Dark chocolate is heart healthy- I eat it all the time, but I plan it as part of a meal- so don't feel bad for having it. Although the diabetes dietitian really didn't help me with formulating an eating plan, she did impress on me that every type of food is okay to have as long as you plan for it. I find that very liberating- I choose to eat foods that are healing and healthy 99% of the time, but sometimes I just
have to eat something that I know isn't in my best interest. I force myself to calculate the damage before I
open my mouth- sometimes I change my mind about
it, sometimes not. At Christmas, my daughter and I made 17 different types of
cookies (none of them diabetic or heart healthy) and I successfully sampled every one without any sugar spikes. I didn't feel left out and I didn't let myself feel like it was forbidden or bad- I was able to walk away happy- I think that's key for me- I can have it, but do I really need it?
Good luck with your dogs- my dad used to breed Springers and Labs and I remember the conflicts when a new male was brought around- I'm sure they'll come to love one another over time 
and you'll be getting a lot of good exercise chasing after them. Now the husband- that's a different story- I've been trying to train mine for close to 33 years now and he still can't tell the difference between a sock and a soaking wet towel ....grrr sandy