For the Dogs

We are spending time this week visiting family before a new school year starts.  Over the last 24 hours I feel like we have spent an outrageous amount of time eating.  My husband's mother fixes big meals (three a day) as well as snacks--bread pudding, pineapple upside down cake, ice cream, cookies, candy, fruit, etc.  Her refrigerator is so full that it was difficult to put away the leftovers from dinner.  I've always been quite aware that she could survive for months if she were ever trapped in her home.

This has made me remember life in this home prior to my husband's father's early Alzheimer's diagnosis and subsequent death.  Two large Basset Hounds dominating their time and attention after my husband and sister grew up and left home.  

Those dogs were so spoiled.  Because they were so used to eating table scraps, they refused to eat dog food.  So, they quit buying dog food.  Instead, my mother-in-law would have a ham shredded for them.  It even got to the point that she would by chicken legs and fry them up for those dogs.  I'll never forget when they moved, she fried up the Schwan's chicken breasts that were in the freezer for those spoiled, overweight, slobbering dogs.

After these dogs died and a new Basset took their place, the pattern continued.  The new twist was an added 2:00 snack--a Schwan's ice cream sandwich.  (They tried Blue Bunny but he just didn't like it as well.)

This is all on my mind today as I think about my upcoming challenge.  Do we really feed our pets here better than many people eat across the globe?  How many people worldwide would be glad to have some packaged American dog food to satisfy their bloated, empty bellies?  How many would be glad to have a fat basset...to eat, not to feed?  

We take so much for granted.