Giving Thanks

A Thanksgiving post by The Dog Picker

I've noticed at the dog park lately many dogs have been feigning a humble attitude toward Thanksgiving. Let me just say, a humble attitude is not something I endorse because a table heaped high with food and the gluttonous feast that follows only comes once a year.

I say make the most of this holiday. Here's to glasses filled with wine and plates left unattended.

Oh sure, be thankful for tiny crumbs tossed your way, but let me add whining and a stubborn attitude can take you a lot farther than you might expect.

People say they don't like whiners but why are they continually rewarded?

And while I'm giving thanks, let me add I'm also thankful for the school kids who continue to toss away their lunches. On weekdays the grade school routes are gold mines for hungry hounds. This week was no exception. I found two decent apples in the gutter. Carry your treasures home, then whine and pout. Someone is bound to give in and let you eat the apple. Trust me, whining works.

I'm also thankful for snacks left at eye level on the coffee table. Best advice--pretend to be in a deep sleep, but listen closely for the sound of foot steps leaving the room. People forget plates on tables a lot faster than you might think. Distractions, my friend, are a dog's best friend when it comes to snacks on plates. Celery and almond butter anyone?

I'm also grateful for memory foam, daytime naps and bedtime stories. Notice how I position myself in the middle of the bed? I say let the Golden Retriever be humble, I'll take the bed any day. "Off" is a dirty word in my world.

And coffee breaks? Kudos for Anne Bramley's Lemon Meyer Tea Bread--a treat to revive any napping hound.

And I especially give thanks to the management who brings home great food from the farmers' market every week. Our home is continually filled with the scent of vegetables roasting and desserts baking like this cherry crisp.

One of my favorite dreams is that I'm left alone with the entire dessert. Oh, I think you know how that dream ends--with a smile on my face!

Never lose sight or scent of your dreams.

May your holiday be filled with outrageous treats.

Yours truely--the dog picker.