With the cold weather, Nardo (the cat) gets to stay inside. He still goes outside for his nature breaks (except for the time I thought he was out when I went to Victoria for the day and he left me a present next to the toilet,) but literally knocks at the back door when he is finished so I will let him in.

The problem comes with Lou’s food. Lou is the type of dog that can have a full bowl of food and will totally ignore it until he is hungry. Most dogs will just continue to eat as long as it is available and become overweight. Lou seems to think of eating as a necessary nuisance and thus has remained in fine physical shape. (I wish I had his willpower – haha) Nardo will eat himself plump if given the chance and it doesn’t matter that the only thing around to eat is dog food.

Each time Nardo comes in the house, he sprints to the dog food bowl and starts munching. I have taken to putting the bowl out of reach when he enters. The problem is that out of reach for Nardo pretty much ensures it is out of reach for Lou. I fear that this new-found scarcity of resources might change Lou’s view toward food. He could start to see it as something limited rather than an unending bowl always at his ready. This could cause him to start eating more when it is down.

Between hiding his bowl for the cat and having to do the same everytime Tony’s dog Ginger visits (she too is a walking vacuum that doesn’t stop eating until there is nothing left), his faith that he has plenty could be shaken. For now, he doesn’t seem too concerned as he lays stretched out in the recliner after our cold morning walk in the misting rain.