>>>>>>>>>>Everyone knows it has to be Texas Pete on eggs!
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>How very NC of you. ;-) Must say that in the US these days I ask for everything "dry" ... because food generally is of such quality that it doesn't need to be slobbered in mayo or any of that other wet stuff. ;-)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>The fashion has come here as well... even though it goes against the very definition of sausage, salami, ham and other "suhomesnati proizvodi" - literally, dry meat products.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>And it's some brine that they inject, to the extent that a slab of bacon is so thick that the pig it came from would probably have required a wheelchair to move around. A butcher here called these injected things fast food - you must eat it within a couple of days, or else it goes all slimy and sticky.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I bought a piece of smoked neck (because what they sell as "dry neck" nowadays is anything but dry), twice as expensive, but I guess I got me a better deal. I wasn't paying any water at the price of meat.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Now you can buy non-refrigerated bacon here. Hats off to them if they have figured out how to do that and keep the bacon safe to eat. I do not find the concept reassuring and have not tried it.
>>>>>
>>>>>If its properly cured there's no reason you shouldn't be able to keep it out of the fridge.
>>>>
>>>>Cured meats are now almost the number one food to avoid for your health. How on earth did everyone survive in the days of cured meat? What was the average life span?
>>>
>>>Most peoples health would benefit from getting off their butts and doing some exercise not from worrying about what they eat :-)
>>
>>Rub it in, Bicycle Man ;-)
>>
>>I keep threatening to get back to biking or running. Unfortunately it has not yet translated to action. Maybe when Bailey gets bigger that will precipitate it. Goldens are one of the few breeds who are suited to running with humans, and they need lots of exercise. I will have to find suitable terrain. Running long distances in a straight line on asphalt is not natural for any breed.
>>
>>Eureka! I'll teach her how to ride a bicycle! LOL. She's smart but not that smart.
>
>Remember Mike. you watching a dog run about is exercise for the dog not for you.
>
>I'm not a dog lover but I did look after my in laws dog for several weeks one summer.
>
>Simple rules. No feeding it scraps from the table while we ate. (I really hate dogs that beg while I'm eating) and three walks a day where I really worked it and me hard. Throwing things as far as I could for it to fetch while I sprinted the other way etc.
>
>We gave the dog back fitter and leaner than it had been for years. They weren't happy because what they wanted back was a fat smelly dog like the one they left.

I was joking about bicycling with Bailey. Running with her would presumably provide some exercise for me as well.

It sounds like you did a great job dogsitting. I agree with you right down the line. Table scraps are verboten. Even more so than usual with goldens, who can become obese if overfed and underexercised. By nature they have voracious appetites, which is not a problem if they get enough exercise. According to a chart the breeder gave me she will need 5 cups of food a day within a few months. I do give her some commercial dog treats as part of training, which is approved even by obedience trainers. You have to give a puppy some motivation, it can't just be no no no. Then when their expected response to commands has been internalized you can stop bribing them. The thing I have been reading and hearing over and over is that you have to instill proper behaviors as early as possible. Things that are cute now when she's an adorable puppy will not be so cute when she is a 90 pound dog a few months from now. Like jumping up on visitors in her enthusiasm or lunging for food. And it will be much harder to untrain her. So I am trying hard to do things the right way.

There is already a good bond between us, which helps. One of the traits goldens are known for is their affectionate nature. In fact, one of the books I read said they are a spectacularly poor choice as a guard dog because they are more likely to slobber all over an intruder than raise an alarm.

UPDATE: Some Golden retrievers here. Bailey already has that smiling look you can see in a number of the photos.

https://www.google.com/search?q=golden+retrievers&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=GIU&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=5c5RULe1GcLuyAGkr4CAAQ&ved=0CDcQsAQ&biw=1704&bih=981