[Dailydrool] Counter Surfing and More

[Kenneth Miller]

i don't get to post often, work is just too busy. But healing drool to all who have sick hounds or have lost ones to the bridge, believe me, I do feel for all of you.

I had to add to the recent thread on counter surfing. My first basset never counter surfed, so I was spoiled by that. My apologies for the long post below.

However, Bosley is a completely different hound. Bosley will be 7 this year and started doing this in a big way in the last couple of months.

I usually carry a leather bag with me to work, carrying, among others, extra disc drives, some software, occasionally tools or lunch. Normally, when I come in the door, this bag is set on the dining room chair, pushed up to the table, so it is not readily accessible. Last week, before leaving in the morning, I had three smaller bran muffins wrapped in cling wrap down in the bag. Work was busy, so I forgot about them. I also had a large plastic zip lock bag that I had emptied, short of crumbs at work, that I put in the bag to take it home.

So, I get home, Bosley is thrilled to see me, as usual, I set the bag on the chair, petted Bosley, then went to change my clothes. As I came back out, there was the cling wrap laying on the living room rug. Now that stuff is tough to open, but the muffins were gone. I looked at the carry bag, did not appear to be disturbed. Then found the empty zip lock bag, chewed and emptied of crumbs. Then a little further over on the floor was a now empty packet of hot chocolate mix, almost neatly torn open, that had been buried down in my bag. I looked again at the bag, and it still appeared undisturbed.

Then two days ago, we had a partial french bread loaf on the counter, he raised up, reached back, took the bag, and my wife sent him out the back door. She knows better than to try and get something away from him, or she might lose a finger. He is very food aggressive, we think due to the people that had him before we rescued him.

While not a counter surfing incident, I thought you all might like the following story. A few weeks ago, we were over visiting my mother, 89. Bosley used to stay with my parents during the day while we were at work, but last year, my mother got afraid of tripping over him, and with her trouble walking, his frequent trips to be let out were taking the toll on her. Bos loves her, and has her fooled into giving him some cheese cubes every time he is there. 

So, we were there, Bos had already had his cheese cubes for the morning, but there is always room for more. So, my mother went into the kitchen, Bos close to her heels, she gets a brand new cheese ball out of the refrigerator to have something to eat in the middle of the day. Well, she dropped it as she pulled it out of the fridge, and lightening quick, Bos grabbed the whole thing, plastic and all. 

Now, there was no way I was going to let him eat the whole 1 pound ball, probably plastic and all. Tried to entice him with other things, none of which even remotely interested him, he growled at me any time I even came close. I knew I'd also lose a finger if I tried to take it. Took him outside, all the time with the cheese ball in his mouth, back in, still not a chance of dropping the ball.

Finally after about 15 minutes, I was out of ideas, so I had to finally make him mad enough to drop it and to lunge at me. But he did drop the ball, I kicked it away far enough away to grab it and throw it in the trash. I hated having to make him mad, but I did not want a sick dog with a pound of cheese!

Just waiting to see what is next....

For those who want to see his innocent face, Bosley's calendar pix is the September 3 (I think), I don't have it in front of me at the moment.

Ken and Beth with Bosley (I need more cheese you took mine away, and it was long after the 3 second rule!)
with Edsel ATB