Feeding Ritual: My Favorite Time of Day

One of my favorite times of the day is in the morning when I get the dogs up and tell them breakfast. Oh, they are so excited! They are happy to see me but most of all they are happy and ready to snarf down the food I am going to prepare for them.

Here’s my feeding ritual: they all scamper in to the kitchen, sit quietly, and all stare at me while I am getting there food in there dishes.

Joe always makes this funny noise because the law is he must sit and wait. As a result, you’ll often see drool that just drips down the sides of his jowls and there is always a puddle on the floor by the time his food is ready.

Maggie just sits and stares at me. And Nena is always the furthest away shaking in anticipation. She often shakes when she is happy or excited – that’s Nena, my Chihuahua.

The best part of the feeding ritual is how I have there undivided attention. I love how they look at me and they know that I am the one who gives the food. If they are not sitting or if they are making to much noise they know I will just wait till they are all calm.

I put each bowl on the floor and tell each of them to wait. They look at me they look at the food and then back to me and we wait about 30 seconds. Maggie, Nena, and Joe’s eyes are so intense, watching me to give the command. Finally it is time I say “OK” and they all start to eat. Before I know it, all the food has vanished.

Yes, this is a very simple thing. But my feeding ritual brings me joy as I connect with them in a way that they totally understand. I look forward to tomorrow when we can have this experience again.