Grandpa Ken Started Scooping Cookie Dough. A Floury Chin Appeared at the Counter.
Golden evening light pours through the kitchen window, catching the flour dusted across the counter and the open bag of it leaning against the backsplash. Grandpa Ken is scooping chocolate chip cookie dough from a metal bowl onto a baking sheet, smiling to himself as the rows of rounded mounds take shape. Right at the edge of the counter, Rocco has propped his wrinkly brindle chin, a faint smudge of flour on his muzzle, eyes locked on the bowl with laser focus. A glass measuring pitcher, a dish towel, and a scattering of baking supplies fill the warm, busy kitchen.
This is one of those moments when a dog's devotion needs a firm boundary. Chocolate is toxic to dogs, and darker chocolate is more dangerous than milk chocolate, so cookies like these are firmly off the menu. Raw dough is also a concern, since raw eggs and raw flour can carry bacteria, and doughs made with yeast can expand in a dog's stomach. Keep the bowl and cooling racks well back from the counter edge, and consider giving your dog a safe chew or a lick mat to keep him occupied while you bake. If your dog does sneak any chocolate, call your vet or a pet poison hotline right away.
Rocco will have to settle for the smell, which, judging by his face, is still pretty wonderful. Ken might bake him a batch of plain dog-safe biscuits next time, just to be fair.
