Everything in Moderation

If you know anything about labs, you know their every move is motivated by food: there desire for it, their proximity to it, and the minutes until their next meal. My dogs know a few words like "here," "sit," "stay," and "DINNER."

Labs are known for their "people dog” qualities, meaning they like being around their owners and try to please then. They will often follow you from room to room. However, all of this is forgotten when any hope of food is near - and all their best intentions for good behavior go out the window.

Case in point:

One day when I was gone Molly learned how to open the lazy-susan cabinet in my kitchen. What did I keep in said cabinet? Ziploc bags, vegetable oil, and about 4 sticks of Crisco. I think Molly must have started innocently enough-- "oh wow, look! If I keep pushing this wood thing, it swings!" Then I think she caught a glimpse of something new to put into her mouth - aka Ziploc. Then, duh duh duh, she caught a sniff of the Crisco.

I found out the hard way that, like many of us, Molly loves Fat - specifically Crisco. When I came home, I found the following: the entire kitchen, dining room, and living room littered with torn up Ziplocs. A half-empty large bottle of vegetable oil laying sideways on the living room floor, with the remainder of it's contents soaking into the floor boards. Two untouched Crisco bars laid with the remains of one wrapper by the TV stand. Molly lying on one side as close to the sofa as possible with a maddened look in her eye. And then, as the shock finally settled on my face in that "oh my GOD" position - I saw it....the front end of my sofa...everywhere. Apparently one of the Crisco bars had squirted under the sofa and Molly lost interest in everything else -- can't you just see the thought process "must Have CRISCO!" She destroyed the front part of the coach in her desperate attempt to get her treat.

Then, when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I saw it. The 1/2 ton TUB of lard (well, it seems like a 1/2 ton at the time), sitting straight up by the front door. I'm not sure how I ever came to own a LARGE TUB of Crisco - but I did. And evidently I stored it in the very BACK of the lazy-susan. I picked it up and found it had been licked down to the bottom.

The next week Molly had a VERY shiny coat.

Life lesson: move all edible objects to higher, less accessible levels. Know that Labs love “the good stuff” just as much as we do. And realize that sometimes we can get just a one-track mind as Molly did that day – too much of a “good” thing is bad. EVERYTHING is best in moderation – especially Crisco.

Post note: for all you dog lovers –the vet was called, and Molly survived. She didn’t even seem to notice. As a preventative measure, she was on a special non-fat diet for 4 days after that. I had to cook her lean meats!

Remind me to tell you of the time Wrigley consumed 1/2 a box of "sugar in the raw" with Molly's help. That went just as well. Wow, Molly does have a sweet tooth.