My dog Bella does this thing where she approaches her food dish each night with...possibly suspicion, or maybe it's reverence, but it involves a careful look and smell and then she gently reaches in and grasps a few pieces of kibble in her jaws. She holds them without swallowing, moves away from the dish, scatters them on the floor, sniffs them, maybe eats one or two, then returns to the dish and eats with gusto.
I used to think she was worried we were trying to poison her. But now I think she's a creative genius! Her canvas, the laminate flooring, her medium, Eagle Pack Holistic Senior dog food, sometimes using a glucosamine tablet for texture.
See these examples:
