No cake decorator wants to walk in and see cake crumbs making a trail to their kitchen, which is what I walked upstairs to. First off, my grandmother had passed away the morning of the wedding, I was already upset from that, but I had to do the cake now. I mean it was the day of the wedding. All I had to do was finish icing the cakes, and add the ribbon at the reception site. I went into my basement to get the box for transporting and came back upstairs and saw that my dog had decided to eat half of the bottom layer ( of course the largest). I was due at the reception site in 30 minutes. So with a quick call to the bride, I told her I would be there at 5, one hour before the reception, to set up. I baked my butt off and my mom helped me finish up. I finished working right up until the wedding party arrived. It was slightly embarrassing having all the guest watch me, but I made it through and the cake turned out pretty good (see Ribbon Parade in my photo album). Needless to say my cakes will not be temporarily left on the dining table anymore.

Well, you recovered nicely! I'm sorry this happened to you. But the cake looks great.

Nice save!

I don't have a dog I have a three year old with big brown puppy dog eyes who has to be watched because he is a cupcake thief and a hubby with big hazel eyes that constantly says "Oh I didn't know I couldn't eat that." Do you know how many times I have had to make up a whole new batch because one or two were missing? UUUGGGGH! It's not as though they don't get enough cake its just that they pick the mot inoportune moments to steal!

The cake was beautiful and I am sure no one is the wiser.

i hear ya on the cake thieves! between my husband, and his best friend that lives with us, i generally have to make an extra cake each time for them to ruin/eat. same with cookies. i have my "decoy" cookies and then i have the real ones
the worst was when i was making a 3D bear cake, i had painstakingly put all the fur on and was cleaning some stuff up when DH walked into the kitchen, said "Oh... COOL!" and promptly stuck his finger into the icing on the bear. he was threatened with divorce and chased from the kitchen

Isn't it just wonderful - LOL

Great save, btw!
Your cake looks great!

I feel for you, I have a couple of sneaky dogs, I have to watch them really close. I was making my cake for my Wilton class, I had it baked and sitting on cooling racks, they were perfect. I left the room to do something and when I returned my husband asked what happened to my cake. I looked at it and realized my dog or dogs had taken a big hunk out of the cake. I had to get creative and piece it back together with the cake I had taken off when leveling. Needless to say, you could not tell a thing had happened, but I learned a valuable lesson. Ha! So, I know exactly how you feel, but, you saved it and it looks great!

all I can say is...


EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

I hope everyone who works from home and has housepets and/or smokes informs their customers of such. We have cattle, horses, and dogs, but they all stay outside at all times. As a non-housepet person, I'm pretty grossed out by this story because I know what other sorts of things dogs will also eat. How do you know he didn't lick the icing on another tier before he dove into that one?

My cake was strictly for my class an no one ate it, so I wasn't real worried about it. However, If I were make a cake for someone, obviously I would not let my dogs eat it or lick it. I'm sure that anyone else with house pets feels the same!! That just makes good sense.

I'm sorry about your gradmother. Peace be with her.

Your cake turned out wonderful. It looks very pretty.

I don't have any pets, and you are lucky that he only attacked one of your cakes sitting in your dining room...but how do you know he didn't go near any of the other layers? I won't even let my children or husband go anywhere near any cakes because I worry about people touching my cakes that are going to customers. How can you guarantee that your dog didn't sniff around the rest of the cake?

That just really....grosses me out for lack of a better word. Sorry. Pets shouldn't be running around the house from the second you begin baking to the moment you are done decorating when it's a cake that people outside your family will be eating.

Anyway, your cake did turn out great. Congratulations.
angie

My deepest sympathies on your loss.

I am glad it worked out with the cake. I would freak though if my dog got my cake.

That would mean he could open the back door LOL.

I'm sorry but I have to disagree!! I have two dogs and a cat and I don't see the problem if you are clean as well as keeping your house clean and I don't let my dogs near the cakes!!! I have run a licensed home daycare for 20 years, I am inspected by the county health department and they see my dogs everytime they come in - not a problem. I have to have a food service permit issued by the health department, I follow strenuous guidelines and regs. I have seen and been in peoples homes that don't have pets and they were much "grosser" than having pets in the house. I guess what I am try to say is: my pets are part of my family and I treat them as such. I pride my self in keeping an immaculate home. Your points are well taken I just have to disagree.

Miss Robin Honey..

That's you...not everyone can say the same....and if my post is not a refection on you..then you can disgregard it..

(hugs)

Thanks! I definitely see your point of view, and I am not a licensed cake decorator, if I were, it would be out of my home without my animals.
I really wasn't taking anything personal, just offering another point of view. I value all of your opinions!

I am sure that everyone feels differently on how one should run their business.

Some think cakes should be baked in places only outside the home. Others feel the home is a better place to do so.

Some thinks pets are ok and others don't.

Personally I am a major pet lover and it wouldn't bother me if someone had a house full of pets and baked my cakes.

However, I'm a big NON smoker and hate the thought of someone smoking while making my cake or even having it on their fingers.

Truth be told we don't know what goes on in most kitchens, homes or professional.

If someone is so picky then they shouldn't eat at places they have not personally checked out.

If you knew some of the gross things that happens in restaurants or that are even served to people in a hospital you would be sick.

I hope everyone here runs a clean kitchen and takes the best of care when they bake. However, I don't think we should be telling others how to run their business. Not everyone agrees and it's only going to cause ill feelings we try to tell others that our way is the right way and others are not doing it right.

I would never tell someone how to run their business, but it goes without saying that as soon as your cake is made for the public (i.e. WEDDING CAKE that is consumed by guests) that you NEED to be concerned about what you do in your kitchen.

Sure, what I don't know won't kill me, but having pets lick or sniff around cake is just not sanitary. There is no way anyone can argue that. YES, there are other unsanitary things, too that can be equally disturbing, but those are givens. Of course peole should wash their hands and have a clean work area and not smoke while they are baking. Does everyone do that? I don't know. Probably not. But that doesn't mean I'm going to say "Oh, well."

It's not about being an animal lover. You can love your pets and still understand that they shouldn't be near your work area.

That's all I'm trying to convey.
angie

Ok that is what I don't understand. I love my animals and I do smoke. There is no way I would have my pets in the house while cooking. They are too small to get to the counters but there is the dog hair issue.

As for smoking, I don't care if the person who cooks for me is a smoker. As long as they are not holding a cigarette in their mouth like Peggy Bundy while cooking my food. I don't smoke while doing any of my cooking. I need both hands to bake

Oh, do I feel the pain. I have 9 dogs. and a child gate between the kitchen and the rest of the house. They, the dogs, know the word OUT! It is so easy to have happen, even when your really careful. All in all, a good catch getting everything taken care of in time. The cake is very nice. Good Work!

and I'm mopping as you guys are typing..lol

most restaurant kitchens think it's not cost effective to close to do major clean up.

I have a small place...and only do custom work..but I do close one day a week for heavy cleaning and..

I have a steamer...that I break out when ever I see to much caked up junk on stuff..

I do my best to try to run clean every day, but as a one man show..sometimes I get carried away and speed over takes my neatness...

but I can breathe easy coz I KNOW..that I run a tight ship down in my little pink dungeon...

as a matter of fact...I need to break out the steamer before the first of the year so '07 will find me spick and span..bright and shiny like a new penny!

OOH I love my steamer. I have one that steam cleans my floors and I can use as a cleaner too. Of course I clean with cleaners too but aren't they great!

I once worked with a girl in a snazzy downtown restaurant. She was awlays covered in pet hair and her own long hair. They once found her hair in one of the desserts.

Ewwww. I have found hair in my food before (from a restaurant) that is gross. I slick my hair back into a pony tail and lint brush myself before cooking. I would be so embarassed if someone found a hair in their food.

Risque, I agree. I would love to have a kitchen like that too!

I agree everything should be clean and hair free. However, I do have two dogs and they stay inside when I cook. They have a doggy door and if they need to go outside they have to walk through the kitchen. I would bet even though they do that no one will ever find a hair (mine or the dogs) in anything I make.

Most people come to my house and say they wouldn't ever know a dog lived here. I have a sister I live with that cleans all day and every day.
A bit OCD really.

I wish everyone would have a clean house and wash their hands and pull their hair back but we all know there are many people and business that don't.

I really don't think being legal or not even tells someone if they are clean or not. Personally I wouldn't eat at a place that I have not been able to go to see if it was clean (a home business) no matter if they were legal or not.

I'm sure everyone on this forum thinks they are clean and does everything by the book. I was just saying that posting something saying YUCK or Ewwww makes it sound like they are a filthy person. That's only going to cause hurt feelings.

JoanneK

lol, I only posted what I would 've said in person if I had been told that very same story..lol

and I'm sure there were no hard feelings as a LOT of people did pat her on the back to tell her what a great save!!

I'm sure that you are right about places..and a lot of times I have the curtain that separates my working area from the front drawn back as I have nothing to hide from my customers..lol

I just don't like to turn around and "BUMP" into them as my place is so smal..lol

and right now, my coffee machined decided to die on me so I have a willy nilly mess under my coffee counter..( I had a bit of a water leak from the machine..lol)

And doing my best to get organized, but these people just wont leave me alone!

I know...Ask your sister to come over here..lol I wouldn't mind someone with a little OCD for a bit..!!!

Joanne my Ewww was directed at the post above me not anything or anyone else. I am sure you would think the same thing if you imagined someone covered in dog hair making your food.

I don't think because people have dogs in their house they are nasty or have nasty houses. My mom and my sister have inside dogs and you would never know it. Momma even has a long haired cat and you would never know Mikey was there either. (cool thing is he is house trained, no litter boxes!) I just have never been lucky enough to manage to have kids and dogs inside and dog hair not be on everything. No matter how much I cleaned. I honestly don't know how people do it but I know they do. That is why my dogs stay outside. My kids are enough to clean up after

Risque,

I would love to send you my sister for a few days. When I first moved in with her I thought it was great how clean she was. But now, it sort of bugs me. The minute she gets up she starts to clean and continues to do so until it's almost bed time.

This is a true story. I went out in the living room the other day and she had the Roomba going and was also vacuuming with the regular vacuum at the same time...... She was in hog heaven.

I hate when I bake because she goes crazy when she walks into the kitchen and sees a mess. I have to kick her out until I'm finished and cleaned up. Then no matter how clean I make the kitchen she is in there right after me doing it all over.

I love her to death but she can drive me crazy at time. So, what time do you want her?

JoanneK

ASAP if you please...lol I wouldn't mind going down to the beach while she cleaned!

I was on google looking for pictures of FLYING MONKEYS>.don't ask...

and I found a silly cartoon ..related to this thread..

it was a hospital operating room...they were ready to operate on a gentleman...and the operating bed was a dogs tongue...lol...( the dog had his mouth open and tongue out with the man on it...)

The cartoon was showing...inovative operating room equipment..

And the Operating doctor is turning to the other doctors and is saying..

"DOGS MOUTHS ARE VERY CLEAN"..lol

It was more meaningful after having read this thread..lol