We have FIVE dogs at home. It's a bit mad, especially for London. But, I assure you, not as mad as others I've met (personally, I think three is a good number but my partner.. well, life is about compromise).
To be fair, four out of five are 'small' dogs. Two Frenchies and two Miniature Dachshunds. Henry is the 'big' dog (technically Medium, I think, but the comparison is relative). He's an Australian Shepherd - the one who joins me at the workshop every day and ensures we are all protected from the neighbours' otherwise neighbourly CATS (Henry hates cats.. it's bred in the bone I think).
We feed the pack once a day*, usually at dusk - though earlier in high summer. There is, of course, a routine. A feeding sequence. Who gets their bowl first, for example. Lucia is a 14yr old French Bulldog. She's the eldest. Respect. Then her sister Rosie, who is a year younger (or, less old). The 'next generation' (the daxies and Henry) are between two and three years old.
What amazes me every day is that they seem to intuit my respect for the older dogs, allowing them without complaint to receive their bowls first. Maybe they know they need to be on good behaviour because I've left them starving all day. Perhaps I'm just projecting.
Although Henry is older than the daxies, I feed him last. I make him sing for his supper**. That is, I command him to Sit. Stand. Sit. Stand. Spin (sometimes Down and Rollover). Then he dives into his bowl of reward with impatient gusto.
And then, they settle. Retreat to the sitting room. And snooze. It's been a day that has involved walks and naps and some larking about and, of course, the highlight, supper.
The image is of Henry and Daffy when I took them to LoveMyHuman Townhouse in Chelsea for a little treat. I'm happy to report they were on v good behaviour.
* why just once a day? Years and years ago I listened to an interview on Radio 2 (maybe Radio 4?) with a dog expert who swore by intermittent fasting for himself, and his dogs. Nobody in the family ate on a Monday and then only once a day the rest of the week. The dogs all lived long and healthy lives and, at 167 years old, the expert wasn't doing too bad for himself either.
** I feed them in the kitchen, where the cockatiels are also located for winter. It can get a bit raucous because the five dogs all start barking at feeding time. I try to calm them, but I'm not very convincing at serious-assertive. And recently the birds have joined in with extraordinarily loud chirping, it's all just causing such an amplification of this animal house. The peace after feeding is welcome indeed.
Kristian
Dogs & Horses, London