Last week, I bought potatoes and chicken breast fillets to make a salad. I boiled the potatoes and the chicken then placed them on the kitchen table, covered them and left them to cool. I went back to my computer and, ten minutes or so later, I heard the unmistakable sound of a plate falling on the floor.
I ran to the kitchen and saw Astro ON the table and about to eat a whole boiled potato. The plate that contained the chicken was on the floor, unbroken if that was any consolation, but the chicken was gone. What was meant to be chicken-potato salad became tuna-potato salad. After that, we never left food on top of the table, cover or no cover.
When Speedy arrived yesterday afternoon, he went into the kitchen for a snack where he was joined by Sam. Astro was sniffing around and even put up his front paws on the table. Speedy had to say “Off!” several times before the dog finally gave up.
He did look cute though with his front paws on the table, like he was begging for food. I said I’d get the camera, it’s been too long since I posted dog photos, but when I came back into the kitchen, Astro just sat on the floor and did not try to put his front paws on the table again. Well, he wasn’t going to deprive me of a chance to take photos so Sam… you have to see the photos to see what Sam did.
And that is how to make a dog crazy. That, too, is how to get even with a dog who ate over 800 grams of boiled chicken breast fillets. 
By the way, his puppy teeth have started to fall off.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
bertN 04.02.08 at 5:28 am
Astro may looked cute to you but I still think his breed is nakakata”cute”. When his puppy teeth is replaced by his business teeth, tell Sam to keep her hands from harm’s way. I hope my fears are unfounded…don’t prove me wrong. This is coming from somebody whose house dog mistakenly attacked him when he came home one late night with a new haircut.
rolly 04.02.08 at 9:58 am
he may look cute but I don’t think that is a good idea. Soon, he will always be begging for food everytime you’re at the dining table. But then, if that doesn’t bother you, then, I guess it’s okay.
Connie Veneracion 04.02.08 at 12:24 pm
BertN, OMG, he didn’t recognize your smell? Dogs are sensitive to smell, aren’t they? Astro gets excited as soon as the school bus stops in front of the house and EVEN before the kids step inside the gate.
Tito Rolly, no worries, exception ‘yan. As a rule, Astro stays in the garden when we eat our meals to make sure that he knows he only gets his food AFTER all the humans are done eating. Alpha rule, ‘di ba?
bertN 04.02.08 at 1:13 pm
I said house dog because he was a family dog with no particular master - my parents, all my siblings (10 of us) and grandmas looked after his needs and showered him with love.
What is more surprising is, years later and an ocean away, my wife and I had a lhasa apso and on a day when it was raining, I went outside to check if she was getting wet inside her doghouse by feeling with my hands the rug she was sleeping on. She bite my hands! What is it with me that gets this unlikely reaction from pets?
Em Dy 04.02.08 at 1:14 pm
Connie, this is off topic but I’d really like to know the answer to this one. You did mention that the Astro and Pepper links are not active but I hope your photo blog still is. How do I get to it? The link used to be in the top page. I can’t find it anymore.
Connie Veneracion 04.02.08 at 1:21 pm
bertN, awwwww. I hope that never happens to any one of us. As a precaution though, AStro’s shots are complete and up-to-date.
Em, Oh, sorry about that. Forgot to put back the links. The photo blog is at http://houseonahill.net/dailyphotos. It’s a shared project with Sam and Alex.
Em Dy 04.02.08 at 4:28 pm
Thanks Connie. I enjoy looking at your photos.
Connie Veneracion 04.02.08 at 4:50 pm
Em, kung sana lang my girls were more masipag hehehe. I’m keeping that gallery for photos that are better appreciated in large format.
Lette 04.03.08 at 12:03 am
Connie,
Ang laki na ni Astro–grabe! Cute.
BertN,
Your dog’s house is perceived as a “resource” of your dog so naturally, babantayan nya–and he will guard it. A “resource” for a dog can be food (a bone), a toy, his sleeping area, a treat, etc. Kagabi lang, mauupo ako sa couch namin tatabihan ko sana yung greyhound namin–aba, angilan ba naman ako. That’s resource guarding for him. So pinaalis ko sya, naupo ako then, I invited him to sit with me. Now I hope he knows, the couch is mine and I choose to share it with him (not the other way around). Minsan, we also have to respect them–like pag may bone sa bibig–off limits ka na.
Connie Veneracion 04.03.08 at 12:07 am
Lette, yep, 10 kilos as of the last visit to the vet two weeks ago.
Lette 04.03.08 at 12:08 am
Great way to get even, haha! Yung greyhound naman nung neighbor ko–kainin ba naman buong cantaloupe (melong kastila)–ayun nagmukha tuloy nakalulon ng bola.
Connie Veneracion 04.03.08 at 2:08 am
What??? Buti hindi na-block yung air passage.
bertN 04.03.08 at 6:14 am
Lette, thanks for letting me know it was not ME but my action that caused her to bite me. I did not have any hard feeling towards her although I had to go to the medical center to get some medical attention. All she needed to do was jump on my lap and everything was forgiven. I am talking in the past tense because she is already gone (of old age) and I still missed her inspite of all the “troubles” she caused me LOL. They are too many to enumerate but they are a source of fun for me to recall.
Kotsengkuba 04.03.08 at 4:28 pm
now brace yourselves for some major toothworks on your furnitures
julie 04.05.08 at 1:49 pm
One of our pitbulls, Reddy, has a mouth so big. He loves to jump high to catch the food being thrown at him. One time,I had something in my hand and I forgot him. What did he do? He managed to pry away from my hand the food that I was holding, as in pumasok sa mouth niya yung five fingers ko. Ewww…Nope, he didn’t bite me,he just got the food I was holding.
He “begs” for food too. Stands in front of the dining room windows whenever we eat. Kala mo me tao nakasilip sa labas because he was really tall, fighting line kasi.