Gentle Ralphie

We are very lucky to have such a gentle dog in the house -- particularly as there is a young child who lives here. Over the last week or two, The Kid has taken a particular interest in helping to feed Ralphie.

For her age, she is remarkably strong. She can lift the nearly-full plastic tub of dog food, which is as large as her torso. GG removes the lid for her, and she now can almost scoop the food into Ralphie's dog bowl by herself.

Last night, she was squatting next to Ralphie's dog food bowl as he was eating. She would reach in, next to his frantically-eating mouth, and pull out a piece of dog food. She would show it to us, say something in Baby, then replace it -- then remove another piece of food. Some dogs might have growled, or nipped; Ralphie just kept eating.

He has a few faults -- including the destroying of ''used'' socks that fall on the floor and left unattended. But at least he is very good with The Kid.


--TG