Some years ago my friend Jennifer acquired a beagle called Beanz. She had belonged to an American family who were returning home and couldn't take her with them. She was a large, ponderous and definitely sneaky dog who lived for food. And once Jennifer and her son got to
know her they changed her name from Beanz to Beatrice which seemed to suit her right down to the ground. And right down to the ground was not a long way to travel for Beatrice as she suffered from duck's disease - you know built really close to earth! and even then her tummy was in danger of touching earth as she walked around.

Jennifer had a boy friend at this time who owned a black labrador called Gulliver, who also had to learn to live with Beatrice and her food-loving ways. In fact it got so bad for Gully that whenever he wanted to take a stroll around the garden, he would take his half filled food bowl in his mouth and carry it with him; so that Mrs. Greedy could not slip in behind him and hoover up whatever choice bits he had kept for his own afternoon delight! So there would be this little procession of Gully treking around the garden carrying his food bowl followed closely by the ever hopeful, crumb-gobbling Beatrice. But as Gully had cottoned onto her antics his food was safe because he was well aware of her treachorous and greedy ways.

Well the next player to come onto the scene was Charlie, my beautiful ridgeback girl, whom you may have read about earlier. She came to stay awhile with Jennifer, her son, Gully and Beatrice as we (as in my two sons and I ) were moving back to Canberra after a twelve month stay in Queensland. At Jennifer's suggestion we happily sent Charlie ahead to stay at Jennifer's house while we were finalising our move back home. Poor Charlie had to learn the hard way that she was not the only dog who loved her food and that Beatrice also really loved food, in fact anyone's and everyone's food. And just becasue she was a visitor did exempt Charlie from the beagle's thieving ways; and very soon she learned that it was not a good idea to leave her food unattended. In fact being a smart girl she watched and admired Gully who always picked up his food bowl and carried it around the back yard in his mouth to both thwart Beatrice and save his dog biscuits. He carried it straight and he carried it proudly. Nothing ever dropped out of his bowl!

And as he was such a great example on how to be " a true dog in the manger " about his food Charlie learned quickly and copied Gully. She started to carry her bowl in her mouth, usually half full of dog food, keeping it well out of the reach of Beatrice. You could almost see this ridgeback smiling as she cantered around the garden putting to use those really great avoidance tactics that she had learned from the labrador.

Unfortunately for Charlie she hadn't watched Gully closely enough; she didn't carry her bowl straight like him. Rather she carried it at such an jaunty angle she was sprinkling her dinner behind her rather like doggie treats for the next person in line. In fact quite unknowingly and most generously she was sharing her meal with Beatrice who was following along directly behind Charlie hoovering up every mouthful which was dropping out of the sky just like the proverbial manna from heaven.

And what about Beatrice? that concrete battleship - that double-dipping diva - she just got fatter and fatter and grew closer and closer to the ground!

copyright a.a.gallagher. June 2009