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A smiling grandma on a garden bench holds a sandwich beside a red-gold Golden Retriever with crumbs on his muzzle. 5 / 29

Grandma Sat Down With Her Sandwich. Rusty's Nose Tells the Rest of the Story.

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Lunch on the garden bench was supposed to be a quiet affair. Ruth, in her denim shirt with her long silver braid draped forward, brought out a sandwich stuffed with lettuce and settled in the shade beside a porch full of flowers. Rusty had other ideas. The big red-gold retriever now fills the foreground, his chin practically resting on her knee, a few telltale crumbs stuck to his whiskers and the bridge of his nose. His brown eyes are wide and soulful in that way only a retriever can manage, and Ruth is grinning, half amused and half already defeated. Somebody clearly got a bite.

It is hard to resist that face, but people food is one of the most common ways dogs end up with upset stomachs or extra weight. Some sandwich ingredients are a real problem: onions, garlic, grapes and raisins, chocolate, and products sweetened with xylitol can all be dangerous for dogs. Fatty meats and rich sauces can also cause trouble. A safer approach is to keep a few dog-friendly treats in your pocket for moments like this, or share a plain bite of something simple like a bit of cooked chicken or a slice of carrot. Golden Retrievers are famously food-motivated and tend to put on weight easily, so treats should stay a small part of the day's food. If you are unsure about a specific food, ask your vet.

Rusty, naturally, would argue that a small piece of crust is hardly worth mentioning. Judging by Ruth's smile, she is inclined to agree with him today.

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