CHANGES, FOR BETTER OR WORSE

The pets are more clever at making substitutions in their diet. For example, Mr. Paws and Sanchez were up bright and early waiting to be fed, as is their routine. But BunnyCat was nowhere to be found, so he missed the first round of chow. Not to go hungry, he finally emerged in the kitchen where he set upon the dishes of DOG FOOD that I had put out for Skittles and Patches. I have long speculated on the notion of creating a "uni-species" pet food that would care for both cats and dogs. Both species do, after all, eat from each others' plates. That way I would not have to guard against stealing, since in this household at least both species gladly eat both types of food along with any "human snacks" that come their way. Then my husband pointed out that the nutritional needs of each animal are different, so my idea was unsound from the veterinary point of view. That points me to the latest news about pet foods that are made from undesirable substances. These brands were widely publicized, and I carefully checked to see if anything I was feeding my menagerie was on the lists. In hard times I am willing to feed my husband and myself the "store brand" of basics like flour and sugar. But I will not jeopardize my animals' health by feeding dangerous meals.

Speaking of our pets, last Sunday we took the dogs along with us on a drive. It gave them the experience of riding with us for FUN, not a trip to the vet's. (That will happen next Saturday when they get their regular checkups and shots.) The little one put his face to the window which we had left open just an inch. The big one quickly joined him at the other window where the breeze blew through his long, silky ears. We made a discrete "piddle stop" about half way along, and then shared some French fries as we neared home. Dogs love fries! But then they love peanut butter, too. These items are NOT on the lists of recalled pet foods.

Today would have been a good one for working outside. There was no rain, but the previous day's downpours would have made it easy to pull weeds. Before the storms, I went around the orchard cutting down the stalks of large weeds that were competing with the apple trees for water and sunlight. Some of these weeds had big, red berries that the birds would love, but I cut them down anyway. Other weeds had something that I never saw: pricker burrs! I had found these things attached to the dogs when they went behind the barn, but now they were attached to me! My T shirt, my pants, my HAIR! I never saw them, but they must have seen me when I ventured underneath some of the branches to cut down some of the unwanted foliage. These things were relentless, and it took me several hours to finally get them out. When my groomer comes this time, I should ask her if she grooms humans, too!