Our Visiting Sophie

     Just a quick update before I get to today's posting. I'm only able to see out of my good eye; the operated eye, I am only able to see some shapes in brightly lit rooms. My perception is way off and I stumble a bit as I feel my way around. Typing is quite a challenge, but I'm able to slowly peck my way on the keyboard. Hopefully this will all improve in time. The dogs have learned to allow me a clear path as I walk through the house. Speaking of the dogs, let's get to today's posting.
     We have been dog sitting Sophie for two weeks now, and what a joy she has been. She goes back to her owners next week and I will definitely miss her presence. (Whitney probably would disagree with me on that.)

     Sophie is very different from our Whitney. Sophie is laid back and has a calm temperament; whereas Whitney can be very temperamental at times, especially when it comes to sharing. Sophie isn't afraid to stand her ground when Whitney has one of these moments.
     Sophie learned quickly to put her nose in the air and sniff as Whitney walks by. It's obvious she can tell by that one sniff what Whitney's mood is at that moment.
     Sophie is a bit shorter than Whitney, but outweighs Whitney by more than a few pounds. What can I say, she enjoys eating. When she came to stay with us, I was told she gets a half a cup of food in the morning and the same amount at night. No more! Oh, and only two treats a day. Okay, so I've done the feeding correctly, but the treats, I admit I've not followed that rule as closely.
     Watching her eat the first meal I fed her, I realized why they have this rule: this little girl would eat any amount of food you put in her dish. The instant I set her dish down her mouth goes into the dish and doesn't reappear until every nugget is gone.
      Whitney is a slow eater, usually taking a bite and walking a few steps away to chew it. Some days she may even ignore her food entirely, eating only when she feels the urge. So the first time she saw Sophie eat, Whitney looked on in astonishment.
      Watching Sophie's eating habits has taught Whitney to stay close to her own dish. The few times Whitney has stepped away, Sophie quickly moved to her bowl.
     What really has given me a good daily laugh with Sophie is, every afternoon at 4:55 she picks up her dish and carries it around. One day I found she had placed her dish in her bed. From this behavior I determined her mealtime is 5:00, and that her inner clock is very punctual.
     Breakfast time is just as humorous: 7 AM is her time. Try and feed her at 6 AM, she'll just sit and stare at her food. (That is if I can even rouse her from her bed that early.) As the clock gets closer to 7, then, and only then, will she eat.
     Tucker is spending a few days with us, so mealtimes should be especially entertaining. Whitney will have to speed up her eating time, or she'll have two hungry dogs watching her dish.

     So long, I'll see you soon!