Late Bloomer

Portuguese Water Dogs are well know for their counter surfing. It seems to be a trait passed down from parents to their offspring over the centuries. Most breeders warn new puppy owners to watch for the habit showing up early and do your best to control it.

In our household Samba and Fudge both had the gene for counter surfing. Fudge stopped after an incident involving a ceramic vase that was drying on the counter. When he pulled the towel it was lying on and it smashed into a hundred pieces, he gave up the habit. Good boy!

Samba, on the other hand is a very accomplished surfer. She learned early that if something tasty was too far back on the counter to reach, she could push a chair over and make it easier to grab a taste. She taught her pups that food left on the counter was 'in play'. The trick to successful counter surfing is to leave the box or plate untouched, just grab the food.

Then there are the pups. Norma Jean checks the counters several times a day just in case something was forgotten. I don't think she's had any major scores.

Bailey checks the counters every few minutes. She has a regular routine of circling the kitchen and eyeing the counters. I seldom let Bailey out of my sight and have managed to limit her surfing successes.

At Thanksgiving Noah grabbed a whole piece of lasagna off Rob's plate right in front of him. Rob and I were both standing less than three feet away from the plate when Noah did a 'fly-by' and disappeared with his prize. I wish I'd gotten a picture of Rob's face.

Samba has been our most successful surfer. She managed to score an entire roast turkey fresh from the oven. She reached up, grabbed the bird and was heading out of the room. I grabbed the bird back and with some minor repairs, served it for dinner.

Then there is Sky.

Sky has always been a good boy. Except for some barking issues, Sky has never been in trouble. He never tried to get on the furniture till a couple years ago, he never stole or chewed on shoes or remotes or other items. He seemed to have an innate sense of boundaries. He never counter surfed.....until last night..

Rob and I were watching the news about 10:30 last night when we heard a noise in the kitchen. I had started the dishwasher a little bit earlier and I thought it sounded like two dog dishes clicking against each other, but I went to check. Imagine my surprise when I found Sky standing up at the counter scarfing down frosted sugar cookies. Rob had moved the package earlier when he wiped down the counter and he forgot to push it back against the wall. Apparently Sky had noticed this.

It looks like Sky managed to eat between eleven and fifteen cookies plus the two in the photo with bites taken. I caught him in the act, but I would have figured it out because he had pink frosting all over his face.

I carried a roll of paper towels to bed last night expecting to have a sick dog during the night, but Sky slept peacefully with a smile on his face. Dreaming, no doubt, of frosted sugar cookies.