Why Buck Does Not Eat Off The Table!

Before I met and married my husband Jerry, our dog Buck and I lived at home with my parents and sister. It was a two story house on a quiet street and Buck loved living there. It did not take long to figure out why….

Do you remember in Father of the Bride when George Banks walks into the house and everyone is coming at him with different problems regarding the wedding? George just walked through the house in a daze before freaking out, taking off, and getting arrested because of superfluous hot dog buns…..(you really have to see the movie)

I felt like George Banks the day I came home to have my sister announce “Buck can eat up to 4 hot dogs at one time,” only to have my mother come back with complaints of new holes in her flower bed. Just when I thought I had collected my thoughts and was going to take Buck on a long walk (in case the hot dogs returned and to fill in the dirt holes) my dad walks in and tells me Buck already returned the hot dogs….on my bedroom floor.

Nice huh? The reason Buck was sick was because dogs are not meant to eat human food. When I told this to my mother she had a confession…when she came home for lunch each day she was cooking for two. I looked at her and shook my head. If I was at work, my sister was school, and my dad was also at work, she was cooking for Buck.

Yes, the first few years of Buck’s life included tuna melts and hot dogs, but now he strictly eats dog food and the occasional Frosty Paw (ice cream for dogs). Dogs cannot digest human food like we can. Chocolate can kill them, and dairy is just not digestible.

Because dogs do not know any better, we have to be responsible and not feed them human food. There is one (and only one) exception to this rule….wait….on his birthday he gets cake and pizza crusts….oh and the occasional bagel at Starbucks….but you get the point.

Here is the one time (other than the aforementioned): Dogs who are overweight and need to lose weight may be told by their vets to eat fruits and vegetables to help reduce weight. Buck does love his carrots and grapes, but when he gets those, we reduce his dry food (just a little) and only do this as a treat.

As if health is not the only reason. Who has not been to a friend’s house to have their dog try and take food from you? I have! It’s annoying trying to fight a 135 pound Rottweiler for my dinner…but her humans feed her off their plates, so the dog does not know better (boy was she in for a shock when she stayed with us!)

So, for the sake of your dog’s health and your friendships…please do not feed your dog human food…especially off the table!

Happy Trails & Tails,
Tina
(Jerry & Buck)