Our Dog Has Impeccable Table Manners

Our 10 year old daughter informed us this morning that Cricket "is human, except that he's a dog."
Well - for someone who wants to be a vet when they grow up, and who has just become a member of the SPCA, I guess this is true.

However, I've been observing something over the last week. We have been trying to get our 7 year old son to show some table manners. Our 3 year old also, but you kind of expect mess from a 3 year old. And come to think of it, the 10 year old could do with some polishing in this department as well.

So the other night when we spent the entire meal telling kids to eat over their plates, not to use their fingers, not to talk with their mouth full, to try and keep all the food on the plate and not on the table. To sit still in your chair with your legs under the table and not making swimming pools out of  your mashed potato and gravy, I finished my meal feeling slightly relieved it was over, and went to feed the dog.

That's when I noticed something extraordinary.
Our dog Cricket has better table manners than my children.

He always eats everything on his plate. He's not picky.
He never leaves a mess on the table (licks every morsel up)!
He never talks with his mouth full.
And he never uses his fingers to pick up his food.
And he always stays until his dinner is finished.

Yes! I'm saddened to admit that my dog has better table manners than my children.