Buddha is a saucy little beagle with an appetite that makes him do a lot of things he shouldn’t. He is all nose and stomach and short on common sense. So after he guzzle’s his own kibble, he wanders over to the Great Dane’s food dish and sniffs around. He listens carefully, looks to see if Briva is coming and then he decides it’s worth the risk.

Buddha is a short and pudgy dog and the bowl is a long way off the floor. So he leans back and balances on his hind legs so he can flop his chin over the edge of the dish and use if leverage to get his front legs off the ground. He’s barely able to get his teeth on the kibble to steal a mouthful.

Buddha crunches away happily until he hears the approaching footsteps of Briva, a 130 pound mammoth who couldn’t be stealthy if her life depended on it. Buddha won’t test his luck any further and he sneaks off before she arrives at the bowl. If she knows some is missing, she doesn’t seem to worry about it. Briva is also controlled largely by her appetite. She inhales the kibble that is left with all the efficiency of a central vac.

Both of these dogs are rescues. Buddha was the victim of a near fatal case of parasites that was left untreated. The effects of his condition and the medication that saved him left him with a seizure disorder. He was abandoned by his owner when the rest of the treatment became too costly. The soft-hearted veterinarian who was intent on rescuing him brought him home each night to make sure he had constant care. She didn’t realize that her family would become so attached to him that he would not be put up for adoption. Despite his extreme medical challenges, Buddha thrives and has become one of the happiest and most affectionate dogs a family could ever dream of. His greedy nature is forgivable.

Briva is also a rescue. Despite being a member of a loving family, she grew rapidly and her high energy, playful nature made her too intimidating for the smaller dachshunds who lived in the home. Briva was also intended to be a temporary foster until a forever home could be found, but again, this family fell in love with her and couldn’t give her up.

Briva and Buddha are the best of friends. They play together and often sleep together. But Buddha knows that there are limits and he won’t stick around to see what happens if he is caught with his hand in the cookie ja