Spoiled Family Members

With one paw up waiting for his cereal

Cereal is always better with a little milk on it

    I'm sorry to say that I've allowed things to get completely out of hand around our house. We ( actually I) have stooped to new lows in coddling our dog Rigby. He was already pretty well spoiled, demanding that we share our food with him. From the red and green peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots that we put into our salad, to slices from our mandarin oranges that Jan receives from work at Christmas. Of course he's always insisted on having a sliver of cheese whenever I imbibe and on those occasions when we barbeque shish-ka-bobs he's unrelenting in his begging. Its enough to want to make you go out for dinner so you can enjoy your meal in peace. In the morning when we have bananas he insists on having a few slices, and if we aren't johnny on the spot in getting it for him, he fairly well squeals with the most intense, shrill bark that I've ever heard. I do believe he's insulted that we would even consider leaving him out of the loop in the food department. At lunch time when I'm sitting in my chair trying to enjoy a Cup O Noodles, he hops right into my lap and begs until he gets a few. It's terrible. As soon as the last noodle is gone, he hops down. I guess I no longer serve his purpose. The last straw though happened a few months ago when we were on vacation. My mother in law was here watching the dog. I used to drop a few morsels of whatever kind of cereal that I was eating on the floor for him. He usually scarfed them up greedily. Then I noticed that he wasn't eating the Cheerios that I dropped and I would end up stepping on them later and dragging the crumbs around the house. I got the bright idea of putting a little milk on them in his bowl. Well, he liked that idea just fine. In fact it only took ONE time of doing that and he didn't want it any other way. While we were gone, she put a little cereal in the bowl for him and put it down for him to eat. He looked in the bowl, and then up at her like " What gives? Where's the milk Grandma?  She looked down and saw that he wasn't eating and said " Are you kidding me?" She had to pick up the bowl, put milk in it and put it back in front of him and he happily ate his cereal. Is that pathetic or what?
  We aren't the only ones who've spoiled him. Almost every day  "Grandma" would ask him if he wanted to go outside. He'd dance and bark and go nuts until she could get the leash on him. I'd watch through the front window as he ran her up and down the street with the leash stretched as far as it would go, pulling like he was the lead sled dog in the Iditarod and her hanging on for dear life trying to keep up. I was quite certain that we would witness her taking a header in the street at any time, but it never happened. She would faithfully grab a plastic grocery bag before each excursion outside and after he'd done his business she'd pick up after him. If that's not love than what is?
  Last winter Jan and I got a new couch. We had decided the dog wouldn't be allowed on it, but in the back of our minds I believe we both knew we were lying to ourselves. When we ordered the fabric we got a type that was extra resistant to abrasion from animal claws. As I write this he's in laying on the couch under a blanket throw- a fairly expensive one I might add- the brat. The kids would all tell you they never had it this good. Thank God! They would have grown up into the most obnoxious people in the world.