From the editor- Pantry raider | Canterbury Opinion | Local Voices from Canterbury, New Zealand

I've got a midnight pantry raider at home.

It started last week - first it was the potato chips; the next night it was two packets of biscuits, liquorice and peanuts.

And the raider wasn't too fussy about hiding the fact she had been into the pantry. There were shredded empty packets strewn across the floor.

The culprit of course, was the dog.

She's a great eater is my dog. But I've managed to keep the munching in check over the past 10 months or so and her weight has dropped from a tank-like 35kgs to a lean athletic 27kgs.

I wish I could say the same for myself, but I'm working on it!

It's the first time the dog has taken the liberty of helping herself to the pantry. This girl can smell anything edible from miles away and i guess the aroma from opened - but tied packets - must have been just too much..

The first raid was on a half eaten packet of potato chips - sour cream and chives. I was looking forward to finishing them. The so and so beat me to it.

They were tied up with a rubber band, but that was no obstacle for a hungry lab.

I should have taken it as a warning. I never thought to secure the pantry door the following night.

She raided again.

The cheddar biscuits disappeared (I was suprised she didn't cut herself some cheese as well from the fridge), the liquorice (which I had forgotten about and must have been hidden away behind other stuff in the pantry), gone and the half packet of peanuts I was looking forward to at the weekend also gone.

So the pantry has been secured, and the potato chips and peanuts and biscuits have been put on a higher shelf - just in case.