June Kinion is a South Carolina girl who moved to Georgia and has stayed. This transplant has a law degree and has sold millions of dollars of real estate and raised three children and a grandchild. Her humor speaks of her country raisin’ and her zest for life.
June has a beautiful rescue dog named Lou. Lou has a lot of lab in him and some bulldog from parents who got around. When June’s daughter gave Lou to her, she had her work cut out for her. The poor boy needed a firm and loving hand to help him overcome such fear he trembled and cowered from almost everyone. Now his coat shines and feels like black velvet. He lives the life of a king.
Lou isn’t spoiled, but when June first got him he wouldn’t eat, so she cooked chicken and rice for him to build him up. She still does. Lou, the wily critter, has found a loving human to own and train. In exchange, he guards his human and keeps her company. He leads the dog’s life and prospers in it.
Her daughter, Risa, is in California now, working for the National Park Service, uniform and all.
I read this email exchange and begged June to let me share it in her own words.
| The Dog and the Carrots
When you live with a dog who thinks or rather knows that he is a lord and master, you reach a stage when you must show him that he is wrong. I kept telling him that he was a dog and I was his mistress. He didn't listen or rather pretended to not understand, just like my children did when they were younger, now they just decide that I too old to be smart. My dear Lou is in the middle of letting me know that he will overcome.
A couple of weeks back, I decreed that he would learn to eat carrots as I had read in a doggy book they were good for him and not fattening. He likes to be called 'chubby' or hear 'my, but you are a fat dog.' Since he first came to live with me he has eaten only a handful of dry dog food and millions of pounds of chicken, de-boned and packed away in the freezer until he deems it is time to eat.
I found a place, that I refuse to name, that sells chicken legs and thighs cheap - 10 lbs at a time. After a while I learned to roast 20 lbs in my huge electric roaster, almost enough to last for a month, maybe. And so we have lived, with him thinking I am the world's greatest white hunter who brings home ever so much good food for him to eat --until the day I learned to cook carrots in the big roaster and mash them into his chick-chick.
Then he stopped eating one night and looked up at me and gave two buff buffs and marched into the other room. I looked down and there was a bit of orange carrot staring up at me. He did not come back to eat the remainder. The next night he took forever to eat his chick-chick as he was gently pushing back all the orange pieces. When he finished and all the carrots were in a pile on the side of the bowl. So much for him being healthy.
At present there are 20 lb's of chick-chick frozen with carrots in the fridge waiting until he decides to eat again. Keep tuned in as the battle continues.
Mary,
You met Coco last week. Did you notice how plump she is? This story reminds me of her. She is very particular about what she eats. She doesn't do dog food. While my daugher and I were gone to Italy for 10 days, she refused to eat until the third day we were gone! Then only ate the chicken we had cooked and deboned for her. Daughter was very worried, hubby was worried. Not me, I'm wise to her. She eats the cat's dry food, that's why she's so plump! Caught her red pawed at it today. They thought I was making it up, but now they know! She's eating on the sly!
They think they are human don't they. My Shepherd refuses to eat veggies too. He picks them out carefully with huge teeth. Funny thing, my dog cannot eat chicken he is allergic to it.
My Spud had kidney failure so he was on a high carb diet. Ate only Ramen Noodles and pasta. Spud's grandma loved baked acorn squash and steamed cabbage and his papa was partial to pears and cantaloupe. Thibault my cat, wanted anything potatoes and made of wheat, especially pizza crust. In spite of their deviations from what the vet insisted was good for them, they all lived past the age of 14!
This woman is truly an animal lover! And I thought I treated my horses well.