Grandma Edie Started Rolling Cookie Dough. Moose Took Up His Post at the Counter.
Little balls of cookie dough line up in neat rows on a baking sheet, and Grandma Edie presses each one into shape with practiced fingers. She wears a navy quilted vest over a pink plaid shirt, glasses perched on her nose, and a dusting of flour covers the counter along with a bowl, a whisk, and a set of measuring spoons. Moose has stationed himself at the end of the counter, head tilted, eyes glued to the tray. Warm afternoon light pours through the kitchen window and catches the gas stove and a striped towel hanging off the oven door.
Baking days are a good time to think about dog safety in the kitchen. Raw dough made with yeast can expand in a dog's stomach, and raw dough with eggs or flour can carry germs. Chocolate chips, raisins, and macadamia nuts, all common cookie ingredients, are toxic to dogs. Some sugar-free recipes use xylitol, which is especially dangerous. A tall dog like a Saint Bernard can reach the countertop with ease, so cooling racks belong well back from the edge. If you want to include your dog, a simple dog-safe biscuit made with plain pumpkin or oats lets them share in the fun.
The cookies will go in the oven soon, and the whole house will smell like butter and sugar. Moose will not get one, but he will get the warmth of the kitchen and the company of the best baker he knows. That seems to be enough to keep his tail happy.
