Transcript of “MannersMinder Allows Me to Eat in Peace!”

This transcript goes with this blog post.

Sharon sitting in bed with a plate of food on a lap desk on her lap.

SHARON: OK, I’m trying to train Barnum that whenever I’m eating, he should go over and lie next to the wall. And I’m using the MannersMinder for that. So here he is.

Camera pans to the right. Barnum is lying on a wood floor next to a wall with his head resting on the front paw further from the wall. The MannersMinder is between his front paws. It’s gray, hard plastic, resembling a motorcycle helmet in shape, with a smoke-colored translucent lid. The front of the machine has a sloped lip where the kibble is dispensed and can be scooped up by the dog.

Machine makes a “Beep!” followed by a grinding sound, and the sound of kibble tumbling. As soon as the beep occurs, Barnum’s ears perk, he swings his head to the machine, and eats the kibble from the machine’s “bowl.” He then returns to lying his head over his leg.

After a short pause, the machine beeps again, and again Barnum eats a treat and returns to his resting pose.

SHARON’S VOICE OFF-CAMERA: Before he was just staring into it with his face–

WOMAN’S VOICE OFF-CAMERA: I know.

SHARON’S VOICE: With his face right, right in the dish, continually.

WOMAN’S VOICE: I know. That would’ve been a good shot.

SHARON’S VOICE: But he’s realized now that that doesn’t make it work. (Pause.) OK, you want to swing back here.

Camera pans back to Sharon in bed.

SHARON: And I’m eating my food, with no dog jumping on my bed! Yay!

Text on screen: Thank you Dr. Sophia Yin for creating the MannersMinder