Dear Lola – Repetition does not equal boring…

Dear Lola,

My dog eats twice a day, every single day, and it’s always the same exact meal. His level of excitement seems extreme given that he has tasted it many times before. On the other hand, my cat refuses to eat the same food two days in a row, leaving me in constant search of new and exciting flavors. Why is my dog so excited to eat the same food over and over?

Sincerely,

Cuckoo for Canines

Dear Cuckoo for Canines,

Unfortunately for the endlessly ravenous canine, our stomachs are not designed to handle swift changes to our diets. I happen to believe it is a survival trait developed over millennia to ensure we do not perish from tainted food. I’m sure you are about to ask – who would feed us this tainted food? Allow me to introduce to you, the felonious feline. A cunning species who has tried for years to destroy the mighty canine in a bid to have their masters all to themselves.

After all, canines are a human’s best friend.

Much to the everlasting dismay of myself, and my fellow canines, we have found ourselves under attack in the many years preceding the invention of packaged food. All manner of ingredients left unattended by our human hug buddies – for even one moment! – could be laced with a multitude of poisonous liquids that felines have access to. It’s why the feline developed a keen skill for jumping in and out of tight spaces.

Humans view the trait as harmless fun, but poisons are always tucked away in dark corners.

In response to the continued attacks, canines developed an acute sense of self-preservation. In order to avoid unwanted toxins, we decided to pick a meal and stick with it for life. With only one set of ingredients to focus our heightened sense of smell on, we could instantly identify any plates of food that had been tainted or tampered with. Unfortunately, by the time packaged dog food was invented, our stomachs had adapted to needing ingredient stability in order to prevent embarrassing accidents in the house.

Though some canines have bravely attempted a culinary coup in recent years.

However, none of the previous information did much to answer your original question. I would apologize for my loquacious response, but it really is all your fault. Once I get started on a murder plot, I seem to have trouble not getting carried away with it – as proven by my streaming service recommendation list. To sum it up simply, canines are excited by repetition because it means we’ll live another day to fight our mighty opponents.

Though it would be nice of you to throw in a bit of cheese every now and then.

Did I mention that we are your very best friend? We would never think to not wiggle our tails at you after you return from a very long day of work – or a trip to the mailbox at the end of the driveway!

♥Lola♥

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