I get to participate in a ritual - Feeding Time at the Ricardo Zoo. It rarely varies, and it always makes me laugh.
I get the bucket of food - Bella and Angel run straight to their dining room (their little house aka crate) and sit and wait for me to fill their bowls. Tanna runs straight to HIS dining room (his crate) and waits patiently for me. Lottie does her little I'll dance for food routine all the way to the bathroom (where she's fed) and Chloe dances and bounces her way to my room (where she's fed). The other 4 usually run downstairs where their bowls are - and I stack the bowls up and fill them then set them down QUICKLY - (if I don't fill them first, Princess will knock the measuring cup out of my hand spilling the food all over the floor) - then those 4 inhale their food. You would think they're absolutely starved - but there's not a skinny beagle in the pack.
The only time the routine varies is that once in a while I'll feed JoJo, Princess, Joe and Jack in the upstairs kitchen instead of bringing them downstairs. I wish I could get a tape of this twice daily ritual.
LOL What an ordeal!! Daisy and Rocky used to always knock the measuring cup and food would go everywhere! We finally started making them wait outside the kitchen.
Miss Priss is under my feet meowing like she's starved, Traveler and Spook are on the front porch, howling, we let Traveler in then he knocks down the baby gate since we can't secure it. Then Traveler dogs my steps while I fix the food. Misty's goes in the utility room, Li'l Girl eats in the kitchen, Traveler eats in the hall bath, and Spook eats on the front porch. I put the girls' food down, rush to the hall bath and instruct Traveler to sit while Spook is jumping up and down, up and down, at the front door. Finally everyone is fed, and there's blessed quiet.
LOL! That does sound quite entertaining. I am trying to decide how I'm going to feed Daisy and the new pup once he gets here since he will be on puppy food and she's on EVO. She'll inhale his food if I let her.
Wow! The only feeding entertainment we get at our house is when the youngest skin-kid (almost 3) insists on feeding the furkids (NO! I do it!)
Lucy and Flora must be in a down-stay to have their bowls filled, and they get a little antsy waiting for a toddler to fill the bowls and place them just so. Usually some kibble spills, Lucy and Flora lurch and have to be reminded to stay, and then they wait while each kibble is picked up, and carefully put back into a bowl. No, wait, I think that goes in the other bowl. No, I was right the first time. In the meantime, a puddle of drool has formed under Lucy's head.
I am having fun picturing that!! Toby and Lucky's breeder told me that at dinner time all the dogs are let out of the runs and know they have to be in a crate to get dinner. She said there may be four in a crate, but they all run straight into a crate!!! I have always giggled thinking about multiple beagles cramming themselves into a crate!!! Even funnier probably, is watching her get them to get out and into their own crate!!! Beagles - one track minds, that's for certain!!
Before Monty came home we managed to train Chica to sit several feet back from her food dish and stay there until after we have filled it, stepped out of the way, and told her to come. We're glad we did, because Monty is a total spaz at feeding time. But we are teaching him the same thing we taught Chica. The command has to be repeated a lot before it sinks in that no one gets fed until they sit and stay. He's getting better, though. I think having Chica setting an example is helping.
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