I have only myself to blame.
When we had three dogs, the rule was “no one feeds them human food. Ever.” It worked out well. The dogs ate their food (with an occasional dog treat) and I didn’t feel like we were spoiling our pets.
But then we lost one dog, and within two weeks, we lost another. That left one little lonely puppy – Pippin.
And I thought to myself, what harm would it do to save him a bit of my supper each night?
These days we eat outside and as soon as Pippin sees me get up from the table after dinner, he dances around my feet threatening to trip me with each step, a death-defying performance in exchange for a bite of fish or a half-link of sausage.
A fair deal.
Charlie, our black copper marans, being Charlie, soon realized something was going on at the dinner table that she should probably be in on. She started hovering around under the table while we ate.
Again, I thought, what harm would it do to throw her some bits of bread crust during dinner? She ate them and I was pleased.
Yesterday, as we were getting the table ready for dinner, I looked out the window. That’s my chair. That’s where I sit.
The kids have obviously caught on that there is gold at the dinner table.
It’s become a little Hitchcockian around here, but in the end, I have only myself to blame.
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Wendy Thomas writes about the lessons learned while raising children and chickens in New Hampshire. Contact her at [email protected]
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