The Brownie.

I consider myself a pretty cautious dog-owner. If we get something with a silica packet, I walk it out to the trash immediately. I make sure that coffee cups are off the kitchen table and pens are off the floor. The cord for the window blinds are wrapped up tightly. And yet, I performed a cardinal sin of dog owning on Friday.

Some of my far-away coworkers were in town from for a meeting. On Friday, my new supervisor brought in brownies from Marvelous Market, a place in Dupont Circle near her hotel. On her way out to the airport, she stopped by my office to see if I wanted the end of them. I said no, but then she suggested that I bring them home to The Human Male. There are few things that The Human Male loves more than brownies, so I decided to take the end.

Several hours later, I left for home. I was absolutely exhausted and burnt out, and nearly fell asleep on the bus. So I got in the door, dropped my bag, and The Human Male and I went to the store to pick up a pizza.

We were gone for only about 15-20 minutes, and when we got home, Alice was chirping by the door. We open it, and I notice there's a plastic knife and dirt speckles on the floor. I immediately assume this is something that The Human Male did, and asked why there was a knife on the floor. Then I saw the container.

I'd completely forgotten that I had the brownie in my bag, and Alice had gone digging in my purse, pulled it out, opened the container, and ate the brownie. Always trying to get to anything chocolate, Alice was thrilled. The Humans... not so much.

The brownie wasn't very big, but you just don't mess with dogs and chocolate. We looked up how much was "safe", and The Human Male called the vet. Fortunately, we were in the non-emergency range, and Alice had no ill effects whatsoever, except for a huge case of happiness that she finally got some chocolate.

The moral of the story: Always remember when you bring home treats, and don't leave them where nosy, chocolate-lusting puggles can reach it.

(By the way, the brownies were pretty marvelous.)