Okay, so maybe ‘self-restraint’ is more of a euphemism for ‘pickiness.’ It all started when Chelsea’s dog food ran out on Friday and I forgot to pick up a new bag before the pet shop closed. Her brand, a sweet potato and fish blend, isn’t available at the grocery store, but I needed to feed her and figured I could swap her standard fare for a small bag of the grocery store sweet potato and fish variety until I made it to the pet shop during business hours to get the good stuff.
Now, I know that you’re not supposed to change a dog’s food cold turkey like that (it’s harsh on their stomachs), but it was either that or no food at all, and since the grocery store brand was a similar formula, I thought it’d be okay.
I never got to find out. Chelsea snubbed her nose at it and didn’t eat until two days later, when I finally wondered if perhaps her newfound anorexia was the result not of a dire illness—in a state of panic, I believe I said, “This is it, she’s lost the will to eat!”—but rather due to a little bit of canine snobbery. I went out and bought her normal stuff and she scarfed it down in under twenty seconds.
I mean, in my mind a pellet of food is a pellet of food, and I didn’t think a dog who eats twenty dollar bills and pieces of purple vinyl would have a preference toward one brand of pellet over another. I stand corrected.
But, hey, at least I went to the natural food store. I mean, I could have gone to Safeway and picked up a bag of Alpo, and Chelsea would have looked at me with her droopy eyes and said, “Sheesh, Laura, don’t you know I’m a pedigree?”
Chelsea says:
Wellness = BAD
Natural Balance = GOOD!
14 responses so far ↓
1 sweety8315 // May 23, 2006 at 9:59 am
Believe me, I know about the doggy snobbery (is that a word??). Pepper is so spoiled (we give her scraps all the time, yes I know that’s bad behavior) … but she’s gotten so used to “people food” that she won’t touch her “doggie food” until she realizes that’s all she’s getting. I feed her every moring right when I get up, and she just looks at it for a second and walks away … then, a few hours later, having gotten any scraps or sympathy, she decides she better eat it, or go hungry.
~Hilary~
2 sweety8315 // May 23, 2006 at 10:00 am
*having not gotten
~Hilary~
3 TimsHead // May 23, 2006 at 12:06 pm
Ha! Having met the famous pooch, I can now say that it seems so much like Chelsea to have such a quirk! Of course, you could also fill the bowl with $20 bills, but that would be an expensive meal. Glad she’s eating (somewhat) normally again.
4 rubyblue123 // May 23, 2006 at 12:11 pm
Whew! I’m glad it was just her finicky palate and not illness. Perhaps she saw the bag – you must always hide the bag of an off brand – they can’t read but they can’t recognize the picture.
5 thinlizzy17 // May 23, 2006 at 12:37 pm
You could just tell her it was something she wasn’t supposed to have. Put it on the table and tell her “no” and watch her scarf it down. Reverse dog psychology.
6 Boowasborn // May 23, 2006 at 5:54 pm
Lucky Chelsea that you take the time. I used to feed mine that Hill’s Science Diet (I do not know if it is organic)only to find out that after they would return from a hunt they were fed things like a pound of bologna and a fresh rabbit heart. Ew. Chelsea has better taste it would seem even with purple vinyl. Wiat? She ate a twenty? Holy cow. That’s one pricey girl!
7 Boowasborn // May 23, 2006 at 5:55 pm
“Wait” – I cannot spell tonight. Okay, most nights. Sorry
8 keishadawn1 // May 23, 2006 at 6:28 pm
::wiping away tears::
chelsea reminds me of schnookie… the puppy i had for about six months back in college before i had to return him back to his original owner.
he ate my contacts out of the contact case (jumped up on my bed to get it… i kid you not) and also gnarled the heck out of a cute pair of pumps.
i luved that dog, just the way you do chelsea… but i can learn patience from you and i want to thank you for being a new Xanga friend.
cue: violins
9 Gabeisms // May 23, 2006 at 11:06 pm
If I had a choice on pellets of food, I’d take the Natural Balance too.Come on Laura, it’s ultra premium dog food – it’s even got a dog on the bag!I don’t see a dog on the Wellness bag… just a freaky Sun with a star for an eye. Creepy…. HehPositive Vibes!
10 jaki_o // May 24, 2006 at 4:13 am
I can not believe that Chelsea would be picky about her dog food. What is so appealing about purple vinyl but unappealing about Wellness dog food??
11 ImAFish // May 24, 2006 at 6:15 am
Thanks =)
12 JoesGarage // May 24, 2006 at 8:39 am
Yup, a dog that drinks from the toilet and eats its own vomit will always turn down a new brand of dog food. I made the mistake of teaching my dog to drink from the hose when I’m watering and now I have a hell of a time getting him to drink from his bowl. He went almost an entire day yesterday waiting for me to get home so he could drink from the hose. Strange animals, dogs.
13 sunshineboy78 // May 24, 2006 at 7:16 pm
My issue is more the sweet potato/fish combination than the snoberry. At least be snobbish about salsberry stake. Notice, the theme in this comment is berries. And that’s berry good.
14 Jay_Galk26 // Jun 13, 2006 at 3:53 pm
My dog will eat anything that can be considered food, and the yorkie will eat anything in general.
Jay {Brad Pitt…in a robe} “Rawr”