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Pet People

Friday, August 03, 2007

Pet Manners by Skeeter



I was raised to have manners. I still hear the voices instilled in my head. Sit up at the table, keep elbows off the table, don’t cram your mouth full, blah blah blah, etc...

The family pet Molly was never ever allowed to be fed from the table. Well, it happened all the time when dad was not looking! I remember the Thanksgiving when he laid down the law while we were at our grandmother’s house. Do Not, Do Not feed that dog at the table! I believe it was during the Blessing when mom screamed out a big Ouch! Yep, mom was sneaking Molly Dog a piece of turkey under the table!

We kids loved to share with Molly; whatever we got she got a bite too! In my adult years, I find out that chocolate is harmful to dogs but I have a hard time believing that. Molly would eat one M&M to our two and snickers and butterfingers were a regular treat along with chocolate ice cream. Maybe Molly had a special tummy because she lived to be 17 years old! I would never feed a dog or cat Chocolate now and I am also discovering other bad things such as onions, garlic, milk, etc...

Molly was never “allowed” to eat from the table, even though it often happened when dads back was turned. Molly is now over the Rainbow Bridge chasing butterflies with my Skeeter kitty. We kids have become adults and moved into houses of our own. We all got together with mom and dad a few years ago for a family dinner at a local restaurant. I must say, we all looked right nice sitting in public with our manners about us! I reckon all that Blah blah blad took hold…

Now we come to the picture I posted. Just who do you think is sitting at the table with not one little dog but 3 cats on the table? Yep, my Big Daddy! I have asked him on more then one occasion as to why Molly was never allowed to beg at the table and yet these three fur balls are allowed to not only beg but to sit with their butts on top of the table while begging! I just get a grin from him.

Upon the first visit into my home once Sheba and Cheetah arrived, dad taught Sheba that nasty begging trick! She was a cat that had to hunt for food while living in the woods so the instinct remains for her to take any food she can. Sheba is not allowed on top of the furniture so she sits in a chair beside us and begs as though she is starving. If we ignore her, that paw comes to the top of the table to get our attention. She will gently touch our arms as if to ask, “Hey, can I have a bite?” We cannot seem to break her of this little bad habit that my dad taught her. I must admit, she is cute as can be sitting up tall in the chair beside us as if human! It is a bit aggravating though when we have company and Sheba begs but she is so comical that everyone just laughs at her. Since Cheetah hides when we have “strange” people in the house, she never learned this nasty habit from my dad.

So who else out there allows your pets to sit on top of the table and beg for food while you are eating?

posted by Skeeter at 8/03/2007 08:54:00 AM

17 Comments:

Blogger Adrienne said...

What is it with our parents once we are on our own? I have never allowed the dogs at the table while we are eating. But when my mom comes for a visit not only are they at the table , but she will let Princess Mattie sit in her lap and feed her. I even caught her once feeding her ON the table. But this is not the only thing she does. She will pull over an empty chair for Oscar to sit in and feed him too. I get so frustrated with her. She just smiles and says she's grandma and this is what grandma's do. WHATEVER!

About the chocolate thing, Only real chocolate/cocoa is bad for dogs and will make them sick.(per our vet) Things like M&M's are not made with real chocolate. I will let the dogs have a couple of M&M's once and a while. All things in moderation right?

Friday, August 03, 2007 10:49:00 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I have had dogs in my family since the day I was born. Our dog(s) would sit under the table at mealtimes to gobble up whatever we kids dropped during the meal. And there must have been a lot with 3 kids. They would also get any meat scraps leftover from the preparation and from the dinner itself.

Now, my cats are all over the counters and on every flat surface everywhere. The cats don't really beg, but Scootie has been know to reach out a paw and snag something from our plates. Herbie will eat anything left lying around so everything gets put away and cleaned up immediately. I had made a sandwich for the professor's lunch and left it on the plate to get a plastic bag to put it in and when I got back there was a little piece of bun missing where Herbie had taken a bite. Once the professor had a pork chop for lunch and left his plate on the counter with the bone. When I went into the kitchen there was a greasy spot on the floor but I never did find the bone. It was TOO big for anyone to have eaten it and was a T-shape and very hard so I don't think any of the dogs got it. It was a couple of months ago and none of the dogs have had any problems so I'm hoping the bone is under the refrigerator. I never give then real bones!

We only had one real scare with medicine. I used to keep it on my bedside nightstand. When we first got Aimee, she got one of my pill bottles with diabetic pills in it and chewed the top off. We called the vet immediately and she told us to watch he for any reactions but Aimee never developed any problems. But I learned MY lesson and all medicines are now put away and I am constantly checking to see what things might be chewable and dangerous.

I did have a cat once that loved to chew electric cords. Now THAT was scary. He just suddenly stopped but I always check cords for chew marks just in case, even though none of our current fur-children have chewing habits.

Hmm... these are all things human toddlers do... When one of the cats are doing something bad, I spray them with water from a spray bottle. I doubt that works on human kids.

Friday, August 03, 2007 11:13:00 AM  
Blogger jdt said...

We are definitely guilty of feeding the dogs from the table. Well nto the table, since we actually never eat at it. We eat at tray tables in the living room. Most nights Annabelle sits in my lap for dinner. All of our pets will eat off the silverware. I am always giving them bites of what we have (if it is safe for them, I have a list of foods that dogs should not have) they just line up and take a bite off the fork. We also have to watch them with our drinks. Ever since Jake came to live with us, you can't leave cups with anything left in them. I had some juice sitting on the end table and went to the bathroom. When I came back ,there was Jake finishing it up. Needless to say, all the other dogs picked up on this little trick, and now we have to be really cautious. They are all crazy little monsters!

The thing we found out recently is our cat Chance is psycho for beef jerky. He goes nuts trying to get it when we eat it. We actually had a sealed bag of it on the counter and he was trying to chew through the bag to get it. It cracks me up to watch him, he normally never tries to get our food.

When Scruffy, our other cat, was younger she was obsessed with McDonald's french fries. She would hide under the coffee table while we were eating. Then she would just reach her paw up to grab a fry off our plate and pull it under the table to eat. She would even go so far as to get into the McDonald's bag to dig fries out. I think I have a picture of this somewhere I will try to find to send to Sandy.

Friday, August 03, 2007 11:23:00 AM  
Blogger Sandy said...

Growing up our dog got tossed food from the table, and my Mom, when cooking, did the same thing. That's why our dog was fat. LOL.

Since The Boss grew up without pets in the house, he was insistent about the dogs and they were never even allowed IN the kitchen when we ate. We'd tell them to "get out" and they'd go to the other room, but lay their paws RIGHT on the doorway, looking in.

I'm actually glad, because now, though we let them in the kitchen, they just lie on the floor and never bet for food. Plus, most people food isn't good for their waistline. My sister's father-in-law fed his little dog Reggie (a tiny poodle) everthing he ate. Tossing him hot dogs, whatever. The dog was so fat and died of a heart attack when he was only 5. His heart couldn't take it.

I was visiting frineds in NY who had 2 black labs. Great dog, but while we ate at the table, they were there wanting food. They had a baby in a high chair and the dogs would snatch food right out of the baby's hand! I couldn't believe it! They didn' t do anything. It was mass HYSTERIA!

Now, when I come home from work and am making something to eat late at night, the routine is for Peanut to come with me (the other dogs go in the bedroom to wait). I always "drop" something on the floor for him. Just a little piece of meant or turkey peparoni slice. But this doesn't cause him to beg no matter where we eat--living room or kitchen--because they've been taught from the beginning not to do that. My dropping food on the floor is an "accident." I don't say anything to him, so he think's he's slick and lucky.

Peanut now loves kitchen duty. Whenever anyone is in the kitchen making something, he is there--not begging, but just waiting. He takes his duties seriously. He's the kitchen cleaner uppper, Scooter is the yard scout and patrol and Zoe is just there. :)

Cats live where we don't eat, but they do jump on the counter in the apartment every morning to get their treat.

I let the dog's lick off plates and bowls (depending upon what's in them). That sort of thing doesn't bother me at all.

Friday, August 03, 2007 12:13:00 PM  
Blogger Sandy said...

Oh Alice. Meant to say. I lost a pork chop bone the EXACT same way. I think Peanut took it. One minute it was there, then it wasn't and I never did find that darn bone!

Friday, August 03, 2007 12:15:00 PM  
Blogger Pam said...

Well duh-----------what would mealtime be at our house without a little cat hair? The most begging we get from the girls is while I'm making a sandwich or some kind of food. They get a tiny bite but thats all. We are working on a diet with our big girl as it is. The other two don't have a weight problem and I want to keep it that way but they all get just a tiny bite here and there.

Friday, August 03, 2007 2:25:00 PM  
Blogger Pam said...

P.S. Forgot mention how our vet told us how he had to work for hours to save a dogs life that had gotten into a box of Valentine chocolates and eaten most of it. He said the dog was just lucky because he was sure it wasn't going to make it even with all he had been doing.
Not only do I ahve to make sure all meds and certain food is kept away from the girls but have to hide the plastic bags as well as you all know by now.

Friday, August 03, 2007 2:27:00 PM  
Blogger Skeeter said...

Oh Pam, I am glad that poor doggie with the sweet tooth survived his chocolate cravings! And yes, pets are just like kids, you have to keep your eye on them at all times!

Talking about the pork chop reminds me of one the Saint told me about. Before entering his life, it was him, Skeeter and a room mate. The Saint was an E-2 in the Air Force living off base with no BAQ! He worked night shift and the barracks were just too noisy in the day time for him to sleep. So he and another buddy pooled their money and got an apartment off Base. After rent, insurance and beer, (As a young E-2, beer qualifies as a major food group!) there was not much money remaining for food to eat! They would do the chow-hall thing most days. One day the Saint and his roomy had some extra money so they bought a package of pork chops. The Saint had put his plate on the coffee table (God forbid we keep the clutter off the dining room table) then turned his back on the pork chop to go get a drink from the kitchen. When he returned, his pork chop was missing from his plate. He spotted his new kitten, Skeeter dragging it down the hallway, taking it to his room! The Saint grabbed the pork chop out of his little mouth and ate it, dirt and all! Can you imagine the dirt on the floor in that place? It was the hangout for all the single guys in the barracks and until I came along, I don’t thing they knew what a vacuum or dust rag was!!!

I am glad y’all brought up the Pork chop as it reminded me of my Skeeter but it does not really take too much to remind me of him as my mind is full of great memories of my baby boy….

Friday, August 03, 2007 4:34:00 PM  
Blogger Skeeter said...

Sandy, Shame on you for leading us to believe that Peanut is dumb! Of course he knows you put that food on the floor for him intentionally!!! Or he thinks you are one heck of a klutz in the kitchen...LOL

Friday, August 03, 2007 4:37:00 PM  
Blogger B said...

our first and only tale invovling chocolate was when Lucy had been with us about a month--the Clutz had left his bag of Reeses bites on the night stand and I walked into the bedroom to find her with the empty bag over her head. CALLING SHIRLEY FEENEY!! Brett freaks out--calls the vett--she told me to give her a table spoon of peroxide and that it would cause her to throw it all up--if one didn't do it go to 2, but no more than that. I almost drowned us both in peroxide--but I got one spoon full down her and she almost immedately began to spew chocolate braf like Linda Blair's stand-in. Jeremy has ALWAYS been the bad one--he's had his cell phone chewed up by Charlie cuz he left it on the nightstand,and I have snatched God knows how many bags of candy out of the mouths of babes. Just night before last, I snatched a bag of chocolate minis out of Hines mouth. But as long as God helps me keep my guard up and my eyes open, and allows me to keep putting my combat boot in the behind of that special someone when he does these things, we'll be ok.

Friday, August 03, 2007 5:00:00 PM  
Blogger Skeeter said...

Oh Brett, it is good to have your humorous view on things! This is classic Brett...
You make me laugh!

I have not gotten a response from “Big Daddy” on my posting as of yet. Can’t wait to hear what he has to say… tee hee…

Friday, August 03, 2007 7:38:00 PM  
Blogger Daisylouu said...

Dogs eat only dog food, although my dog, Murphy, whom I inherited when my father-in-law died, was used to being fed from the table, so he sits and waits...but doesn't get anything.

The cats are another story. I was an adult the first time I owned a cat and was horrified when she jumped on the kitchen table. I do keep a spray bottle on the table, but now all my three cats manage to find their way on the table to relax or beg for attention. I'm so used to it that I forget to try and reprimand them. Cats will be cats.

Friday, August 03, 2007 9:16:00 PM  
Blogger Pam said...

It must be nic that the spray bottle works so well for ya'all. Mine works for about 30 seconds then they just go back to whatever they ahve been doing. Wish I knew the secret.

Saturday, August 04, 2007 8:06:00 AM  
Blogger Sandy said...

I never said Peanut was dumb, just a wussy fraidy cat mama's boy! And he took that pork chop off a plate! :)

Monday, August 06, 2007 12:00:00 AM  
Blogger B said...

Pearl is a table diver too. When my folks were here in March to build my new steps for the back porch, we got take out and went into the house to eat it. Pearl immediately jumped onto the table and my father went into a screaming cuss fit. So I dare say no one in my family will ever eat another holiday meal at my house cuz they might catch some "cat disease" and surely perish. My father hates cats! He told me yesterday on my semi annual trip home that I was mistreating my animals by having them cooped up in the house and that I needed to stop taking in strays (he was referring to HINES, whom I had kept secret til Jeremy told him) Kay Sa RA Sa RA as Doris used to say. I love him anyway.

Monday, August 06, 2007 7:55:00 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

B, other animals would LOVE to "mistreated" like you "mistreat" your babies! Some people just don't like pets, luckily you got the good gene from somewhere that loves critters.

I don't have to use the spray bottle often. After a couple of times, I just have to hold it and make a hissing noise and they stop what they were doing. You might add a little vinegar to make it taste unpleasant.

Granted, the cats are allowed everywhere in the house except outdoors. Herbie has made an escape attempt or two, so I keep bottles by each entrance and if he looks like he is going to make a break for the great outdoors, he gets a zap. Scootie doesn't even try anymore.

Larry, senior cat, goes in and out as he pleases, although I sometimes have to go outside and drag him in from the back stoop at night. He just lays there watching the lightning bugs.

I loved the kids' insert in the paper today! Great info about dog parks. I hope adults read it too. Also a letter to Dear Abby or someone about leaving dogs in the car during the summer. Unbelieveable!

Monday, August 06, 2007 10:51:00 AM  
Blogger Skeeter said...

We just found out that Sheba loves Peaches! Our neighbor brought us a bag full late yesterday evening. The Saint sat them on the kitchen counter top. Of course Miss Noisy, Sheba had to give them a Cat Scan first! The Saint was laughing at her because she was going nuts over them. I don’t understand this because we are in GA and this is NOT the first time we have had Peaches in the house! Sheba was acting as though she were Cheetah on a Cat Nip high!

At 5:45 this morning, I heard a rattling noise. It was Sheba up on top of the counter top where she is not allowed and she was going through the bag getting a snoot full! I sneak into the kitchen and caught her in the act. As soon as she saw mommy, she dove off the counter top and hauled butt into the sunroom to escape the wrath of mommy. Of course, unbeknownst to her, I was laughing at my clown. After the Saint took off to work this morning, I heard her in the bag a second time at about 7:00. This time I just let out a stern “Sheba” from the bedroom and I heard her plop down from the countertop.

I know fully well that those two girls get into places they are not allowed. What I don’t know does not matter, right? But when I catch them in the act of defying me, I have to remind myself, they are cats and cats snoop and climb things to include the off limits countertops! Nope, I don’t have perfect cats by any means! LOL

Monday, August 06, 2007 3:07:00 PM  

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Pet People

Sandy Britt, an animal welfare advocate and volunteer with Clarksville rescue organizations, takes care of three dogs: Zoe, Scooter and Peanut; two cats: Catfish and Tarzan; and one husband, Glen, and according to him she takes care of them in that order.
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