When you spend so much time cooking mouth-watering food, it's pretty normal for your pet to want to nibble on it too.

"Simply put, animals do what works for them. In their eyes, they are eating food that is available to them and don't understand what belongs to them versus their human roommates," Alison Schramel of AHS told Bored Panda. "Food is a valuable resource for animals, especially if they don't know when their next meal will be available to them."

"It's important to keep food out of reach for animals so they don't eat things that will make them ill, such as a loaf of bread left on the counter or chocolate candy on a coffee table."

Plus, it doesn't mean that our pets automatically fail even when they walk away after the mission empty-pawed. Maybe the attention they receive during the whole thing is a sufficient reward in and of itself?

Who hasn't reacted to their pet trying to steal food by taking them into our arms and suggesting the ball instead? Even if we reprimand the rascals, we are paying attention to them, and that could give them a good reason to keep at it.

However, if we want the crimes to stop, Schramel suggested that we, first and foremost, keep all food items out of reach of any animals in our home.

"Remember to keep purses up and out of reach that may have gum or other snacks in them," she added. "If you want an extra layer of management, you can gate your kitchen off as well."

We might need to address some of our habits as well. "Keep an eye on where kids leave snacks or drinks," Schramel said.

"If you have guests over, it may be easiest to keep your pets in a closed bedroom or other location where you don't need to keep an eye on them."

Also, keep in mind that a lack of physical and mental stimulation can lead to many behavioral problems in pets, including stealing food.

According to Schramel, toxic foods we must avoid giving to our pets include grapes, raisins, onions, chocolate, garlic, alcohol, and avocados.

The animal behavior and training manager said other foods to look out for are:

BBQ Bones. They can easily chip into small pieces that quickly become choking hazards, and cooking can also remove the nutrients from the bones. Note: Corn on the cob can also be a similar choking hazard!

Processed or Fatty Meats. Too many snacks like processed or fatty meats can cause gastrointestinal upset or pancreatitis.

Further down the list are:

Ice cream. The amount of sugar in ice cream is too high for this to be a good snack option for your four-legged friend, and some animals may experience lactose intolerance.

Fatty mayonnaise-based foods: Too many fatty foods can cause GI upset or put them at risk of developing pancreatitis.

Nuts. Can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and pancreatitis

Salty snacks. Causes excessive thirst and sodium poisoning.

For more mischievous pet thieves, fire up our earlier picture collections here and here.

But remember, the best way to deal with the problem of our pets stealing food is not to let it develop in the first place.

And if it does happen, it's in your (and the animal's) best interest to put an end to it.