Mining

I got these photos yesterday of Widget "mining," which is what we call this particular daily habit of hers.  Please notice the white bobbing tail sticking up from underneath the bedding. 

First, some background:  At our house in Montana, we finally put up a doggie gate to close off the kitchen and dining area so Alayne and I could eat in peace without being pestered for handouts from Widget and her friends.  Widget is the pushiest and most insistent of the gang about helping herself to our lunch.  Of course, she is nearly impossible to resist because of that adorable face, not to mention her ... um, her insistent manner.  The answer was a sizeable and assault-proof barrier to keep the Huns at bay.

Because of the layout of the kitchen/dining area in this house in New Hampshire, we haven't quite figured out yet how a similar doggie gate/barrier would work here.  That has left Alayne and me vulnerable, once again, to pillaging at mealtime.  The answer, at least for now, was to remove the leader of the Huns by diverting her to a new source of plunder.

Which brings us to mining.

We feed most of the dogs their dinner in their crates in the evening.  A few of the dogs -- and this is totally inexplicable to a Beagle like Widget -- actually don't eat everything and leave a little food behind.  A kibble here, a kibble there, pretty soon it adds up to real food.  This is pure treasure ... a gold mine, so to speak.  But you have to know where to find it. 

Thus at lunch time, we swing open the door to the dog wing, deposit Widget on the floor, and off she goes to mine.  We leave the crate doors closed but not locked, so she has to open each one by pulling on it using her feet.  This eats up (no pun intended) valuable time while we enjoy a peaceful meal.  Once she gets a crate door open, she disappears inside to root around under the dog beds looking for stray pieces of kibble.  This is mining at its best. 

Widget methodically goes down both rows of crates, opening each one in turn, searching for the precious ore.  Once she has convinced herself that the crate has been meticulously searched and nothing is left behind, she comes out and heads off for the next one:

What really bugs her is when a dog has left a real bonanza behind, and -- mindful of her waistline -- we have locked the crate door so she can't get to it.  Her nose tells her what kind of bounty is inside.  So she'll stand outside that crate and let out a series of mournful woo-woo-woo's.  When we hear this sound from our lunch table in the other wing, we know she's just arrived at the locked crate.  Eventually, realizing other opportunities await, she moves on to the next crate.

On those days when no dog has left any food behind, we'll "salt the mine" -- to borrow an expression -- by throwing a piece of kibble into several of the crates, then closing the doors.  It makes for a happy miner. 

It turns out that the time it takes her to mine her way through all the crates is just about the time it takes us to have lunch.  We're dining, she's mining.

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Comments

[anime pillows]

that's funny. However, I suspect that when she realized that she's being manipulated, the retribution will be swift!

[Doe George]

A mining she will go..............

This post had me laughing like I haven't for a long time! Your narrative, and the photos are Excellent! Woo Woo Woo...... Widget!

[Susan Webel]

Now, that's a hoot! I have always had beagles, and that is exactly how these situations play out! My poor Henry only has one crate to mine, though..... :)

[Ann]

OMG This post had me laughing so hard! I love the descriptive way you write, it's so easy to picture the whole scenario of the mining/dining experience. Those pictures are great!

[Bruce Small]

To buy ourselves some peace at meal times we toss a dog biscuit down the hallway. When Bailey the Beagle runs after it we put up the kiddie gate, and she is stuck on the other side. She surely has figured it out by now, but the lure of a dog biscuit is overwhelming and cannot be resisted.

[Phyllis Snow]

Thanks for the blog about Widget's talent. That was a super funny story. Maybe Widget should become an actress.

[Adele in the Bronx]

Talk about "laugh out loud!"
That was hilarious.
Thanks.

[Peggy]

I think that is the funniest blog entry I've read. I mean ever. Steve you write so well and it makes such great pictures in my head, I can just see Widget rooting around in those crates.

I second the comment that you should write a book. You could be the American James Herriot.

Thanks again for the best chuckle I had all week.

[Anne in Florida]

Voted on 3 computers today. The blind cats are catching up. Speaking of cats.....where are yours? What are they up to? And the horses? Is Rosies hoof all mended since last summer? And is Cash as good looking as the glimpse we got of him in the equine ear-swivel version of "outtakes"? I would love to see where little mama Cinder lives. And her now grown Ash & Spark kitties. I bet that little Spark grew up into a beautiful cat. Just a few suggestions for blog material. HINT HINT

[Phyllis Snow]

Delightful! Thanks for sharing. (And they call dogs "dumb animals".

[Laura, Levi & Timmy]

Oh Widget you are too funny!! Very clever you two, to keep her occupied til you are done with lunch!!

[Tonya]

Great strategy! Gives her a little mental and physical exercise, too. Of course, then you have to go around and straighten out all the bedding. I'm sure you'll come up with a solution for that too, though. Thanks for the smile!

[Rhonda]

Y'all are so funny! I love reading your blog! Y'all are so special and I really appreciate all your efforts for these wonderful little beings. Thank you!

[Angela]

LOL - too funny! I'm with Lynn and Lynne above - your stories would make a great book if you could ever find the time to write it. No doubt, Widget could help. If could contain the word "antics" in the title perhaps or something like "Life on the Ranch with the Widge." Oh well, you can see how you make us laugh and get silly! Have a great weekend.

[Debbie Burke]

Steve and Alayne, You had me laughing so hard I almost forgot to vote! Thanks for a delightful "good morning" report.

[Doris Lucchesi]

I look to you for education...we are always seeking ways to divert the attention of our six when meal time rolls around. We only have two that are serious chow hounds but I may be able to use a variation of this technique to occupy them. Thanks for the insight...

[Suzanne]

Ha! Thanks so much for this giggle. Those dogs are a riot!

[Habibi Tagati]

Too funny! Thanx for starting my morning off with a chuckle. I'll never be able to hear about Miners and 49er's in quite the same way...

[Tracy]

that's hilarious! i can't believe the work you have to go through just to have lunch in relative peace. i wonder if something like that would work with our 2 toddlers and pug... hmmmmm

[Linda P.]

On the rare days when I haven't been able to jog with my dogs for some reason or another (it rarely rains here in Central Texas these last few years, so most days are jogging days), I work to entertain them in other ways. One of the tactics I use is putting them into my study where they can watch me through the double glass doors. Then I "hide" about half their kibble in various spots around the house. They can see me start the hiding process, so they know what I'm doing, but they can't see all the spots at which I hide it, so they do have to search. I figure in the wild, dogs had to use their wiles a bit more than they do now, so it's both physical and mental exercise for them. They get so excited when they realize what I'm doing. They're the same size and same skill level, so I don't worry about one not getting enough food.

[Colleen & In Memory of Sweet Kitty Erin]

BOL!!! That's hilarious. Very clever of the humans but extremely smart of the "Mining Widget"!!!

[Barb Ribinski]

OMG, what a riot!!! This is truly a beagle story at it's best. They are so food motivated - but darn cute! Widget reminds me of my neighbors' beagle who can find and dig up (and eat!) as many as 10 peanuts in a day in the yard that the squirrels have buried. They surely have a great sense of smell. That photo with just the tail sticking out from under the blankets is a keeper.

[Christine Baltazar in Portland, Oregon]

Absolutely hilarious! Esepcially the locked crate since she sounds the alarm to let you know how much time you have to finish lunch. HA HA HA LOVE IT! : )

[Tammy Stanton]

Such a cute story! Thanks for sharing it and the pictures. That made my day! I love Beagles.

[Lynne Parker]

I so wish you had the time to write a book about RDR. Your writing style is delightful! Each of your charges has a unique personality and you know your animals well enough to define each individual for us. This post is so funny!
We have a beagle/schnauzer mix who has the same attitude about food—"All I want is a little more than I'll ever get." It's a beagle thing, for certain.

[Jessica, NL]

Hahaha... the sentence "and her friends" seems to be really only about Widget, or does she have unwanted help with the mining??

Great story (and some photos of your rooms now that they have furniture would be appreciated!)!

[Kenna]

priceless!! And the picture had me rolling with laughter!! Thanks for making my evening.

[Lynn (in Louisiana)]

In the Rolling Dog Ranch book, Widget will have her own chapter! LOL

[Bob]

Silly human minions. The RDR Beagle Politburo Central Committee (RDRBPCC)(Comrade Widget the Chairbeagle) wants you to think you are "distracting" Widget. Actually she is using that alone time as a cover to deaddrop money, supplies and propaganda to other members of the RDRBPCC for their eventual uprising and takeover. Just a heads up for the naive minions.

[Lynette]

What a smart beagle. We had a beagle who had three leg's and he always found food or crumbs whever they lay. His name was Barney and he lived to be 16 I think I will have one again in my life time.

[Glenda]

Oh, my....hahahaha!
Thank you for the chuckle.

Widget, you are a fun little party girl. It sounds like you are one of my party dogs buddies.
Hug and a back scratch for you~

[Darcie]

Holy hell, that's funny. However, I suspect that when she realized that she's being manipulated, the retribution will be swift!

[Moon Rani]

Widget has to be the cutest miner who ever went searching for buried treasure! What a brilliant idea to get a little peace and quiet at mealtimes. Widget thinks she's outsmarting you folks, but you're having the last laugh.

[Linda]

Oh sure. You THINK you've outsmarted her. You THINK the extra bonus is that she's helping you clean the crates. But just you wait!

For what, I'm not sure, but I don't put anything past her.

[Miranda Brooks]

What a cute and clever story! I'm glad you salt the mine because with a smart girl like the Widge, without some incentive to keep hunting, your lunch would surely be in peril. Good job!

[Cathy Silvestro]

Super hilarious story, I laughed so hard I peed my pants. I use to have a dog that looked just like Widget and we did exactly the same thing with her for exactly the same reason!!! We only had 3 other crates for her to "mine" through so we learned to eat faster. I can TOTALLY relate. They do keep our creative juices flowing don't they?

[Ev]

How clever are you and Alayne? At least as clever as that little 'crate-door-opening' and 'mining' little Widget! Thanks for the laugh Steve.