(All drama is real and unexaggerated) D is...dramatic. About EVERYTHING. Its a significant factor of her personality, and who she is. Her path in life is to experience everything as big as possible and share it for as many beings as possible. Mealtime with D is no exception (unless Ive cooked for her, which is a very new, and possibly temporary sentiment). The consumption of her meals consists of phases: No matter how joyful and jubilant she acts once shes identified I am firmly engaged in Meal Preparation, and no matter how excited by proxy she is for the other quadrupeds of the household to receive their meals... once her own bowl is placed before her, the Act begins. Denial - she ceases making eye contact with me. She declines to make eye contact with her bowl, shows me her back as she studiously inspects the floor and the space around the trash can (in an effort, Im sure, to appear to locate a fare she considers more suitable). If she is scolded for her nose drifting upwards at the trash can, she casts a brief, mournful flick of eye contact towards me, followed by a calculated pout, a weary sigh, and dejected travel to one of three beds in the kitchen. Depending on how she intends to play her hand, she sometimes pauses if a piece of leaf or grass catches her interest; she picks it up with surgical precision, nibbling thoughtfully. She flings herself into the chosen bed with a careless flair that Scarlet OHara herself would admire, and pointedly tucks her head such that I can not see her eyes. Grief - once the other animals have eaten, I am able to focus solely on her. By this point, I have made every possible verbal request for her to please come eat. She has sighed dramatically, and pointedly ignored my requests. I pick up the offending bowl and attempt to entice her, 18 or so inches in front of her. This is usually when she will turn wide, green, stricken appearing eyes up at me. Do I truly expect her to eat THAT?! She breaks eye contact, and dials up her pout. She sets her heavy lower lip in her front paws, and attempts to sound like she is delicately sighing. I try offering her a single morsel from her bowl. She turns away again. I try placing it in front of one of her front paws. She ignores it. I place the morsel upon her foot, and she leaps up - incensed. Anger - her briefest stage. Her wide green eyes flash with indignation. The nerve!! She sometimes vocalizes her thoughts about my shortcomings as a human; but not always. Sometimes she simply glares at me in silence. Inevitably, something shiny draws her attention away, and that quickly, her anger disperses. Acceptance - she is very cautious to tread slowly through this final phase. It starts with a flutter of half-hearted sniffing with a gesture of halting, partial licks that she offers with a browbeaten expression. She is only tasting it for me; she makes that very clear. She briefly resists a second small bite I offer by hand, but gently taking it - dropping it once or twice for good measure. As her petulant character routine frays and slowly give way to the Real D, her eyes soften, and she methodically chews, not hurried, very thoughtful about her performance, and her interest in eating plainly evident. She finishes without pomp or ceremony; always embarrassed when I praise her for eating everything. She watches me wash the bowls, ans put them up. She pads hopefully to the freezer, where the bully sticks and sardines are. Her eyes are already hopeful, and shes on to her next Performance.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 02:45:08 +0000
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