Dogs and their diet

James Lileks covers some local politics in Minnesota, sliding over into the dietary interests of canines (s'okay, there is a common point):

This week in lawmaking: Our elected reps spent an hour debating a requirement to post signs warning consumers that cocoa mulch is poisonous for dogs. Like a knucklebone eaten by a Pekinese, it passed, narrowly. In case the House wraps up early and still feels frisky, here are some other things dogs eat:

The meatless skeleton of a chicken dragged from the garbage in the dead of the night.

The federal tax code, if dipped in gravy.

You, if it comes to that, and you're not in a position to argue.

And so on. Dog's mouths are nature's version of Amazon's One-Click: Me Want/Me Have. Many years ago my dog harked up a straight pin an inch and a half long. I stared at the mess in amazement — are you auditioning to be a circus sword swallower? A pin? Branching out into the metal food group now? He was saved by the wisdom of his stomach, which serves as the closest thing to a conscience a dog will ever get.