My spoiled dog

[specialmom]

So, my third child, my dog is such a spoiled pup (at almost 4 years old).  She's a good girl, for sure.  I have a quick question regarding eating.  She, like all dogs, is a fan of eating.  She always has dry food available to her and the occasional soft meal.  However, we feed her probably 3 to 4 times a week a variation of our dinner that the family has.  She's weird and likes vegetables (more than my kids) and will eat broccoli, asparagus, green beans, cooked carrots, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes.  And then she will have some of our protein such as cooked chicken breast, pork, or lean ground beef.  Sometimes on a day in which my kids win and we make mac and cheese, she'll eat that.  In fact, she'll have a little pasta here and there and some rice (usually wheat pasta and brown rice).  Not gobs of it but definitely what I'd call a good sized dog dinner for a 15 pound dog.  Is this harmful to her?  She's not overweight.  And I can't help but think it is as good for her as the usual dry food she has in her bowl (which she still enjoys eating . . .).  Thanks for any input.  

[ginger899]

There are purists who would say that NO! You should never give your dog carbohydrates (pasta etc) or any "human food", and a dog should always eat just a raw diet of meat etc for optimum health....
But I always gave my dog a nice cooked dinner. She had her dog kibble on the side. She loved the crunchy dog food but didn't live on it entirely.
I cooked diferent meats and fish for her and always added vegetables. Now and again when I had a potato left over, I would add it to her scrambled egg breakfast!....Or a few bits of pasta (usually wholewheat)
She loved potato bread, which I made myself specially for her (no salt), and corn bread. I made a special small bread for her which I would use through the week, piece by piece  for wrapping her tablet up in every morning. The reason for that was she loved that bread so much that she wolfed a piece of it down so quickly, and her tablet went straight down without her even knowing. (It was quite a big Glucosamine pill.)
She was the fittest healthiest, active dog right up until about a week or so before she passed away. And she was one month short of 15.
So ....no. Giving your dog some meat and vegetables, a potato or two, a little bit of pasta, isn't going to do any harm at all. Well that's my opinion.
Obviously weight is a consideration. But you have said her weight is good. So she's not over-fed.
The only things you have to watch out for are sauces and dressings etc. Don't give her anything like that. They may contain onion, which is toxic. They will contain salt and probably sugar, and maybe seasonings which aren't good for dogs.