Thursday, January 31, 2008

Food Bowl Theatrics


Here are some bumper stickers I really enjoy:

--I (Heart) My Dog
--Wag More, Bark Less
--Dog Is My Co-Pilot
--The More People I Meet, The More I Like My Dog
--My Dog Is Smarter Than Your Honor Student

And my all-time favorite:
--My Dog Is Smarter Than Your President

The above phrases come to mind today as I share these photos of my son Abell’s dog, Buddha. Several years ago when Abell lived in New Orleans, he adopted Buddha from the Humane Society of Louisiana. Abell was told that Buddha's first owners had named him "Chandler" (after the character on the TV show, “Friends.”) It's my theory that when a human names a puppy after a lame-o dude on television, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when--once the dog outgrows the Cute Puppy Phase--the sorry human tires of the animal and puts it up for adoption.

The folks at the Humane Society decided that “Buddha” was a much more appropriate name for this serious and wise fellow. Abell came along and decided to follow the path of the Buddha (or Buddha followed Abell, I'm not sure which.)

As you can see, Buddha does seem to copy the oh-so-cute shtick of another TV character (Snoopy) in his vaudevillian performance of the How-Can-I-Get-People-To-Fill-My-Food-Dish? act. (You might remember that the talented Snoopy could balance his bowl on his head.) Because Buddha’s previous owner apparently overfed him, our vet suggested that Buddha be put on a diet, and our four-legged housemate is obviously less-than-happy about it.

Look at these moments of Food Bowl Drama. Could YOU resist dropping a kibble in the bowl as an offering to The Hungry Buddha?