Keep Smiling!

Let me tell you about my dog, ScrunchyTummy.

For weeks now, I thought it was my imagination ...

I most often wear my hair pulled back in a ponytail, by using a hair scrunchy. For the most part, I've had the same scrunchies for over a decade. But recently, they've begun to disappear.

I should have put two and two together. The fact that Riley, the collie, loves to chew on fabric. He is thrilled to destroy towels and socks that are left on the floor, or on towel racks that he can reach (towels, at least ... I dont usually leave socks on the towel racks).

He's learned every spot I keep them. He surfs the house, checking each location. When he spies one, his long collie nose serves as a vaccum cleaner hose ... one quick *SNUFF* and it's gone without a trace or a whisker out of place. Two quick chews, and he swallows. I've blinked repeatedly as I watched this process. I can yell, but it's too late. Deed done. I've tried to teach him right from wrong ... held a scrunchy out for him to sniff ... gotten him to take it (wow! Mommy is offering me a golden treasure!) and then corrected him sternly ... hasnt worked yet. I've sprayed them with bitter apple spray ... but he doesnt keep them in his mouth long enough to seem to mind.

Now, I didnt even think that it might have been him at first. Until he was in his crate one morning, and had just thrown up something particularly dark and sponge-like . An entire undigested scrunchy specimen. Uh. It got thrown out. Which got me to thinking. If he's not digesting them, but they are just passing through his body, then ALL of my scrunchies are either thrown up or POOPED OUT in the backyard somewhere. Oh YAEY!

May they rest in peace.