Day 8 of 14
Over the half-way mark for Tucker’s pills! Today I hoped he would consume his canned dog food and not suspect that there was a pill tucked inside. Tucker began to eat and I started to say a prayer of thanks. Suddenly he stopped eating, stood before his food bowl for a moment, then walked away. He left most of his food untouched, including, of course, the pill.
Ah, I get it. Tucker has just introduced “the tease” into our rivalry. Well played, my friend, well played.
Although I had not put as much thought into a winning strategy as Tucker obviously had, I was not to be outdone. I placed the pill into a chunk of the dog food and attempted to corner him in the living room. Cornering Tucker was no small feat because he had traction from the rug and began to maneuver around me with all the agility and bravado of a young Muhammed Ali. Once I had him, Tucker immediately clenched his teeth together but somehow I managed to get the food in his mouth. As I held his mouth closed and stroked his throat, Tucker watched me intently – no hostility, just calmly watching. Slow seconds passed until he swallowed. “Good boy,” I cooed, happy that he took his pill without much resistance. I let go of his mouth.
Never taking his eyes off of me, Tucker spit out the pill.
Great. I had been fooled by the fake swallow and he knew it.
Quickly I picked up the pill/food combo and once again got it in Tucker’s mouth.
And waited until I saw three good swallows.
