I always joked that Charlie was a gluten-free coyote, for if MC gives him a bit of cheeseburger, Charlie eats the meat and the cheese and leaves the bun; he licks the jam off toast and leaves the bread; he even goes so far as to pull the breading off fried chicken and only eat the meat. I assumed he just didn’t like bread-stuff.

The other day I baked (something I rarely do anymore; it’s difficult with no oven) and made a few batches of gluten-free scones and cookies at MC’s house. Charlie, who always wants to try anything that anyone is eating even if he ends up spitting it out onto the floor, sat before me and I gave him a corner of a scone. He gobbled it up and sat again with his little chest puffed out, asking for more. I gave him a bit of a cookie and he devoured that as well, hard proof that Charlie is officially a gluten-free coyote.