Something New and Tasty!

Alfie, Mr and Mrs Noah’s ‘little’ puppy, was proving to be quite a handful! What with both of them fully employed looking after the Ark and all its guests, making sure that Mango and Sid still felt ‘special’, and constantly having to fetch Chilli back from various parts of the garden because she has learnt to clamber over the stoep fence, but hasn’t worked out how to get back yet, they felt that perhaps they weren’t giving Alfie as much attention as he needed!

Alfie has settled very well into the routine of the Ark and is learning all sorts of new games and tricks from his ‘big sister’, Mango, but the one thing that he does have an absolute obsession with is … eating! Maybe, it’s because he had 10 siblings in his litter? It’s not just eating his meals, which are always finished in 7 – 10 seconds’ flat, but food to Alfie is ANYTHING he can put into his mouth!

He is constantly strutting purposefully around with his nose to the ground! Not just for the smell, and who or what has been there. It’s to find something to put into his mouth! His mouth is constantly opening, closing, opening, closing! So far, he has ‘hoovered up’ stones, pebbles, sticks, grass, bird poo, animal poo, Sid and Chilli’s cookie trays, apple and pear cores, almond nuts, orange peel, bread, bites of metal, pieces of string, kelp, shells, the rubber plant, and the list goes on.

When Mr or Mrs Noah see that he is chewing on something he shouldn’t eat, a stern word from them will have him dropping the ‘tasty’ morsel, if he hasn’t eaten it quickly enough, and moving on, looking for the next item.

A few days ago, Mr and Mrs Noah were walking Mango and Alfie around one of the local dams in the mountains, a much-loved walk of theirs. It was no surprise, therefore, when Mango ran off to play in the water, as it is one of her favourite pastimes. Alfie was sniffing his way alongside the water’s edge with his head down intent on finding something interesting.

Mr and Mrs Noah had just spotted a beautiful Fish Eagle in the sky and were admiring it as it soared and swooped along the tree-line, allowing the dogs to play happily for a few minutes. When they eventually looked around for the dogs, Mango was still playing in the water, but Alfie had his back to them and was chewing away!

“Alfie,” shouted Mrs Noah, “Put it down!” But Alfie didn’t put it down.

“Alfie,” cried Mr Noah, “Leave it!” But Alfie didn’t leave it!

“Alfie!” they both exclaimed. “Come here!” But Alfie didn’t come here! Alfie ran off, still chewing, with Mr and Mrs Noah in hot pursuit!

Finally, they caught him, when Mr Noah grabbed his collar and Mrs Noah told him he was a bad dog for not doing as he was told, but he was still chewing! Holding tightly on to Alfie by the collar both Mr and Mrs Noah peered down at what he was chewing. All they could see was a pair of legs sticking out of his mouth, little legs with tiny feet on the end! “Oh, what on earth is that?” cried Mrs Noah.

“What, this?” Alfie seemed to say, as he dropped it at her feet. ‘This’ turned out to be a totally flat, totally dried out, and totally long-dead frog. “It’s delicious,” he woofed, with his tail waving happily.