(* I made her out of Buffy)
Ha!
You need a little moat of water around the dog dish, meara!
I have a cheap plastic serving tray with 4 tiny nubs on the bottom that I put the food bowls in when I was having ant problems. If one still found its way onto the tray I could turn the tray into a moat or sprinkle some used coffee grounds underneath the tray until they were deterred.
Oooh, Karl. Be good to yourself!