I love those Mac versus PC commercials. Partly because they are funny, and partly because I am a converted Mac user. Up until a few months ago, I was emphatically anti-Apple (with the exception of my iPod, which I loved). Then came the iPhone, and I started to waver. A few weeks later my PC met (another) untimely demise and I decided to replace it with a laptop. It didn’t take much convincing from my radical Apple friends to make the decision to get a MacBook Pro. And all was well, except for a small learning curve regarding hot keys and screen shots. This past weekend, my dogs let me know that they, too, love Apple products.

I know better than to leave anything within dog-reach that I don’t want chewed into tiny little bits. But I have a bad habit of working on my laptop on the couch, getting distracted, and then leaving said laptop (plugged in) on the coffee table. So on Sunday morning, I was working (okay, I was updating my Fantasy Football roster) when I realized I had to get going to make it to church on time. I shut my laptop down, put it on the coffee table, and left.

I came home a few hours later and tried to resume working (checking my score) and my precious laptop wouldn’t boot up. I looked to see if the power cable was attached to the computer. Check. I made sure the power cable was plugged into the wall. Check. I started to check the length of the power cord, which was inexplicably tucked into the cushions of the couch (it’s a long cord). That’s when I saw it. Click here for the full effect.

Those little buggers (and I’m pretty sure Fudge was the ringleader) had made a chew-toy out of my laptop power cord! I googled “replacement power cable for MacBook” and saw no less than 10 blogs and discussions boards that mentioned a dog being the reason for needing a new power cable. The last entry I read said, “Does this power cord have tasty nougat at the center? My dog has eaten two of them!”

So I’m starting to wonder…could the power cord have bacon flavor in it? That certainly would be a way to sell more power cords. Could Apple be doing this on purpose? Surely not - there is that pesky electrocution factor to contend with. I was lucky; the new Mac power cable attaches to the laptop by magnet so as soon as the dogs started their snack it released itself from the laptop and didn’t pull it to the ground so the laptop itself was still safe on the coffee table when I got home. And I was also lucky that I had the sense to unplug it from the wall before I left. But let this be a lesson to you all - put away your tasty electronics before you leave!

When I went to the Apple store to buy another power cord, I brought Chewy with me since the Apple Store is dog-friendly. I asked the sales person if the AppleCare Protection Plan covered chewed-up cords. She said, “No, Acts of Dog are not covered.” Figures.