You Would Have Thought He Spoiled His Appetite

Puppy Jack has a big fat belly.

That does not bode well for his extra-long spine. Nor does it assist him in climbing the porch steps. This evening, he took a stumble when his front feet slipped off that next step, slamming him jaw first onto the pine. He's resilient though. Played it off as though it never happened. Then made a beeline for the discarded crust from a pizza slice that The Pony had tossed down by the door for Juno. Which is, perhaps, the problem.

That pizza crust was bigger than Jack's leg. I know that if I ate a piece of pizza crust bigger than my leg, I would have a big fat belly, too. He sure had a good time wrasslin' it, though. Juno came running from the BARn field, where she was watching Hick scoop up gravel with his newest tractor. He had been taking it to dump on his cabin road, which washed out during our latest bout of rain. Pizza crust is Juno's treat. Not Puppy Jack's. She was a lady, though. Only gave him the side-eye, with no growling or stealing.

I think The Pony overfed Puppy Jack today. That's because I chastised him last night when Puppy Jack's suppertime rolled around.

"I'm giving him the last of the food in that can. We're out. I can go get more tomorrow."

"So...Jack will not have anything for breakfast? He eats twice a day. And now he will go hungry because you knew all along you were on the last can, and didn't tell anybody."

"No. I'll give him some of Juno's food."

"That's not for puppies. Even though Jack runs around and eats it, that doesn't mean it's good for him."

"I'll give him some cat food."

"No. That is not made for puppies, either. That's why it's called CAT food."

"I'll give him some as soon as I get back from the store."

"He's used to eating at 6:00 a.m. Now it's been later every day since you were out of school."

"He'll be okay."

"I hope so. He's a puppy. All he knows is that his belly is hungry."

Not so much anymore. Apparently, The Pony gave Jack some dry dog food that Juno eats. Then he went to town at 8:30. Then he let Jack out when he got back, to play a while, and let him run around the porch and eat out of Juno's pan. Which is asking for trouble between those furry step-siblings. Then the pizza crust. Then the regular canned puppy food.

Let the record show that Jack took a good poop, then had boundless energy and a hankerin'  for some chicken turds.

I have not seen a dog eat endlessly like that since Tank the beagle, and our old neighbors' bassett hound, Albert.

I suppose Jack's dachshund half IS a hound, after all.