Reader Journal: Susie vs. Shortie

Catie Schmitz
AP Hislish
Bruno
23 October 2009
Reader Journal
Susie is my golden doodle puppy: curly hair, soft paws, and fluffy tail. Our veterinarian suggested we feed her only once a day so she can stay in top shape. We feed her at night around the same time we eat. And as I sit on the couch to enjoy my DVR-ed shows for the week, I catch a glimpse of her skating across the counter tops with her wet nose held high, and her gold-colored paws snatch whatever crumb was not cleaned up from our previous meal. I guess if I was only fed one meal a day, I would probably mooch on anything I could find as well. But then again, we did recently up her meal from one scoop of food to two.
As much as Ann Hodgman is my hero for attempting to scarf down so many dog foods, she is somewhat dramatic. Just as her dachshund, Shortie watched her shove indigestible junk down her throat, my K-9 did as well. Susie eats Nutro Bits for Large Breed Young Adult Dogs food. They are brownish balls, with similarities to Cocoa Puffs cereal. I grabbed two pieces and popped them into my mouth, expecting vomit to come shortly after. Much to my surprise, I did not gag, or gurgle, or have to stop myself from spitting it out violently. It was alright. It did not have the delicious chocolately flavor of my favorite breakfast morning cereal, but it wasn’t bad. Considering the nutrients listed on the bag, and the ‘optimum health benefits for all large dog breeds,’ I assumed it to be bland and un-flavorful, but it really wasn’t. But I guess that was just the dry foods.
I went on to taste Susie’s Milk Bone original large treats. The flavor was listed as Original Treat. I nibbled on the end of it, and once again, the descriptive diction of Mrs. Hodgman tricked me again. It was a flashback for me when my youngest sister, Chloe was born. Gerber baby foods came out with their newest product, a cereal/grain bar that were extra hard (not stale, but put together to avoid the crumbling of a cookie). This helped in ensuring the baby would not choke. I used to sit there and watch Chloe munch for hours at a time on that one, single bar. I used to help her out sometimes, too. It was actually rather delicious. Gerber had gotten pretty revolutionized and their food was no longer ‘strained peas’ in my mind because of these bars. Anyway, the Milk Bone took me back to those days and it made that tasting a little more enjoyable. So, the treats we give Susie must taste somewhat like a treat to her, too. We don’t buy that many variations of food for our pup, so I tried one last thing.
To appeal to the “healthy” side of our dog, my mom buys Greenies health fiber treats. They are a vivid forest green hue, and are the shape of a toothbrush, which I guess fools the buyer into thinking it’s a treat to help the dog’s teeth? Well, it got my mom at least. I once again, bit off a small chunk of the toothbrush-like treat and it tasted of a day old granola bar, my friend’s mom once made. They were suppose to be healthy-veggie-cookie bars, but the end result wasn’t to die for. This Greenie tasted pretty close to that cookie bar. And if I was a dog, compared to the crap that Shortie and Mrs. Hodgman ate, I’d say Susie gets it pretty good. Her food is not utterly disgusting and if I was in her position, I would not be barking.
My mom gets Susie’s food the local grocery store. It is mostly contained in aisle 13. So, go find some normal looking dog food (if that’s possible,) and make sure your dog isn’t completely suffering every feeding time, as in No wonder they call me a Bitch. And if the food doesn’t look edible for a human being, then send the scruffy pal down to my house. Susie has regular service of food and water, and a comfy, curly-fur-topped day bed.