DEAR JOAN: So I have a little chocolate toy poodle, Buddy. He’s 5½ years old. Every evening at exactly 7:30 he starts staring at me, talking to me and notifying me that it is time for his “Greenie.”
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He can hardly contain his excitement until it is placed securely in his mouth and then he is off to enjoy his favorite treat. However, most evenings he makes one stop before consuming the treat. He takes it and gently places it on his stuffed sleep toy, or another favorite toy, watches over it for about 10 seconds, then, and only then, happily enjoys his treat.
I have conjured up many possible ideas about why he might be doing this, all loving reasons for him to share this special yummy with beloved “friends,” but would love your take on this ritual of Buddy’s. Any thoughts or ideas?
— Kathy Mailhot, Castro Valley
DEAR KATHY: Believe it or not, this is not a unique behavior. In doing some research, I found many people who reported something similar. Some were poodles, some were not. Some involved those teeth-cleaning Greenies, some didn’t.
The key to all those reports and Buddy’s actions is that they involved a high-value treat and a beloved object. The why isn’t as clear, but it is likely that Buddy is so pleased with his treat that he wants to enjoy it in the company of something he also puts high value on.
It’s also possible that Buddy loves his stuffy so much that he wants to share his favorite treat and offers it to the stuffed animal first. It also might just be a habit he’s developed.
For whatever reason, it’s 100 percent cute.
DEAR JOAN: A group of squirrels, or one very aggressive one, has taken to tearing up our seat cushions and umbrellas. This is happening to several homes on our block. They even come up to our small front porch and go after the cushions.
Short of having to take the cushions in every night (a big pain), what can we do? Would appreciate any suggestions as we all must replace the damage they have done.
— Jean Norman, West San Jose
DEAR JEAN: There are several things you can try, but I’m not sure they’re any better than the obvious one of bringing in the cushions when not in use.
You can try smell-warfare by spraying the pillows and umbrellas with peppermint oil or a mixture of water and cayenne pepper, or a commercial deterrent. You also can soak rags in vinegar or synthetic predator urine and place them around the patio furniture. You also can try scaring them away with motion-activated sprinklers.
All of these make using your patio less attractive for you.
I always recommend going along to get along. The squirrels are after the fluffy stuff inside the pillows and the cloth from the umbrellas to use in making warm nests. I’d put the damaged pillows in a shallow container, put it in the yard and let the squirrels have at it. With any luck they’ll go after what’s willingly offered and leave the new ones alone.
The Animal Life column runs on Mondays. Contact Joan Morris at [email protected].