...and ask Mr. 6-pack, b/c he has visited the monks of New Skete.
My daughter gave me one of the early New Skete books when I got my first big dog. I have always been in awe of them when I saw the picture taken in their refrectory with a dozen men at a long table and their dogs lying peacefully behind their chairs. No dog was begging, whining, jumping on the table, nothing.
I just experienced that for the first time this year at Thanksgiving! I put the food on the dining room table and we sat down to eat. The dog just sat down too. I suddenly realized that he had never seen us eat in the dining room before, so he didn’t beg. After dinner, we gave him his treats and scraps in the kitchen and we did it again for another meal like that. I mentioned it to my daughter, and my son in law proclaimed, “I’ve never eaten in your mother’s dining room either!”
By golly, I think he’s right. We’ll have to change that the next time he comes for dinner.