Gone to the Dogs - Day 26

Spirit Eating an Apple  

An apple is a special prize

- the dogs' senses are on high alert     

 Casper and Spirit knew there were apples in my hand before I got anywhere near the dogpen. If apples smell good to humans, imagine how incredibly good they must smell magnified tens of thousands of times in a dog's specialized olfactory system.

Gone to the Dogs - Day 19

Spirit Eating A Carrot... just watch...  

This is the way to eat a carrot    

-  note how she uses her paws    

Spirit enjoys her treats, especially if they are treats that are bigger than just one mouthful. This one was good.

Gone to the Dogs - Day 18

Casper Eating Turnip  

Our friends were amazed and amused     

- watching our dogs eat turnip as a treat    

The digestive systems of domesticated dogs have evolved to allow them to eat a wide range of food that comes from humans. In the wild, wolves and coyotes probably eat root vegetables, if they find them, but I'm willing to bet that they don't enjoy veggies as much as Casper and Spirit do!

Gone to the Dogs - Day 16

Casper and His Treat  

Casper is waiting    

- and guarding to make sure the treat doesn't disappear    

Each dog has characteristic behaviors and postures. From the time he was a puppy, when Casper was made to wait for food in his dish, he would fix his attention on the bowl and not take his eyes off it. Now that he is learning to wait for a treat, Casper demonstrates the same behavior.