A Guest Blog submitted by Rick
It was the late 1950’s and my brother and I were off from school on Christmas vacation. My mom had come home from work, cooked one of her wonderful dinners, and then spent the evening baking sugar cookies. You know the kind. Figures of snowmen, reindeer and such. She put a little hole in the top of each one. She sprinkled them with red and green colored sugar and painstakingly secured a string through the hole in each cookie after they had cooled down from their heated adventure in the oven.
We had just put up the Christmas tree and mom took the time to hang the cookies in a distribution pattern that made each angle of the tree look like a calculated bakers delight. What a cool idea! Never saw that before. Maybe it was an old tradition that she never told us about. Anyway, there they hung in all their glory.
We had just put up the Christmas tree and mom took the time to hang the cookies in a distribution pattern that made each angle of the tree look like a calculated bakers delight. What a cool idea! Never saw that before. Maybe it was an old tradition that she never told us about. Anyway, there they hung in all their glory.
A few days later my brother and me, with mom and dad, hopped in the car, or should I say, made our way through the deep snow to the car, to visit the relatives. We came home, all tired out, and started to get ready for bed. Suddenly, just as my brother and I were about to go upstairs to our bedroom, my mom lets out a shriek!
What she discovered was a little miracle and a completely unexpected surprise. She told us all to take a look at the tree and we finally saw what she was pointing out. The cookies were all gone up to about four feet from the floor with only the strings left. It was a bit strange seeing those strings in their nakedness. Who could have done this? I don't think we had an invasion of hungry elves hit the neighborhood. Of course mom and dad suspected my brother and me, but we declared our innocence, since the cookies were on the tree when we left the house. Hmm, who could be so cunning?! Then it dawned on us.
What she discovered was a little miracle and a completely unexpected surprise. She told us all to take a look at the tree and we finally saw what she was pointing out. The cookies were all gone up to about four feet from the floor with only the strings left. It was a bit strange seeing those strings in their nakedness. Who could have done this? I don't think we had an invasion of hungry elves hit the neighborhood. Of course mom and dad suspected my brother and me, but we declared our innocence, since the cookies were on the tree when we left the house. Hmm, who could be so cunning?! Then it dawned on us.
| Our female German Short-haired Pointer, Lady, had somehow eaten all the cookies on the tree that she could reach by probably getting up on her hind legs. How she managed to eat those cookies, leave every string and not push the tree over or even knock off one ornament or piece of tinsel will always be a mystery. If only we had video cameras back then. We kept imagining what Lady must have looked like, nibbling away at each cookie. How long did it take her to eat all those cookies so delicately? Don’t try this at home! You might find a fallen Christmas tree when you turn on the lights after a joyous holiday jaunt. You see, my dad had trained Lady very well as a hunting dog and she was very obedient. She must have known that it was forbidden to break anything, but those cookies, those dangling sugar coated snowman and reindeer cookies, with no one at home, were just too much for dad’s prize winning hunting dog. Please don’t tempt your dog with holiday treats. You might be surprised at how smart, tactful and agile your dog can be when it comes to your treasured seasonal goodies! | 
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