Ginko: The Kitchen Marauder Continues

First, it was a ham sandwich, left unattended while I took Lilly for a walk. Then, a couple days later, Ginko went after bigger kitchen game. Yep. While he isn’t as book or training smart as Lilly, Ginko certainly learns quickly when food is involved. Especially forbidden food.

After a long day drafting a veterinary trade magazine article on equine safety, I shed the iPod and stumbled into the kitchen to scare up dinner. While Tom manned the grill and attended to our burgers, I baked some potatoes and diced a bevy of condiments.

I tend to multitask while I cook. I listen to the news. I continue to check email and visit blogs. I run back and forth, focusing on various things all at once … because protecting dinner or food is typically NOT my main concern.

During one such foray out one of two kitchen doors into the living room to catch something on the news, I heard a plate slide. Just as I rounded the corner, I saw Ginko slinking out the other kitchen door with a mouthful of hamburger bun. I hollered. Of course, I hollered because I had indeed caught him in the act, but to no avail … he gulped that final bun with one defiant swallow.

Thankfully, he did not choke.

Tom came running inside in response to the ruckus, and when I told him what had just happened, he asked what became a fateful question.

What happened to that cantaloupe that was on the counter?

Yep. Sometime during the day, while Tom worked outside and I slaved away in my office, tuning out the world via earbuds, Ginko knocked 1/2 to 3/4 of a ripe cantaloupe off the counter and proceeded to feast away.

His dog bed was soggy from all the juice, and we found a trail of seeds all over the house.

The pattern, my friends, is set. Ginko has now scored three major food items off the counter. Lesson learned — for him and us.

So, we’ve greatly amped up our food vigilance.

I’m tempted to booby trap the kitchen to discourage his sudden and growing boldness, but I fear any such efforts might really freak out Lilly. I suppose we could rig something up next time Lilly and I head into town for a while, but I sincerely hope a little more attention on our part will break this habit before he makes himself sick or gets into something he really shouldn’t have.