Skippy and Binge Eating

Skippy is a very devoted dog. When I come home from work she is very excited to see me. Now this may because she wants a belly rub, but she wants it from me. My wife is home with her all day, but it's me she is waiting to see. Sometimes I'll come in and sit down in my chair and put my feet up on the stool. There's just room enough for on that stool so she jumps up and curls herself next to me feet. Other times I will come in and lay down on the kitchen floor and talk to Anna while she's making dinner. Skippy curls herself up close to my side and waits impatiently for a belly rub. All this lasts for about five minutes until Skippy is secure in the knowledge that I am home and not leaving again. Then the real reason why she was so eager for me to come home becomes apparent: my loving and loyal Jack Russell has starved herself while I was away.

This is something that has always confused me about Skippy: she will only eat when I'm home. And now comes the binge. For the next ten minutes or so she will polish off her food dish and then yell at us for more. She polishes off another. Sometimes she vomits. Sometimes she'll wait an hour and demand more. I can't imagine that this is at all healthy. It also makes no sense, given that she is an animal with survival instincts.

I apologize for writing this in the present tense, as I myself find too much of this narrative style tedious to read, but in this case it is very appropriate. I am not talking about an isolated or even occasional incident. This is ongoing; and a perpetual conundrum.

Tail Envy

Throughout the brief history of this blog I've devoted several posts illuminating the love-hate relationship between Skippy, our hopelessly devoted Jack Russell, and her older teen-aged sibling, Kitty. The hate portion of the relationship perhaps makes for more interesting stories, but the love also has it's moments simply because it is only shared by Skippy—the most recent display of this affection coming in the form of what I like to call, tail envy.

Now I'm not really sure if this has anything to do with Skippy's tail measuring just shy of three inches, but Skippy's love for Kitty's tail is on the verge of taking root as another one of her more bizarre neuroses. Things aren't as restless around the house as they have been with these two, as Kitty seems to have developed more of a tolerant attitude toward her lesser canine housemate. They can now usually walk past each other without Skippy getting hissed at or batted in the face. On some occasions, like a young preteen follows her idol, Skippy tags along close behind Kitty without incident, hoping to get feather dusted by her tail.

Even when Skippy is resting, her eyes follow the tail, casually swaying from side to side as the cat slowly saunters past. But the visual is only a cheap substitute for the real thing; for the touch of that soft fur, moving as if a mind all its own, upon the nose or as it brushes lightly across the eyes. And when the cat is perched close by, the temptation is far too great for this wee Jack Russell to resist. Skippy will move across the couch or shift in the chair just to put herself in way of the silky pendulum that swings to its own rhythm; a feeling she will never experience from her own tail that could keep time for the Ramones. What I think I find even more amusing than Skippy's obsession is Kitty's willingness to feed it. Like Hera in all her glory, she thrives on the power to hold her subjects hostage to her unrivaled beauty and grace. And Skippy is honoured to simply sit in her presence, just hoping to touch the hem of her garment.

You want this? Come a little closer.

It's not long and lavish, but it sure is fast.

Belly Rub and Tag, You're It!

I've mentioned in a post from September, "I Might Be a Wee Bit of a Harlot," this ridiculous habit Skippy has where she rolls on her back, twitches, kicks, nudges, and even sneezes just to get us to rub her belly. Well here's just an example:

Click to see Skippy's belly rub begging on youtube

Pathetic? Perhaps even a little cute? But definitely very funny.

I also mentioned in another September post, "Duped Again," Kitty's love of hiding on Skippy and then jumping out at her from behind furniture. I actually managed to get this on video by fluke when I intended to film Skippy bolting down the living room floor after being let in from outside. I think Kitty was just playing tag. She just didn't tell Skippy that`s what they were going to play.

Click to see "Tag, You're It!" on youtube