We are making an effort to make our skin sensitive schnoodle, Tinker, less itchy. As she approaches her 90th dog year, her many allergies and the moist Northwest conditions often get the best of her, as ears and rears react. She begins to scratch and lick incessantly to the point where we remove her dog tags every night to keep them from rattling. She wears a vest rather than a collar to prevent any tension on her neck and spinal area when we walk her on a leash. We tease her by calling her “Vesty Larue,” like Pepe Le Pew, making fun of her French Poodle heritage, and distinguishing her from Tally, our younger rescue schnauzer, who still sports a fancy collar. At one point, we tried putting both of them in vests, but Tally chewed hers off, and will chew up Tinker’s if we don’t put it out of reach each night.

Tally has so much energy that she will grab her leash with her teeth and try to take herself on a walk, if we’re not moving fast enough for her. Tinker has a bit of arthritis and moves much slower, so keeping both of them at a comfortable pace is often a challenge.  My wife and I try to resolve this conflict on weekends, by going out together so she can walk with Tinker and I can do short runs with Tally until she loses interest. I then loop back to my wife and leave her with both dogs while I continue my run, joining up with them on occasion to give Tally other opportunities to join my faster pace. It’s become a family tradition, and the dogs look forward to it after spending boring weekdays with me.

I take them out several times each day, but most of the time they will take turns quietly sitting on the office chair, watching me write and waiting for the moment when I get up. They then follow me, hoping for a walk, treat, or any kind of attention. If they are not in my office, I usually find one or the other napping on top of the bed covers, listening for the garage door to roll open. That’s the best sound of the day, signaling the return of my wife from her workplace. They both gather with enthusiasm, waiting for her to park the car and open the door into the house.

It used to be that Tally would not touch her food until my wife got home each night, despite the risk that Tinker would gobble it up. Her plan was to see what was being prepared for dinner, and not filling up on canned food and kibbles. Tinker, on the other hand, is never full and rarely passes up any available food. We think that this obsession dates back to before our adoption of her, and the result of being abandoned in the woods. The pre-adoption physical revealed acorns in her stomach that the doctor said kept her digestive system going when she had nothing else to eat. Since we’ve owned her, she had never missed a meal until just recently.

Tinker’s itching and scratching, and reoccurring ear infections, have resulted in numerous prescriptions. As I’ve commented many times: Pet. Vet. Debt. (See Post #351 for the most recent reference). She had pills coming out her ears, and hated the taste and smell of them. We’d try to force them down her throat but she’d cleverly spit them out later, and we’d find them hidden around the house. She was not fooled by hiding them in “Pill Pockets,” and would detect and spit them out if we wrapped sliced turkey around them. I mistakenly then tried hiding them in her food, and eventually she refused to eat. It was frustrating for all of us, except Tally who no longer had to worry about Tinker secretly scarfing down her food. Tally could now safely wait for Mom’s cooking without the risk of a “Tinker Attack” on her uneaten bowl of food.

We’ve since insisted on strictly injections if Tinker needs any kind of medication, and have completely changed the dining routine, hoping to completely eliminate allergic reactions to the hidden supplements in even the special dog food that we tried for awhile. This morning I made my first batch of rice boiled in chicken broth. It’s about a half hour process, following my wife’s recipe for success. They get a small bowl every morning, and we combine it with cooked chicken chunks each night. Tinker is once again enjoying her meals, and Tally no longer waits for alternatives. The minute I start filling their bowls, their noses are in the way.

Both of us, of course, are guilty of varying from the diet on occasion. Every once in a while, I will walk the dogs down to Starbucks, where they are usually offered a treat. The other day they were out, so I gave them one when we got back home. My wife brought them home some lamb leftovers from Outback Steakhouse last night, and they always get a couple pieces of sliced turkey every night before bed time. We call it “Ham Time,” because a Vet once recommended that a touch of protein every day was good for dogs and cats. All three pets line up at the refrigerator every night in anticipation. Last year, we switched from honey-baked ham to honey-baked turkey slices, feeling like the latter was a healthier option. I don’t think they noticed the difference. I was the biggest violator this week, by taking the dogs out to lunch. We went to Sonic because they have drive-in service and were offering one-dollar hot dogs yesterday. The three of us ate hot dogs and I shared a single French Fry with them. I also ordered a chocolate milkshake that came topped with whip cream and a cherry, served in cup with a plastic dome and a wide opening suitable for a spoon. Without thinking, I made a stop on the way home, and while I was away from the car, both dogs had gotten their share of whip cream, but only Tinker got caught. It was an honest accident on my part! However, I am thinking about “lunch dates with the dogs” as a regular retirement outing option.