Reasons to Give Your Dog Table Scraps

There are many things I let my dog do that all the dog training books tell you not to do. I let him sleep on the bed, I give him table scraps and I let him lick my face. I can't think of one good reason why I shouldn't allow him to do these things. I could never crate my dog at night or deny him a taste of people food. Why? Because I think he deserves it.

People often will say how dogs have it so good. They hang around all day, play, eat, sleep and poop. However, I think of how boring that would grow to become. I think of how Bailey (my dog) gets super excited when I give him even half of a meatball and how his tail wags and he can't even sit still when I walk through the door. When I've had a lousy day, Bailey is able to give me at least a few minutes of happiness when I come home. He let's me know how happy he is to see me and then goes off to find a toy so I can play with him for a few minutes. After a while, he calms down and is happy to just sit beside me. He follows me everywhere I go. If I get up to get a drink, walk into a different room, or even go to the bathroom he's right there. Yes, I even let him in the bathroom with me!

This is the kind of devotion I feel a human is incapable of giving. It doesn't matter what I do, Bailey will always love me. Since he's only twelve pounds, I had knocked him off the bed by accident one night. I picked him up, held him and told him I was sorry. He wagged his tail and licked my cheek. Even when he broke his paw, he was licking my hand on the way to the animal hospital.

It's not just the unconditional love that I appreciate. I learn from Bailey almost every day. If every human greeted someone with excitement and appreciation, think of what a wonderful world it would be! I also love seeing how happy he gets when we go out of the house. He knows the word "car" and knows when I'm taking him somewhere. It's so cool to see how much he appreciates going somewhere new and watching him explore. He takes in the scenery as we drive along. Wouldn't it be great if every human were able to appreciate the world in that way? Sometimes when it's a beautiful day and Bailey is in the car with me, I watch him look out the window. It reminds me to look at the sky and appreciate the beauty of what surrounds me.

A dog will guard you and protect you. Bailey warns me if he thinks there might be danger. He'll head toward the door and stay there until he's sure that it's safe. Dogs have much better hearing than humans and will be able to tell before you if someone is trying to break in your house. There are many stories you can read about animals saving people's lives.

Many people will think of you spoil a dog, it's impossible to train them. I've been told that Bailey has ME trained. Of course he does. We have each other trained. I don't let him get in my face when I have food. He knows he has to wait. I always give him the last bite. It's so cute, too. Once I'm near the end I can see his anticipation. I give him that last bite to reward him for being good. If I have something he can't eat, like chocolate ice cream, I'll get him a treat when I'm done instead. But, he loves vanilla! Have you ever seen a dog get ice cream headache? I have. It's adorable, but mean. So, I limit his ice cream intake.

There isn't much that Bailey gets to look forward to aside from food and the occasional road trip. I consider it my job to give him the best little puppy life I can. He deserves my love and attention. This is why I choose to spoil my dog.