The Puds love their grub. Anyone who has visited Twilight will attest that come 4pm the pacing of itchy paws begins as the dogs anticipate the arrival of their afternoon dinner bowls. And they’ll be sure to remind anyone who might be a bit behind the clock.
Every month, Twilight gets through around 350 kg of croquettes (dry dog food), plus many tins of dog meat. That’s over five tonnes of dog food per year! Food is one of the major costs at Twilight, along with vets’ fees. Much of this food is generously donated and we thank all our supporters who send us sacks of biscuits, tins of food or respond to our appeals for special tempting morsels for those with more sensitive tummies. There are always plenty of treats around too, presents from supporters and well-wishers.
Generally, the dogs aren’t too fussy; they are happy to eat whatever is put in front of them, especially if food has been in short supply in the past. However, from time to time we have a dog who really needs a special diet – most often the request is for special tummy food, for those delicate elderly digestions. Recently, we’ve been fundraising for dear Agneta, who needed some fresh salmon to help with her digestion problems. We also use cheese, ham and chicken too, either to tempt a Pud whose appetite is diminished or to hide meds! Occasionally, the Puds have a special ‘treat tea’. This is one of their favourites, as you can see in these photos, they’re all enjoying some chews and dentastix as a change from the meat and bickies.
Mealtimes have to be well-organised, though the dogs rarely squabble over their bowls. We have a system, with a list of meds and markers bearing each dog’s name for their bowls. There are small, medium and large bowls, raised bowls, and bowls with special sections to slow down the gobblers. All the dogs know the location of their own ‘feeding station’, with the littlies like Dobbie and Roo sometimes fed separately from Bear, who would eat everyone’s food given the chance. It might look easy, however, in our biography Paws Before Bedtime, Leeanne’s mum told a different story …
Feeding times … has to be a special skill … How you feed thirty dogs at the same time is still beyond me. A few years ago, my brother and I looked after them for a week and feeding was a nightmare. Because he didn’t know which dog was which, they were all jumping up at him when he called a name. The minute he picked a bowl up, it was knocked out of his hand and food went flying. It’s important that each dog gets the right medicine so we had to give pills a different way. I think a lot of ham and cheese went to the girls and boys that week!
If you would like to help feed the Puds during these difficult times, when our normal fundraising events are all on hold, then pop over to our Facebook pages and groups to check out the latest news. Alternatively, you can send a donation via PayPal using the link at the top of the page or maybe use Amazon or Zooplus to send a present to your favourite Pud.