IN recent years human beings have introduced the pastime of competitive eating (eating a bowl of something in the fastest time), and some have proven they are very good at it. Now a video clip on YouTube has inspired a new twist to the challenge: two bowls of spaghetti, two dogs and a stopwatch – and it’s proven a resounding success.
The clip begins with two dogs, a Golden Retriever and a German Shepherd, each with a bowl of spaghetti in front of them. The countdown begins and the dogs slurp their bowls of pasta. The Golden Retriever finishes in a time of 3.98 seconds while his companion is not quite so speedy, finishing his bowl in two minutes and 58 seconds.
The quirky clip inspired two dog owners in Sunningdale to face off against each other on Saturday to see whose dog would be victorious in their own spaghetti challenge. Debi Blake, with her dog, Smudge, and Lesley Devine, with her three-year-old Labrador, Buddy, took up the challenge with well-known dog behaviourist and trainer, Pam Naudé, as the judge.
“The two ladies decided to recreate the challenge, and each was confident of their dog’s abilities. Not to be biased, but I had no doubtBuddy would win. He gulped down the bowl of spaghetti in no time,” said Naudé.
Devine said the decision to have thecompetition was a late one.
“After watching the hilarious video Debi insisted Smudge could do it. So we decided the day before to have this challenge to settle the argument. I knew Buddy would eat the bowl in less than a minute, and he did,” Devine said.
Blake said she was proud of Smudge, who took a cautious approach to his spaghetti challenge.
“Normally Smudge will gobble whatever I put down at home for him. But he’s not used to the taste of spaghetti. He was fairly cautious in the challenge,” Blake said.
