Good morning everyone!
Kayla and Mark were kind enough to make dinner for me Sunday night. In our family, we have two types of spaghetti – plain spaghetti, which translates as “spaghetti with the Ragu Traditional Sauce heated up straight from the bottle,” and spaghetti with the good sauce, which translates as “spaghetti with a sauce comprised of sauteed ground beef, mushrooms and onions with [you guessed it] Ragu Traditional Sauce poured over all ingredients and heated up in a pan.” However, while they were waiting for the water to boil, I came in to help by dividing up some ham and turkey we had purchased the day before for freezing, at which time two things happened – Mandy and Darwin invaded the kitchen (not for the first time that evening) and Kayla found a spare camera lying around to use for pictures. So, courtesy of Kayla, we managed to get photographic evidence.
Me, not having my best foot forward!
In any photographic session done by almost anyone’s child, the first photo is the obligatory “candid” shot of at least one of their parents. Apparently, a child’s definition of “candid” can be loosely translated as “less than flattering”. This photo session is no exception, as I was in my pajamas facing away from the camera when Kayla started snapping.
Mandy's signature opening move
Mandy always begins a kitchen invasion in the same manner – she selects the spot nearest to the person working on food and slides in between that person and the bottom of the kitchen cabinets. She is quite adept at it, really. There are some days she gets in place without my even noticing until I almost trip over her.
Darwin Enters
Darwin, on the other hand, simply walks into the kitchen and wanders around. Unfortunately, the kitchen does not leave much room for a dog almost the size of a small pony. For those of you wondering, Tyra has no need to enter the kitchen; she is content to leave clean up crew to the other two dogs, secure in the knowledge that if anything is going to be handed out on a systematic basis, she will get first cut as well as an equal share. FN.
Why my kitchen seems crowded
Once both dogs are in the kitchen, free space is at a premium. Darwin, at least, will move to accomodate humans who need to travel to the refrigerator, stove or sink, but Mandy loves to park herself in one spot. Her favorite spot is in the center of the kitchen, sprawled out to take up the maximum amount of available floor. She simply refuses to budge, even as she sees your feet approaching. Apparently, she believes it is my responsibility to watch out for her, not her responsibility to utilize the good sense I am sure she has somewhere to avoid being tripped over.
Come on Mom, just drop one piece of ham!
Here, Mandy feels that the ham is tantalizingly too close, and the humans too near for her to begin scavenging method number 2, which is just grazing the counters on her own, so she tried the cute approach.
All this scavenging makes me sleepy!
Still, scavenging/begging is hard work, and even the most dedicated dog has to stop and rest sometime!
And now, gentle reader, so must I.
Have a great day everyone!
Nancy
FN. Does anyone else who keeps dogs in the house feel exceedingly weird when you go over to someone else’s house and you drop food – and you have to reach down and pick the food up yourself?
Tales from the Mom-Side 
Isn’t that a dog’s job, to clean up the food we drop?
I think so, and my dogs agree!
I know but my dog is only allowed to eat from a bowl so he has to lie there and watch the cats dive for the scraps!! mean! c
How does he take it? I bet the cats enjoy it, though. There’s nothing for a cat then getting a treat AND making the dog suffer at the same time!
It’s the strangest feeling in the world! My dog loves to pick-up behind me! It’s what I have come to expect 🙂
Yes, it is an odd feeling, almost like you’re missing an extra limb you’re used to having around!
Our dogs are the exact same! We used to call my Kayla “Hoover” because she was always right there to suck up anything that got dropped. Sandy lays under the table, if she can manage it without us knowing. And they both took their share of the floor out of the middle — have yours ever stood up while you were stepping over them so you were straddling them? I have almost fallen more than once from them doing that. And I agree about the candid shots — the first one that my son ever took, he got me from the side – knees to my waiste. I had to point out that the ‘target’ of the camera should be the face!
I’m so glad my daughter is not the only person who takes candid shots! At least I know it’s not personal. It is funny how one dog can sprawl enough to take about an area about three times bigger than the dog itself. Both Mandy and Tyra like to lay under the table – I like it when Mandy does it in the morning because with her long body she makes an excellent footwarmer!
Absolutely. I haven’t worried about crumbs on the floor in two years. I am, however, impressed and a little confused by the lack of a hair carpet in non-dog houses.
We don’t have a hair carpet, just thick hair lining around the base boards and thin hairs everywhere trying to make it over to the lining, unless they get captured by furniture first.