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A black tricolor Australian Shepherd lies on a tile floor beside a tipped metal tin with round cookies spilling out. 22 / 26

Cookies Were Meant for the Party. The Aussie Got There First.

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A black tricolor Australian Shepherd lies on the kitchen floor with her white-tipped paw stretched out, and her amber-brown eyes gaze up with a guilty look. Beside her, a decorative metal tin is tipped over, and a spill of round butter cookies tumbles across the tile floor. Crumbs are scattered around, and a faded blue wall, a woven rug and a dish towel are visible in the background. Her glossy coat shines in the soft light. We'll call her Domino, and she's holding very still.

Australian Shepherds are intelligent and energetic dogs who thrive on training, play and having a job to do. They tend to form strong bonds with their families, and a bored Aussie can get creative with household items. Holiday cookies often contain ingredients that are unsafe for dogs, such as chocolate, raisins, macadamia nuts and some sweeteners, and a lot of butter and sugar can upset their stomachs. Keep treats on a high shelf, tell guests not to share, and call your vet if your dog eats something questionable. A few dog-safe treats in a puzzle toy make a better holiday activity.

Domino looks sorry, but she also looks like she enjoyed it. She hasn't moved from the scene, which may be the clearest sign of her honesty. The cookies are gone, the tin is empty, and her people will probably find that big gentle face hard to resist.

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