CHRISTMAS DIET ?

Holiday season will soon be in full swing, and sticking to a balanced diet will be rather challenging during that festive period.

But, after all, who cares about putting a few extra pounds on over Christmas?

Personally, I don't, but unfortunately, Canaille, my English Springer  Spaniel, doesn't,either,and that's the snag...

Canaille is anything but a night owl, and all around the year, every evening, after dinner, he tries to rule the roost, and put us to bed as soon as possible, which means pawing up and down the living-room with a lot of deep sighs and noisy yawnings, then dragging his basket onto Dearhubby's feet, slumping into it heavily, and turning the snore button on. 

Well, we are used to this little game, and we ignore it.

But, every year on Christmas's Eve, that sleepy head turns into a merry maker ready to party the night away.

He wants to share everything with our guests!

First, the Christmas tree. Catching one of the glittering balls, or pulling on a tinsel garland is a good way to start a " Catch me if you can " game with them, isn't it?

My sharp " Stop it! " have not won him over, so this year the Christmas tree is safe on a sidetable, but when passing along it, Canaille never fails to look at me, as if saying " What a killjoy you are! ".

But, even if he goes misty-eyed about all those Christmas decorations, I won't give in!

Anyway, that playful fellow is not resentful, and on Christmas's Eve when it comes to sharing fun, he is second to none, and always joins his loud woofs to our laughters.

Is he adding a witty remark, or just asking us to stop all that hubbub, cause he can't take forty winks quietly?  

I really don't know, cause that sweetheart has the know-how not to miss the least bite of Christmas cheer, I mean, the least bite of food, of course!

He forgets good table manners, turns into a heartbreaking beggar, and persuade our guests to share food with him.

He is so good at doing  that on the sly, that two years ago, when the party came to an end, he was as stuffed as the turkey we had eaten!

So, last year, when our guests arrived, I told them that Canaille had gained a lot of weight, and had to go cold turkey on any snacks or scraps. They looked at him compassionately, but respected his new dietary rules.

After some vain attempted bribery, Canaille gave up, and curled up in his basket where he sulked till coffee time.

That's when his dreaded sweet tooth struck him again, and he couldn't help begging for a tiny piece of sugar!

There were only Stevia cubes on the table, you know that kind of sweetener we use to ease our conscience.

To show Canaille that beggars can't be choosers, I let one of my friends give him half a cube.

Then, guess what?

Canaille sniffed it, and then stared at my friend, as if saying " You know I'm cold turkey, but that stuff won't sugar the pill. It's just good for suckers! ".

Then, he went back to his basket, and before curling up, he gave us a last look, which clearly meant :

" By the way, did you know that DIET stands for Doing Idiotic Eating Tricks ? ".

One more proof that dogs are wiser than humans!!