Our new arrival, blind Darla, is one food-motivated older lady. Because we feed the dogs dinner in their crates, she now associates the crates with food. So even before I arrive to start serving up dinner, Miss Darla heads to the dog room and finds an open crate to sit in. She's convinced that this is when "food happens." In this case, she picked blind Sophie's crate to see if she could generate the spontaneous arrival of food. (No such luck.)
Then, when she hears me over at the table setting out the food bowls, she races out of the crate and heads over to stand behind me, wanting to make sure she gets her food first. Often we also have Aurora standing behind me, too, except Aurora is barking to get me to dish it out faster. The kinder-and-gentler Darla is convinced her wiggling body and wagging tail will be enough to speed me up and guarantee she's at the front of the line:
She's right -- it is. I can't resist. I fill her bowl first and she leads me over to a crate ... her own.
Food does happen. But only in the right crate.
Oh my.....Darla is about the sweetest thing EVER! I had to laugh at Linda's comment about hairspray triggering food reactions.....with us it's brushing our teeth! I love this about dogs, and I love Darla! Maybe she & Bindi need to get together??
Posted by: Cassie Betz | June 10, 2013 at 12:01 AM
So do your animals have as much of a problem when we go on and off daylight savings time as mine do? Totally throws them off when they don't get breakfast and dinner when they think they should. My brother's dog will even go down to the end of the driveway an hour too early to wait for the kids to get off the school bus! It's so funny how in tune they are to time.
Posted by: Heidi, Emmett the Beagle and Moxie the Kitty | June 08, 2013 at 10:03 PM
That's how she got her curvy girlish figure!
Posted by: KCMarla | June 05, 2013 at 09:56 PM
I'm in love with Darla!!!
Posted by: Shirley * James/Portland, OR | June 05, 2013 at 03:24 AM
Great story on that sweet girl. My cat Kate will gag and pretend she is throwing up a hairball when she wants me to get up and give her breakfast. She knows I always get right up when I hear one of them coughing.
Posted by: Chloe | June 04, 2013 at 08:07 AM
Love this one. Dogs know the routine pretty well when it comes to food. My old guy (15) goes out for morning potty and comes back in the door ready for food. If I haven't picked up the bowls, he will bark loudly until I do. Thanks for sharing their personalities, love to read about them all.
Posted by: Dee in KY | June 04, 2013 at 06:17 AM
Aw, darling Darla! She knows that using her feminine wiles on you will work every time :)
My dogs can tell when it's dinner or treat time even if they are way out in the back of the yard. The minute I open a treat bag or pick up their bowls for dinner, they are right at the back door waiting to come in!
Posted by: Ann | June 03, 2013 at 11:58 PM
That is hilarious. And proves that she is smart and resourceful. She has figured out that sitting in a crate eventually causes you to start setting out the food bowls, and that being extra cute gets her the first bowl of food. Good work Darla!
Posted by: Tonya Allen | June 03, 2013 at 04:27 PM
Smart girl and pretty too. Thank you for acknowledging her request. I knew you would!!
Posted by: Lynn (in Louisiana) | June 03, 2013 at 01:25 PM
Your 'disabled' dogs are pretty darn able! My dogs think 'food happens' when they hear me upstairs using my hair spray. When I go out, I give them a snack, and right before I go out, I spray my hair, so they have associated the hair spray sound with getting a snack - and they are right! Pavlov had his dogs, and we have ours, yes??!!
Posted by: Linda | June 03, 2013 at 12:47 PM
Too Funny! Levi will stick his head in the food container to make sure the food is really there and he really his getting breakfast/dinner. He never tries to take any while I’m dishing it out. Timmy stands behind me just in case I drop a morsel and he can snatch it up. Levi then proceeds to do the twirl dance while he waits for me to add the few extras in his bowl. He also likes to bark at me to let him know I am not going fast enough!! Timmy is ever the gentlemen waiting for his food.
Posted by: Laura, Levi & Timmy | June 03, 2013 at 10:26 AM
This just makes me happy to read. Thanks for sharing it.
Posted by: Ashley | June 03, 2013 at 09:17 AM
Love the hopeful look on Darla's face. She thinks she has broken the code but isn't really sure.
Posted by: Bob | June 03, 2013 at 09:03 AM
Wow, Darla appears to be one smart older lady. Seems like she's learned a lot in a short period of time. And it's amazing they know their own crates. Guess it's their sense of smell. And you can tell how happy and sweet she is from her photo.
Posted by: Barb Ribinski | June 03, 2013 at 08:17 AM