You can't trust a dog alone with a sandwich

A couple of months after I found Honey, I left her alone in the car with a takeout meal from Zankou Chicken - a great Mediterrean chicken chain in Los Angeles. I had ordered my favorite:

The quarter white chicken with hummus. It comes in a covered styrofoam container that has a small section for the hummus, one for tomatoes, pickled turnip and hot peppers and the chicken sits in the middle with a piece of pita bread thrown on top of it all. They put it in a plastic bag and toss in small containers of white garlic topping. Besides making a very crunchy-skinned, flavorful, juicy roast chicken, Zankou is famous for their garlic topping. It's very delicious (and, it's also, let's say, fragrant, so you should encourage anyone around you to share at least a few bites.)

I had to make one last stop before getting home with my meal. Yes, I should've known better - the smell of the chicken filled the car but, it was early days for Honey and me. She was so well-behaved, never chewed anything, never an accident in the house....the perfect dog.

I left Honey in the backseat and ran into the cleaners, quickly picked up some clothes and got back into the car. As I settled in, I moved the stuff on the front seat which included the plastic bag from Zankou. It seemed a little light. I lifted it again. Very light. I looked in the bag - seemed fine - and then I lifted the lid of the container which was popped slightly open. There was my meal: the hummus neatly in its section, the tomatoes, pickled turnips and peppers in theirs and....nothing. The wing, breast and all the bones of the wing and the breast were gone. The pita bread also - vanished.

Since I am familiar with food sneak-thief dogs, I didn't question where my meal had gone. And, dog lover that I am, even though I was very hungry and had really been looking forward to my Zankou chicken, between some muttering about dogs who crawl from the back seat to the front, reach into a bag sitting there and carefully take out only the food they want, leaving the rest behind perfectly untouched - almost as a taunt -- I also was concerned Honey would have some problems with the many chicken bones she had ingested. Especially since I knew she had carried out the whole act within five minutes or so.

Honey was fine and I had learned my lesson and wasn't going to make that mistake again...

But, that was over a year ago and Honey and I are now pretty comfortable together.

I was in Ventura and again, I had to pick up lunch so I went to another chain I like: Tacone. All their food is very fresh and very tasty. The people that run it are extremely nice and there are outside tables so I can eat out there with Honey if I'm so inclined. But, I thought I'd just get something to go:


One of their wrap sandwiches with a side of spicy sweet potato chips. I ordered the spa wrap - grilled zucchini, yellow squash, red bell peppers, carrots, spinach, feta and balsamic vinaigrette wrapped up in a tortilla and had them add chicken - big chopped slices of warm chicken breast. I took the meal packed in a styrofoam container in a plastic bag and I put it in the front seat.

I had to stop at the market before I went home so I found a space in the shade, rolled the windows partially down, and went into the store. I had to pick up a few things, there was a little bit of a line in the store so it took me about 20 minutes. When I got out to the car, Honey was sitting calmly in the back - maybe a little too calmly.

I went around to the passenger's side to put my bags in the front seat and I couldn't believe it. My seat was covered in garbage. There was old food and torn paper thrown all over the front seat. Someone had obviously tossed a bunch of trash in my open window - an act of pure vandalism. It must have been kids - it was such a senseless act.

And then, as I put my bags down and bent over to clean it up, the garbage started to look familiar - like spinach, and zucchini and squash and carrots...the torn paper looked like it might say Tacone.... As I cleaned up, I would like to assure you there was not a scrap of chicken or tortilla or cheese or potato chips around...

What I've learned? Honey doesn't eat vegetables.

pitbull, pit bull