open she has been known to steal the peanut butter, chew it open and lick it all out, or eat a whole bag of chocolate chips.
We learnd very quickly she can't be trusted with an open pantry door!
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I made it to the blog..
It's amazing how well trained THEY have US, isn't it????
More about my routine. Get up, let dogs out, let dog in. Give Scooter two pills for his seizures. Feed him adult Pedigree and Peanut and Zoe Healthy Maturity. Add some canned food and mix. Go and feed cats, clean their litter boxes, give them treats, put fresh water in bowls. Back to the dogs. Make sure Scooter and Peanut don't both go after any Zoe leftovers. Clean bowls.
THEN I fix my coffee and get ready to read the paper. Have to give the dogs each a chewie treat. If I forget they'll prance around like maniacs.
Then, until I go to work its let dogs in, let dogs out, let dogs in, let dogs out. LOL.
If I am off when Daddy comes home, all I have to say is: Daddy's home! and they come running like a pack of wild beasts, their paws sliding all over the wood floor as they try to turn the corner!
When I'm at work, The Boss has to repeat the morning ritual.
oh Sandy,
You're a good mommy! I have to make a straight beeline to the coffee. The dog and cats have to wait until I get that first swallow or I will be so out of it I will be the one going to the bathroom in the yard! haha
Wait just a minute, Sandy! The Boss repeats the morning ritual??? Come on, you mean he actually does ALL THAT? Or does he just let the dogs in and out and leave all the rest for you when you get up???? Ain't no way my husband is going to be mixing dry and canned food and filling up water bowls and cleaning litter boxes in the morning! I'm glad if he remembers to put all his clothes on before he goes outside. LOL!!
new sign up test for blogging!
Hey Guys,
Well our morning routine is that Jon gets up and feeds the girls first. He gets thier dishes out and then puts all the food in one dish to heat in the microwave for 8 to 15 seconds. If it hasn't been opened before it only needs 8, yes we do dpoil them a lot but they like the food a little warm. He also takes thier water dishes and clens them out with a paper towel then refills with fresh water then he gets to start his coffee before coming back to shower. I usually get up after he gets in the shower. Sometimes I get up when he dose and I do the routine but on days when I'm having a lot of pain or having a hard time getting up he does it all. This is the same routine we do for thier dinner too. I like to keep clean dishes and fresh water so they get new dishes at every meal too so I always have several for the dishwasher. We must have about 40 or more cat dishes ( honest ). I read that plastic water and food dishes dishes can cause Hyperesthesia which Brittany has so we no longer use plastic. Anyway just wanted to let you know that Daddy takes good care of our girls here too.
Shannon if you hear or anyone else knows of any other ways for weight loss let me know,
Pam
A P,S. to Shannon,
Did the chocolate make Harley sick? I would think a whole bag would send him to the vet Hope no ill effects or problems arose.
Alice,
How sweet taht your husband leaves the bite for Max and Charlie!
Pam
Stacey what I meant about The Boss repeating the morning ritual is this: I am at work until at least midnight, so he must feed them when he gets home and give Scooter his medicine. They don't get chewies at night, only on my shift. He says he gives the cat a treat and makes sure their bowls are filled. I think, though, that my water lasts through the day, but when I am visiting family in PA he does it all, and I remind him, which makes him say: I KNOW, I KNOW. They're FINE. LOL
We have bedtime rituals as well. The dogs must have their nighttime cookies, which Daddy normally gives them. As soon as they hear the clatter of the lid of the cookie tin, they zoom off to the bedroom.
Here lately, he has taken to giving Pumkin treats at that time as well. For some reason, my hubby has developed more affection for this little orange rascal than he has normally shown any of the cats. So, I noticed last night that when he got the dog's cookies, not only did the dogs zoom off to the bedroom, so did Pumkin. There is a chest at the foot of the bed, and Pumkin hops up there and Daddy gives him a couple of treats there when he gives the dogs their cookies.
So, I think he's not as innocent in this pet spoiling thing as he claims to be.
Hmmmmm, maybe The Boss, when I'm not home, spoils the kids with treats and belly rubs and cuddling. LOL. At the times I've been gone and he's had to give the morning rawhide treat he complains that the dogs are picky. I've explained to him that Scooter only likes a certain kind, Zoe needs another, and Peanut will eat anything. And on the occassion when I ask him to pick some up at the store, he always gets the wrong kind (the kind that look like particle board, not leather). He'll saw, "Well it SAYS rawhide." Can't he see the difference? Apparantly not. Next time I'll have to save the bag so he can take it along for reference. LOL. What does he say? YOU get the treats. I think it's all a ploy (getting the wrong kind) so I won't ask him any more!
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