Inappropriate snacks
What is it about putting a bowl of dry Premium dog food on the counter that makes others, besides the dog, think that it is theirs to eat? Each night, by bedtime, we set out the dog food in their bowls for the next morning, plus the cat food bowls, a can of cat food, and our own vitamins, juice glasses and bowls for the morning. (Not all mixed together - we do have some standards.) This makes functioning in an efficient manner in the morning much easier, which is good since I get up at 5:00am.

(Also, before you judge, this is a big counter, so that when you are on one side of it, it almost feels like you are not even in the kitchen anymore. It doesn't seem so bad putting the dog food up there.)

It may be unrealistic, but I expect the dog food to remain in the bowls until I give it to the dogs. However, at least one of our cats, and I suspect others, have a different idea. They think it is great that I've set out these snack bowls for them, and will pick out pieces to messily munch on top of the counter. At first I was not sure how dog food was getting out of the bowl, especially since these are big pieces and the only cat that generally gets on the counter is teeny-tiny 7-10 lb Taz. Surely this dainty creature would not eat huge dog kibble. Wrong. I saw her do it the other night. Went right to the bowl and started snacking.

"No! Don't leave dog food crumbs on the counter, and, if I were you, I wouldn't let the dogs see me eating their food!"

Well, at least Baby Girl has mostly stopped snacking from the bowl. That had happened a few times, too. Just too much!