Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Unless you're prepared to share that orange, I suggest you take it outside.

Orange is my favorite color...and snack food.
No member of my household has been able to peel and eat a piece of orange citrus fruit without the company of two furry beggars in over a year. This is because, once upon a naive time - after watching Jon Farleigh and Dewi longingly stare down the mysterious orange sphere that I had been systematically devouring - I thought it would be fun to give them a piece and then watch them recoil in shock at the unexpected blast of SOUR liquid blanketing their doggie taste buds. (Hint: Ever see a baby/toddler sucking a piece of lemon? Yeah, well that's what I was hoping for. I thought it would cure them of begging. I was so clever.) 

What actually happened, however, was - as you might have guessed - not as I had expected. Sure, they were taken aback by the exploding pockets of juice, but once those slippery segments were swallowed, they demanded more, and more, and more. I'm thinking oranges must be like Pop Rocks for my dogs. They're more fun on the tongue than going down. Whee! (whoops) 

This time of year is especially fun at my house, being that Clementines and tangerines are festive, and in season. I love both - especially Clementines. I just shared one with the dogs, in fact. 



And with that, friends, I implore you: don't be like me and give your dog something to eat unless you're prepared to share it with him for the rest of his days. And if you should falter, make sure it's something gross (to you).

(This has been a public service message from The Chronicles of Cardigan.) 



So I want to know: Do your pets have any "unconventional" tastes for food? Beg for anything "out of the ordinary"?

15 comments:

  1. Lol, thats great. My dogs will steal oranges if they are left within reach. Pallo seems to think they are balls. A friend's dog, however, will steal them, puncture them, then squish all the juice out and swallow it, leaving an empty orange husk.

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  2. We love your public service announcement! I would have sworn Dewi & Jon Farleigh would have recoiled at the orange, but, you're right, maybe they are those pop rock for dogs, who knew?? They must be a great source of Vitamin C, but I don't know if doggies need vitamin C like humans do.

    Have fun, guys!

    Tom

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  3. I have to pick the oranges down low on the orange tree in the backyard because both Buddy and the Bear help themselves to those they can reach. They even peel them if I don't catch them first. They don't bother the green ones. I also had a corgi who loved broccoli. Corgis are so amazing!

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  4. Hahaha - I don't think we've tried oranges w/Bella but we have certainly learned this lesson with other food items. Like any food items. She thinks she should be allowed to at least taste test just about everything. That's what I get for leaving her home with my husband all day. :o

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  5. JF's father loves lemonade - especially the frozen lemonade you can get in New England. He also likes mortadella. Sister Ginny is fond of coffee w/sugar and cream. Moira likes bananas and grapefruit. Sister Georgia likes apples, gummy bears - really anything I am willing to give her. Bogey, his half-brother, is the only one who is really cautious about food but he will eventually try most things.
    I am of the let-them-try-it school so there isn't much the Horde hasn't tried and won't eat.

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  6. Georgia loves all fruit [though i don't believe i've given her an orange]. she's also a big fan of nuts - i don;t know how this happened since i'm careful not to give her any so i can only blame The Man. [some nuts are bad for dogs i understand.] of course she loves anything stinky and rotting as well like half decomposed possums, squid, magpies and rats.

    i'm not sure they're unconventional though.

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  7. Hmmm we may have to try those oranges. The only i oranges we know of is our orange ball
    Benny & Lily

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  8. Fred and Gloria want everything I have. Have never tried oranges!

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  9. i beg for anything the humans eat...just can't have it anymore! i am guessing i will still beg.... and i would like oranges.

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  10. My dear Kami-chan is mad over the nori! Everytime she smells it, she just sits without moving, but her tale goes from side to side soo fast! And she is nuts over the huzelnuts! :D And after your post, I'm very curious to try the orange sphere thing with her :D

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  11. Very good advice. They say dogs cannot see the color orange well. That is why we use orange bumpers to train blind retrieves and orange stakes or tape to mark the blinds. But there are times we swear some dogs see that orange. I guess I will put your doggies on that list!

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  12. Since I feed raw which includes meat and vegetables/fruit, the baddogs love everything that comes out of my grocery store bags. They like bits of carrot, broccoli, apples (LOVE apples), oranges, squash, cabbage, bananas. So, I always have some sort of treats on hand -- just open the crisper in the refrigerator.

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  13. Ha, ours have always loved HOT stuff. We tried the cayenne pepper thing on stuff we didn't want them to chew and that completely backfired. My husband cooks with hot chiles a lot and our Cardi boy Newton just sits and drools until he gets some. Maybe it's because we live in New Mexico, but the hotter the better--wasabi too.

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  14. My dog will beg for anything. If I've got it and it looks like I might eat it at some point, she wants it. Oranges, lettuce, bread, celery, carrots, brocoli, rice cakes, pieces of fluff, napkins, dirt, rocks... She eats it all with gusto. So far the only things she won't eat are mushrooms. She'll still beg for them of course, but she will spit them out. I will then pick it up off the floor and immediately she will start begging for it again. EVEN AFTER SHE JUST SPIT IT OUT.

    My dog needs help.

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  15. totally ditto on what kristine said above! :-)

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