Sweets for my sweet

One of the highlights of my day is a leisurely dog walk that ends at my local java joint -- double-short cappuccino for me, a dog biscuit for my sidekick. Shout out to Café Javasti in Wedgwood, an awesome coffeehouse and crêperie with pooch-loving baristas and treats for dogs.

Recently, as my dog truffled around the outdoor tables, looking for a scone bit that might have dropped in the last year, a fellow customer struck up a conversation. She explained that her dog was also very "food-motivated." Apparently, one treat, one time from a bank teller inspired 17 years of whimpering every time they passed that branch.

Lulu would wade through a pool of fire-breathing cats for a piece of old, dry kibble, so I understood and had to say "sure" when my new friend offered a treat. She liked my dog, had a cookie supply in her car, was prepared to trek out and back in the middle of a busy day -- all in honor of a lost love. I adore dog people. But I did think: If a stranger offered a cookie from their car for my kid, would I say yes?

After recon, she surreptitiously passed me the cinnamon brown cookie, in the shape of an elephant, out of my dog's eyeshot. "That's how it's done," I thought admiringly. It was a low-fat molasses and peanut butter cookie from Blue Dog Bakery. These are Lulu's favorites, which is to say my favorites. The aroma of blackstrap molasses makes them smell like something I'd eat -- a little disconcerting when I'm jonesing for a sweet snack of my own.

Then I discovered that Blue Dog Bakery is a local enterprise, cooked up in a Portage Bay houseboat by one Margot Kenly. I love it when a local kid makes good -- especially when making good takes the form of a yummy, all-natural cookie for my dog!

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