Sloppies

Rawhide is a tricky thing.

Firstly, there's the health issue. There are plenty of people think that rawhide chews are very bad for dogs and also make them throw up. Lola hasn't seemed to be badly affected by them, but it's something to keep in mind.

Secondly, there's the gross-out factor. Regular, cheap rawhide rapidly disintegrates into a disgusting, smelly white mush. This is why Lottie's parents call them "sloppies." This is also why Lottie doesn't get rawhide treats any more. Better-quality compressed rawhide is a bit less nasty, but not by much.

Thirdly, there's the animal-rights angle. I'm vegetarian; hell, I was even vegan for a year. And rawhide is, indisputably, compressed dried animal skin. And even though it doesn't make much sense intellectually, emotionally, there's a difference between giving your dog animal-based food out of a can and giving your dog animal skin to enthusiastically gnaw on.

All of this is a very round-about way of saying that I gave Lola a compressed rawhide bone tonight. I've only let her chew on one once before, a few months ago, when I hadn't had her for very long and her habits with treats were much more protective and anxiety-driven. She seemed to enjoy it, but wasn't obsessed, and I was worried about the health issues and took it away after ten minutes or so.

So far tonight, Lola has chewed on this particular rawhide bone constantly. Without stopping. For over ninety-two minutes. I knelt down beside her, to see how much headway she had made on devouring the bone, and she gave a small growl and darted under the bed. With the bone in her mouth, of course.

I bet she throws up later tonight. This is what I get for feeling guilty about being at work all day.

P.S.: She moved! I was able to see the bone! All the crunching sounds completely overrated her progress. One end is slightly gnawed off, that's all. Wuss.

P.P.S.: Still, I don't fancy my chances of taking it away from her. This is a girl on a mission.