Our two senior chihuahuas, Russet and Yukon, had very different appreciations of food. Up until about a year ago, Russet used to be a very picky and selective eater. He would often balk at the food appearing in his dish or skip meals entirely. Not content with his own food, Russet would often be more interested in the EXACT SAME FOOD in Yukon’s dish. Damn! Why does that dog get all the good food?
On the other hand, Yukon, despite having no teeth, was a very enthusiastic eater. Upon being served, she would sprint to her food dish, eat whatever was offered, and lick the dish clean.
Frequently, after finishing the food in her dish, Yukon would check out Russet’s dish for leftovers. But she was a clever dog. She wouldn’t go over and blatantly eat his food in our presence. She would look around and see who might be paying attention to her scheming. For example, after the last feeding of the day, right before bedtime, she would kind of hang back before making her way from the dining room to the bedroom. Yeah, don’t mind me, I’m just going to…uhh…get a drink of water…and uhh… admire the hardwood floors. Go ahead without me, I’ll meet you in the next room shortly.
And on a couple of occasions, Yukon played the following game: She would eat all the food in her dish, save for a few crumbs or remnants. (I’m not sure if this was 100% intentional, but I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt.) Russet, after balking at the food in his dish, would walk over to hers to enjoy a taste of the good food.Yes! And while being distracted by the good food, Yukon would sneak back over to Russet’s dish and enjoy a second serving from his full bowl.
Russet, the unwitting mark, took the bait and ended up falling for the ole switcheroo. Poor Russet was playing checkers, while Yukon was playing chess. Pawn to decoy, queen to full food dish. Checkmate!
Russet and Chess Master Yukon, in action, on the board
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