We have a gardener who Misha hates. He comes over every other week and every other week Misha goes into a barking frenzy each time he passes the sliding glass door.  He’s on her property and she’s not going to stand for it.

This went on for a year.  Then, the gardener decided he wanted to befriend her.  He began bringing her treats each visit.  It has been a slow process.  The barking continues but she now expects a treat every time he is here.

The last couple of times he brought different treats.  I noticed they were bigger.  The first time, Misha took the whole treat, bit it in half and proceeded to get one piece stuck inside her mouth.  I had to reach in and remove it as she was choking

The next time, she gobbled down the pieces.  Within minutes, I was holding her in place as she tried to throw up the treat.  Luckily, she got it out and I was able to grab the pieces before she tried to eat them again.

Part of the problem is Misha doesn’t chew.  Well, she must chew a little, but she gets so excited about treats that she gobbles it down.  She is also a small dog…10 lbs.  Sometimes they just can’t break up bigger, harder dog treats.

So now, we have a special bag of Old Mother Hubbard Mini Treats in the pantry.  These are the “gardeners treats”.  He’s being so kind trying to befriend her  I feel bad telling him he can’t give her treats anymore.  So, we’ll supply the treats ourselves.  Beats having to reach into her mouth to save her from choking.