My dog, a Yorshire Terrier whose name is Daisy, eats most things, as
she should being by nature a scavenger.

However, this morning, we discovered a lovely snail, beautifully
salted, offering itself as a gourmet's delight. I rather fancied the
snail myself but Daisy was much faster off the mark than me.

To my astonishment, Daisy sniffed at the snail suspiciously and then walked away.

I find it hard to believe that this was merely good manners, because
she has never had any that I have been able to find.

Now, when the French eat their escargots with such obvious delight,
why should Daisy not share their enjoyment?

Should I have eaten one first? Or what?

And are all dogs so fastidious, even les chiens?

---

Clarification of Question by probonopublico-ga on 20 Apr 2004 11:07 PDT

My thanks to everyone and, partucularly, to PG.

From the information provided, I am glad that she doesn't.

And, like Tutuzbro, neither do I.

I guess that we all have been born with very good taste.

I think that the French are not dogs, that's why they eat snails, or
that the dogs are not French.

Maybe, if there was a bit of butter and garlic on it...

By the way, it is a good thing that dogs are not French: 
"Over the course of 2000 we have diagnosed several cases of
Angiostrongylus vasorum at Parkvets. It appears that this parasite may
now be endemic in south-east England. All of the cases have occurred
in dogs that are known snail or slug eaters. It is suggested that the
most likely way that this problem has been spread is by the fox
population for which snails and slugs make up an important part of
their diet. The foxes in turn pass on the parasite to the slugs and
snails in their stools.

However if your dog is known to eat snails then a veterinary
examination is definitely a good idea.

This form of heartworm now poses a real risk to dogs in south-east
England. If your dog does eat snails then contact your vet to discuss
preventative treatment.

" 

(SOURCE: Parkvets: Heartworm in the UK by Juliette Peck,
<http://www.parkvets.com/clientinformation-angiostrongylus.html>).

I think Daisy walked away because she can't suck the snail or use a
fork to eat it. ;-)

My brother won't eat them either but he's just a mutt. What does he know?