Chewing Gum: The Crack Cocaine of the Canine World

It looks so innocent in its wrapper, doesn't it? I indulge in it - we all love gum, don't we? So does my dog - when it's ABC. ABC? you ask. Yes, Already Been Chewed then spit out on sidewalks, in parks, on people's perfectly mown and weed-free lawns just begging for Annie to scoop it up and keep on chewin'. What's the big deal? you ask. The big deal is that I have to put my hand in her mouth and pull out that wad of corn syrup and germs. I've never been a germaphobe, but, ewww. That's right: for the past 11 months, almost daily, I pull someone else's chewed gum out of my dog's mouth because she just can't resist it, and she's not picky: HubbaBubba, minty, big wad or small. My baby's not alone. I hear all the time that other pet parents from all walks of life, single or coupled, struggle to prevent this addiction in their beloved pet, regardless of breed, and perform interventions as often as I do.

Until yesterday, that is. After telling her only three times to "Leave It," Annie dropped a white wad of some stranger's gum out on the sidewalk where she had found it. This wasn't a one-off, a fluke, either. On tonight's walk, she dropped another (the same?) piece of gum when I told her to. I'm cancelling that methadone order.