When I was living in Chicago, my landlady had a wonderful golden retriever that was incredibly friendly, smart and fun to play with - but he had one ridiculous habit: he liked to eat his own poop.

Maybe I’m overly enamored with my dog, but I think everything he does is cute—even the way he poops. Tux, an 8-pound Yorkshire terrier mix, determinedly hunches and twirls in a circle or two before ...