That bit about chocolate being bad for dogs, I dunno... my dogs have always loved chocolate and they all have lived long, happy lives. And I have a relative who eats more chocolate, more often than I, and every time she eats chocolate her dog gets a bite. And her dogs have all lived long, happy lives.
I think people got the idea chocolate was bad for dogs because they failed to take body mass into account and gave them as much chocolate as a human would eat... which WOULD be bad for a 40 pound dog.