Gantry's chewing habit.
Gantry has a small habit of chewing. Not bad. Not big. Small. He likes socks. He likes small soft things left within reach. Like my favorite hat.
It went missing about a week ago. I searched the house and my jeep for it to no avail. It then dawned on me. Gantry. Checking his kennel I found my old friend crumpled in a wet, slobbery ball near the back. He didn't do a lot of damage to it but my hat (which I've had for about 10 years) was on it's last legs anyway. Gantry just put the finishing move on it. I couldn't really be that mad because it's needed to go for awhile. Okay, the hat's finished. I've moved on.
Today: I get out of the shower to find Gantry lounging on the bed. Cool. He's usually not on the bed by himself but I'm cool with that. Then I see why. He has , in his idle boredom I can only guess, removed the stuffing from my comforter. Okay Gantry, not cool. In his defense the comforter, like my hat, needed to be retired a long time ago. It had a rip in it and I guess that was the invitation Gantry needed to remove the stuffing. It was open right? Again I'm not that bothered, just an excuse to finally get another comforter.
So I'm hyper sensitive now to the sounds Gantry is making such as chewing, cloth ripping, etc... I am continuously checking to see what he has in his mouth. Sometimes it's a bone (good dog), sometimes it's a sock (bad dog).
So about an hour ago I hear him chewing on something that sounds suspiciously not like a bone so I go to check. I catch Gantry chowing down on my Lord of the Rings hard cover, boxed book set which he's chewing on while it's still on the shelf. Okay man, that's where we draw the line. Old stuff that needs to be tossed is one thing but randomly chewing on books, not cool. Maybe it's his way of telling me I'm a huge Lord of the Rings nerd. Maybe but that's not the point, books are definitely not on the list of chewing-allowed items.
4 comments:
Ooh, that's not good. My sister has had good luck with those rubber Kong toys filled with treats or peanut butter. They'll keep a dog occupied for a long time.
Yeah he has a kong but has absolutely no interest in it. Of course I haven't actually put anything in it. I'll try that. Thanks for the suggestion. :)
Hi Kennon,
It's Tracy with GRR just stopping by to see what's new with Gantry. Sounds like he is feeling better and now looking for mischief. Some ideas since he loves soft things to chew. You can go to the Good Will Trift store and buy him some stuffed animals (they are .50-.99 there instead of 5 and above like at Pets Mart). Cut out the plastic eyes and let him go town. He may tear them up and unstuff them and make a mess but it's better than the Lord of the Rings. Just make sure that he does not swallow anything. If he does then we need to find plan B. The Kong idea is great too. Fill it with peaunut butter like Jane said, but put it in the freezer for a couple of hours and it will amuse him longer. Sounds like Gantry is chewing out of boredom. Hope those suggestions work!
i lived with a dog for a few years who would pull books off the shelf and chew them. It was so frustrating and the only times that i ever felt like beating a dog was walking in the front door and finding my favorite books from years past strewn about the living room. Just enough chew marks to be infuriating but not enough to throw them away. So a decade later i still have chewed up books and now i can look at them and smile cause he outgrew it and became a very very good dog. No advice, just reminded me of the story. Congrats on deciding to keep Gantry, and he looks very handsome in Zak's coller. <3 Maryjane
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