Poppy Eats Scraps??

I hosted Sunday dinner this past weekend and of course the little boss got to eat some roasted chicken. I only put butter on the skin, but I was worried about the grease getting to him. My mom has given Poppy tiny beef cubes that she fried first and set aside just for him before cooking the family's goulosh. Like the beef, whole foods just make Poppy have more bowel movements. Well, tonight I made chicken noodle soup. Knowing Poppy would be hypnotized by the permeating chicken grease, I set aside a small portion off the bone just for him. Poppy had his dog food dinner at 5 and around 6:30, he took part in a few slivers of freshly cut celery and random teany pieces of chicken until about 8pm. Gosh, my dog is spoild. It's because he's so grateful! He'd eat anything I gave him without complaint. I hope my son is taking lessons.

If I thought I could afford it, I'd cook for Poppy every day. Unfortunately, I know very little about dog neutrition and I don't always have time to make the family a whole meal, let alone my baby. I think that as long as the scraps you feed your dog are safely made and set aside for them in a reasonable snack-sized prtion, it's ok to feed them the same foods you're already going to cook for your family. You can't add the spices, butter, or oil, but it takes such a short time to separate and cook a tiny hand-sized portion by itself.

All of the chihuahuas I've ever seen were fat, like round fat (still healthy and cute of course). I thought Poppy was sickly thin when we first brought him home because he was so skinny. The vet said his coat and body would fix itself with proper neutrition. I've bought him the best dog food I could find, Natural Balance Lamb and rice recipe ($27 for a large bag at PetSmart). I feed him on 1.5 of a quarter cup twice a day to equal the 3/4 recommended. I also use portion control on healthy snacks, like raw baby carrots, 1/4 of a homemade dog treat at a time, and only feed special snacks (beef cubes, chicken, or peanut butter) about once a week. My mom loves to give him special treats, like it's a grandmotherly duty. With all that being said, my dog is starting to fill out a bit. To be fair to his health, I've been making sure he happily gets exercise often.

We have a lovely side road that is blocked off from cars across the street and I just love taking Poppy to walk over there. He is in a wonder lust over trotting through the tall grass beside the sidewalk. He absolutely frolicks through it. He gets to walk about twice a week all the way up there because I don't like to walk him that far when it's very hot out. With the weather warming up and grandma making him all these cute fleece outfits, I plan to walk him a lot more as fall approaches. What will I do in the winter?! When it is too hot out, I make sure Poppy walks a little bit with me every day. We walk to the mail box (around the corner from my unit) and circle the units a few times in the shade. It's very important to me that Poppy gets to enjoy a little exercise outside every day. Otherwise, he runs like a bullet all over my house. He hops over the couch and through all of the rooms usually taunting us to just try and grab his little knitted fish or pull rope. He's so funny to watch when he's running like a crazy monster.

I never ever thought I'd get so attatched to my dog that I'd stand there and prepare special snacks for him just so he didn't have to suffer smelling tastiness without getting any. I never thought I'd have time to take him for a 20 minute potty break every single morning as soon as I woke up and have the kid on the bus at the same time either! I'm diagnosed OCD, which I've learne to manage without medication, and I was afraid I'd start slipping on my dog's needs once he became a comfortable member of the family. Even someone without OCD could fall into that. However, my love of Poppy as a part of the family. He has made me coddle and aim to perfect him in the same way I have done for my son since the day he was born. Poppy has reignited my passion for crafting and researching. He's the friend I've always wanted because he sits on my lap enjoying my soaps and lets me talk to him about everything, like how crazy Nichole is going after Daniel or how his ugly daddy made such a beautiful little boy lol. Of course I will continue to do everything I can to keep my little guy happy, healthy, active, entertained, social, and anything else I can research to find out that a dog needs. I love my Poppy!! He's much better cared for than the rotting Calathea on my porch, thank goodness (In my defense, the Pathos I have is really thriving) lol.