Dog-Safe Human Foods: All the Foods Penny Loves & the One She Hates

Hi, I’m Savanna! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my spunky Chihuahua mix, Penny.

We’re all familiar with our dogs asking for some of the food we’re cooking or eating, no matter what it is. Sometimes we just can’t help but give in, so we give them a bite. I’m no different. Of course, it’s important to make sure that any food you give your dog is safe for them and given to them plain and free of seasonings, and there are many human foods that are safe for dogs to have in moderation as a little snack.

Unsurprisingly, Penny always wants a bite of our chicken or pork, but we don’t give in because it’s covered with seasonings and other things that might be bad for her. But if it’s something that’s good for dogs, sometimes I do give her a little bit when I’m finished with it. Surprisingly, Penny’s favorite human foods are fruits, but she does like some vegetables.

Here are some of Penny’s favorite human foods, including the one she seems to love the most and the one she absolutely hates. Please note that I have verified that all these foods are safe for dogs before I feed them to her.¹

Raspberries/Blackberries

Because of their unique and sometimes sour flavor if they’re not the right amount of ripeness, raspberries and blackberries seem like one of those fruits that people either love or they hate. But Penny absolutely loves them. We have to buy raspberries, but we have some blackberries growing wild in our yard that I’ll pick, and she always asks for one. So even though some humans don’t like the flavor of raspberries and blackberries, Penny doesn’t seem to mind!

Strawberries

We always have strawberries in our house, because my daughter loves them. Apparently, Penny loves them too. Sometimes she just licks them, but sometimes she takes a few bites out of them. She never eats a whole strawberry though, as I found out several times when I stepped on something wet and squishy. She loves to munch on the strawberry leaves too, but I usually take those away from her since they’re harder to chew and digest.

Blueberries

Penny also seems to like blueberries. Most of the time, anyway. She’s very picky about the texture of the blueberry, and she only likes the firm ones, not the squishy ones. The problem is that I usually just hold fruits in my hand and let her munch on them to make sure she doesn’t eat too much. But blueberries are so small that I can’t do that, and she has to take them out of my hand and eat them.

You know how dogs will put food on the floor after you give it to them and eat it that way? After Penny gets the blueberry out of my hand, she places it on the floor before she eats it, and it sort of rolls away a little bit when she drops it. So it’s funny to watch her have to chase the blueberry before she can eat it. But when she does eat it, it’s so cute to watch her chew it up.

Bananas

I know a lot of dogs like to eat bananas, but this is another one that Penny only eats if the texture is just right. She likes the bananas that are a little bit firmer rather than the softer ones. But if it’s the right texture, she would eat a whole banana if I would let her.

Zucchini/Pumpkin/Squash

Penny isn’t really as big on vegetables as she is fruit, but the vegetables she seems to love are zucchini, pumpkin, and squash. We made zucchini and squash noodles one night and she begged for the zucchini and squash more than she did the meat that we were cooking with them. I only gave her a small piece of zucchini and squash, but she absolutely loved it.

She also really likes pumpkin. She’s very much in the middle of things when we carve jack-o-lanterns at Halloween, helping us “clean up” some of the pumpkin innards. I should’ve known she would like zucchini and squash too, since they’re part of the same vegetable family as pumpkins.

Her Absolute Favorite… Peaches and Nectarines!

Peaches and nectarines are two of my favorite fruits, and apparently they’re Penny’s too. I have never seen a dog beg for food the way I’ve seen her beg for a bite of a nectarine or peach. We’ve all seen how excited our dogs get when we come home to them after being gone. That’s the way Penny acts when she sees me eating a peach or nectarine.

Her tail is wagging, eyes are wide, she’s jumping up and down — it’s hard to resist giving her a bite when she’s that excited. I usually just slice off a few small pieces for her and she gobbles them right up.

And the One Thing She Hates… Lettuce

What’s funny about Penny hating lettuce is that every time I made salad, she always wants a piece of lettuce. I always tell her, “You don’t like this, remember?” But she begs anyway. And every time I give her one, she always spits it right out and refuses to eat it. It’s like she either doesn’t realize what she’s asking for or forgets that she doesn’t like it. It doesn’t matter the type of lettuce either. She won’t eat any of it. That’s okay though, because even though it’s safe, it’s not very nutritious for her anyway.

Penny’s Favorite Foods: A Recap

Penny would at least try anything I give her, and I think it’s totally okay to give our dogs a bite of human food every once in a while, especially if it’s healthy for them like the fruits and vegetables she loves. But I never give her more than just a bite or two, and I never give her anything that is seasoned.

Although her favorite food is peaches and nectarines, I haven’t really found a dog-safe fruit that she doesn’t like. There are some she likes more than others, and it definitely depends on the texture. She doesn’t seem to like as many vegetables though, especially lettuce.

Just remember that when it comes to feeding your dog human food, it’s important to make sure that whatever you feed them is safe for them to eat!