Breakfast on this day consisted of Fromms Game Bird, wheat-free kibble, garnished with medium/small shrimp sautéed with diced broccoli and a small amount of carrots. Pirate has always enjoyed shrimp, but on this morning he did not want them. At least he did not want them for breakfast. When I noticed both Journey and Quest, who had finished their breakfast, standing on either side of Pirate, at his feeding station. I went in for closer inspection. My boys are not food agressive, however, they normally respect each other's meal time space.
Pirate was carefully plucking shrimp from his meal and laying them on the floor in front of his bowl. There were at least 8 shrimp, pink and licked clean, on the floor in front of him. Journey and Quest clearly wanted the shrimp and felt that since Pirate had put them on the floor, they were probably fair game. Still, they were respecting his space, as marked by his very own sign, (see above).
It was interesting to watch. Pi was not sure he wanted to give them up, he just did not want them mixed in with the rest of his meal. He has always enjoyed shrimp in the past. Unlike Journey, who thought they were toys to be tossed in the air and caught, then thrown again. Journey thought the same about chicken hearts and squid. He has finally decided that these items are edible and not to be thrown around, since he sometimes lost them that way. Pirate saw me watching and stepped back. He finally let his brothers reach in for the shrimp, but he kept thinking about it. Once the shrimp were gone, Pirate reclaimed his space and finished his meal. The other guys, licking their lips, moved away at that point. They seemed to understand, and knew that the rest of Pirate's meal was not up for grabs. Funny guys.
We have had some adventure in the dogs meals lately. Yesterday, a woman in my water aerobics class mentioned that she could not eat liver any more. She told me that she had a lof of it in her freezer, provided by a friend who hunted. She had forgotten if it was moose or elk. She asked if we could use it. I told her I was not fond of liver, but that the dogs loved it. She suggested that I follow her home and she would give it to us.
I placed the frozen liver in the back of my car. Since it was Quest's day to accompany me to the pool, he inspected the package when I placed it near him. He was very interested, but being an honorable boy, he did not touch it.
By the time we got home, Quest had decided that the package was his to guard, and possibly to enjoy. He accompanied me into the kitchen, pushing his younger brothers aside as best he could. They were also enjoying the new smell of the package. I sat it on the counter and left the room for a couple minutes. When I came back all three boys were sitting on the floor right in front of the package, which was thankfully still on the counter. My boys are very trustworthy, but they had suddenty become rather fanatical and I wondered if I could be certain of their honor, in this situation. Their noses were in the air, aimed at the wonderful new package.
I buy liver all the time - mostly chicken, but also some beef. I have never seen my boys react to it like they did this package and this package was frozen! I had intended to place it in the freezer until I was ready to cook it, but their reaction was fascinating and I decided to let them have some for dinner before I put the rest in the freezer.
I cut numerous slices into bite size pieces and placed it in a pan with a little water. I simmered it for quite a while, and the trio never left the kitchen. I finally scooped their kibble into their bowls and then ladled in several servings of (probably elk) liver stew. It is a wonder they did not hyperventilate. They had hardly stopped inhaling the liver since I got home. I don't know why this liver is so special to them, but they have never reacted to the chicken or beef liver with this enthusiasm, although they love it. They do really love the liver treats I sometimes make for them though. I can not imagine how they will react to liver treats made out of this liver!
Anyway, who knew.... I would not have guessed they were liver gourmets.
There was a little left over and they enjoyed it on their breakfast this morning. We still have several pounds in the freezer. Guess I will be more enthusiastic about offers for game organs. I have had problems, when I lived in Alaska, feeding game to dogs, It sometimes carried worms. If it is cooked sufficiently it should be fine. I think our problems in Alaska came from the raw bones I sometimes gave them. I know that a lot of people feed raw, and swear by it, but I have not always had such good luck with it and I normally feed cooked meat. Spirit, my boy that died a couple years ago, had an auto-immune disorder and my vet cautioned me not to feed him raw.
Well, on to more gastric delights for the pups.
