Brandie digs and hides bones

On the night I rescued Brandie, she tried digging under the courtyard concrete stairs.  Digging has been her habit. I have to teach her to stop doing it, slowly.  The courtyard is laid with sand and G1 gravel.  I removed the sacks of leftover sand and gravel under the stairs.  She started digging.

I know she wouldn't be transferring her pups to that location.  The pups like they're new bed.  It's just that, Brandie couldn't help it.  She has to dig.  She would not lay down on it.  She would just dig for a couple of minutes, then leaves it and lays in the carport.

 

Sometimes I didn't know if she's had enough food.  She used to gobble up everything I give her, in haste.  Guess she's like that for living on the streets for so long.

One day, I gave Brandie her favorite.  Chicken bone. She picked it up from her bowl, but didn't eat it.  She looked at me.  She was making a low noise, much like an almost silent whimper.  But she's not in pain.  She's not in fear.  And she's not discontent either.

Then it hit me.  She was already full.  She would like to hide the bone!  Amazing!  I know dogs do this.  I always see that on TV.  But seeing that live, infront of me, was incredible.  Not only did she used her feet and paws in hiding the bone, she even nudged some dirt on top of the pile, with her nose.

  

We used to own several dogs when I was a kid. But none of them dug and hid bones.  I guess Brandie got this habit from being a street dog.  Food was scarce.  Always looking for food scraps in trash bins.  And when she'd find extra, she would hide it.

I wonder if she was able to find a bone she's hidden.

She's already done this in my house twice.  I was planning to block that space under the stairs.  But I realized, Brandie needs it.  She' been a good mama to her pups, and a responsible house guard dog.  That stair space seems like her comfort zone.   Brandie can have it for now.  I hope she would still outgrow this habit.