The New and Improved Bulldog?

There was an article about English Bulldogs in a recent edition of the New York Times. It discussed the breeds pitfalls and how there is an effort underway to bring about serious changes in the bulldog. They do have a plethora of health problems ranging from respiratory to skin infections to eye ailments etc etc! I am all for improving the genetics of the breed. It would make for a healthier dog and would result in less suffering for the animal and its owner. Some say it would take away the cuteness factor. I don't think so, as long as they have the same loving temperament I could live with the physical changes.

Ozzie has commented that he feels he is a perfect specimen of a bulldog. Perhaps in Ozzie's world he is but just talk to his vet and my checking account. They will give you a different opinion!

Don't worry Oz we love you just the way you are!

Can the Bulldog be Saved?

Cyber Bulldog Monday

With the Thanksgiving holiday behind us we are back to routine! With that brings the excitement of the Christmas season. It was so warm this weekend we put up our Christmas lights so to avoid doing it next week when the weather reverts back to its normal cold self!

Ozzie enjoyed the weather that enabled him to sit on the front porch and bathe in the sun's warmth. Everybody that walked by stop to pet him and he just gobbled up all the attention! (Pardon the turkey pun!)

Speaking of the Christmas season, today is Cyber Monday. The day when many folks get great deals online and put a dent in their holiday shopping. Not a bad idea to sit at home and press a few buttons to buy presents versus trying to find a parking spot at the mall that doesn't require a two mile hike to the entrance! I am still not sure who wants what and I really have to get with the program and become a motivated shopper!

Here are a few sites to do some shopping for our furry friends. Hope you all get some great deals without ever changing out of your pajamas today! Unless you are at work, then it would be a good idea to get dressed!

http://www.fetchdog.com

http://www.barkingdeals.com/

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com

http://www.coolbluedog.com/

Finally Black Friday

Ozzie is snoring away this morning, still sleeping off his turkey hangover I suppose! He was fed tempting holiday morsels from guests yesterday and mostly from Uncle Freddie, so today I think its back to dog food exclusively!

Today is the infamous Black Friday where people lose their minds and wait on endless lines in the middle of the night freezing their fannies off. Well there is no useless gadget, flat screen TV or toy that I need to have that much, so I will just stay in today and clean up after yesterday's festivities. I plan to do most of my shopping online if possible so this way I don't have to fight the crowds at the mall. Ozzie has yet to give me his Christmas wish list for 2011, but I suspect there will be the usual requests of bullie sticks and nylabones. I have attached a site that has great deals for dogs and offers free shipping, its Barking Deals.com. I think I will shop there today from the comfort of my laptop!

The town Christmas Parade is tonight and it will culminate with the lightening of the Christmas tree down by the circle. I was going ask Ozzie if he wanted to go but parades are not his thing. He rather stay put and watch them on TV!

Good luck for those venturing out to the malls and enjoy your long weekend.

http://www.barkingdeals.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

Count down to T-Day! I suspect a lot of folks have last minute rushing around to either get ready for Thanksgiving dinner or travel to grandma's house. I tried to get Ozzie into the holiday spirit with a turkey hat I bought from the Christmas Store but he really wasn't digging it at all! "Give me the real stuff, not some dumb turkey hat!" he protested.

Speaking of protesting I really am not happy with the idea of stores opening up on Thanksgiving evening. It takes away from the sprit of the holiday. Thanksgiving is not about shopping for cheap gadgets and gotta have toys, its about celebrating gratitude for what we have and the friends and family that join us on that day. Once again, corporate America has cheapened the meaning of the holidays. Though I suppose there are those people who validate their philosophy and will line up out there at midnight when the doors open to get that great deal, whatever it may be!

Please remember to watch your pets and make sure that Uncle Billy doesn't feed them anything he shouldn't and also to think of those animals in shelters and make a donation to those who really are in need.

Below is link from the ASPCA giving you safety tips for your pets during the Thanksgiving holiday, and from Ozzie and our family to yours...Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Safety Tips

Bull Dog Therapy

I usually post on Mondays but I came down with a lousy cold and was somewhat incapacitated yesterday. I went to the doctor who confirmed that my throat was a rosy red and told me to buy some over the counter medication. For a thirty dollar copay I wish I had gotten a little more help than that! I went home after the doctors and decided to lay down for a little while. As soon as I got on the couch, Ozzie decided to join me. There we snoozed away and when I got up I must say I felt a little better. I will contribute it to bulldog therapy.

I have got to get going and finish my shopping for Thursday. I have 20 people coming over for Thanksgiving dinner and haven't done much. Off to the grocery store to get my fresh turkey!

Finally Friday and So Long Regis!

I am very distracted this morning because I am watching Regis's final day on "Live with Regis and Kelly". He has been a morning staple in this household for many years as I assume many others across America. Ozzie is usually taking his morning nap by 9:00 AM most times so he misses the show altogether. Anyway it's sad to see him go and I am not sure if Kelly sans Regis will be something I would want to tune in to every morning. (Besides I was more a Kathy Lee Gifford fan!) Good luck Regis. thanks for all the memories and enjoy your "Second Act"!

Anyway that being said I have to get shopping and ready the house for Thanksgiving next week. We are having roughly 20 people coming which means one big turkey! Ozzie will be taking his spot under the dining room table waiting patiently for the fallout! I am also getting a package together for the boy scouts who are collecting for the food pantry in town which has gotten very low on provisions lately. For the holidays we need to keep in mind to donate or give our time to those not as fortunate as ourselves. That includes our furry friends too. Animal shelters are in great need right now, so any donations monetary or supplies are very much appreciated!

Have a super weekend all!

P.S. Sorry about the picture placement. Blogger is not allowing me to move or delete the photos or maybe its me?

Eat or not to Eat!

Please don't eat the daisies!

Since the holidays are on the horizon and we are going to have all sorts of goodies in the pantry I thought it may be a good time to review all things food that are not good for our doggies.

I know Ozzie likes to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables (variety is the spice of life!) but there are some things that fall in this category that are no-no's. You most likely know of the dangers of grapes and raisins, they can be toxic to your dog and onions and garlic can damage red blood cells and cause anemia. ( Onion being the bigger offender of the two.)

As far as turkey goes, never give cooked bones from a turkey to your pet, they can splinter and cause severe damage to their intestinal track. As far as that yummy crispy skin from the bird do not be tempted to offer that because that causes acute pancreatitis and at the very least will upset his tummy!

I have attached a link that gives a list of items to avoid. In the meanwhile I have to a make more Thanksgiving meatballs for Oz since his Grandpa finished off his for lunch the other day!

http://www.risingwoods.org/OURFAMILY/THEDOGS/knowntoxicfoodsfordogs.htm

Thanksgiving Treat for Your Pup

"Yummo!"

Happy Monday all! I wanted to share a recipe I tried out on the Oz this weekend, Thanksgiving meatballs . It's for the holidays or any day for that fact. It's quick and easy and requires a few simple ingredients.

1 pound of ground turkey

1 egg, beaten

handful of dried cranberries

1 slice of whole wheat bread

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet lined with foil and spread a little olive oil on the foil so the meatballs won't stick. Mix together the turkey with the cranberries. Take the bread and moisten it in the beaten egg, ( you may want to add a little water to stretch the egg) then break it up and add to the turkey mix along with the remaining egg. Make meatballs at your desired size. Arrange them on the cookie sheet and bake them in the oven for about 20 - 25 minutes.

Once they are cooled serve them to your favorite pooch. It's a great way for them to enjoy a little taste of Thanksgiving. Ozzie gives them two paws up!

P.S. to this post:

One thing I may add to this recipe. After storing in a container, carefully label it. Example; "Fidos Meatballs". If not someone may come along like Ozzie's Grandpa and eat them for lunch. Sorry Oz!

Finally Friday and Happy Veterans Day!

Another week has flown by and here we are. We have no particular plans for the weekend which is sometimes a good thing (like Martha would say) Maybe I will finally get to making those Pumpkin doggie cookies!

The leaves are at their peak here and with the windy brisk weather of today they are taking flight! Many neighborhood trees have suffered damage from the freak snow storm the other week, so their display is not as dazzling as it would be with missing branches and all!

Ozzie and I wanted to take this opportunity to say thanks to all who have served this great country! Not to be forgotten on this day are the dogs that courageously served in the armed forces. They too have made the sacrifice and along side their human counterparts and have served bravely over the years. If you want to read about dogs in the military check out The United States War Dog Association.

In the meantime Ozzie has prepared a little speech for this special day, take it away Oz!

Ahem...On this Veteran's Day let us remember the service of our veterans and let us renew our national promise to fulfill our sacred obligations to our veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much so that we can live free!

Very nice Oz! Everyone have a great weekend!

Catch That Labrador!

Phew! What a very exciting morning in the neighborhood! I had noticed a lot of commotion outside in front of our house as I sat at my desk. I then saw kids chasing after something down the street. It was a big brown lab galloping along Cleveland Ave! As the kids left for school the dog made his mad escape out the front door! I went outside to see what I could do. With doggie treat in hand I made my way towards the wily young pup. I approached him slowly and he ran to me. Yikes this dog was big at least 90 pounds and jumped up at me in uncontrollable, slobbering puppy like enthusiasm! I managed to hang onto his collar as a neighbor of mine lured him with her unwilling beagle who was just trying to do his business. He followed her for several steps than took off in the other direction towards the Boulevard! I ran home to get my car keys to follow the runaway pooch. As I circled the block I saw the kids and they pointed down the block. I went to the main street hoping not to find a doggy disaster when I saw a police car. I pulled up to him and excitedly told him about the wandering Lab. Then I noticed him sitting in the back seat of the car. The cop was way ahead of me and was on his way to return him to his owner.

When I get back to the house, Ozzie was comfortably snoring away enjoying his morning nap on the couch. I knew what Ozzie was thinking, "Dumb a-- dog!" I have to agree!

Messy Monday and Poo on my Shoe

Ozzie went visiting this weekend to see his buddies Harley and Tank. It's been a while since he has been there, ( last summer?) and I think Harley may have forgotten about him and was a little leery of the Oz. Let's face it, if you never see any other dogs other than your Labradoodle brother and all of a sudden this flat faced dog built like a fire hydrant shows up at your door it can be kind of frightening. Especially if you are only a 12 pound Pomeranian-Chihuahua. Ozzie just wanted to play so he chased Harley around who was not liking it one bit! Tank stepped in to bark at Ozzie to stop like the good big brother he is. They seemed to work things out in their own canine fashion and the boys were all "chillin" together at the end of the evening.

I found out the leaves on the ground in our yard make the perfect camouflage for poop! It becomes a game of sorts where you are challenged to find the hidden kabobs. I definitely lost the game the other day when I thought I knew the exact location of Ozzie's morning constitutional. I walked back into the garage and found a very unpleasant surprise on the bottom of my shoe! Perhaps this is a game all dog owners are playing at the moment. Inspiration to keep up with cleaning the yard of dog doo I suppose. Though I swore I heard Ozzie snickering when I discovered the mess on my shoe! Watch were you step and have a great day!

Finally Friday and Turn it Back!

Ozzie is looking forward to a relaxing weekend, (what weekend is not relaxing?). The weather this time around should be wonderful! No snowstorms in our forecast! The Northeast is still recovering from last Saturday's storm which brought down thousands of branches and trees along with that many electrical wires! Some folks still patiently wait for their power to be restored while power companies work around the clock to get things back to normal. Most people have furnaces that require electric to operate them so that means no heat for them as well! We were lucky and only experienced a momentary dimming of our power.

I want to mention a story that has been in the news this week about contaminated pet food that may be making pet owners sick. Not that they decided to eat kibble alongside Fido but the handling of the food and then touching ones mouth could transmit salmonella. The FDA announced they would be testing dog and cat food, along with feed for rodents, reptiles, fish and birds. Testing samples will be collected from major retail and wholesale pet food companies, including, but not limited to, PetCo, PetSmart, Walmart and Target.

Now what can you do in the meantime to keep your family safe? First of all the salmonella does not affect your pet so don't worry on that count it's only cross contamination that occurs in handling the pet food that affects humans. Here are some tips to help ensure you avoid this scenario all together.

Tips when purchasing food

Buy packaged pig ears, avoid bulk bins

Do not buy food with damaged packaging

Store pet foods in cool dry place under 80 degrees

Save original packing material for label and date codes

Avoid raw food diets

How to avoid illness

Prepare pet food away from human prep or bathroom areas

Wash hands after feeding pets

Discourage at risk individuals from preparing pet food (small children, elderly, immunocompromised)

Disinfect pet bowls regularly

Ozzie wants to rent a movie this weekend and he is thinking of Turner and Hooch which is a pretty good choice. I haven't seen it in a long time and Ozzie will probably like it, though I have a feeling he has seen it before. Whatever movie you watch over the weekend, enjoy and don't forget to turn back your clocks one hour Saturday night before you go to bed!

King of the Couch

This is the usual routine for us here at the Ozzie residence. I take the couch cushions off so I can get in there with the vacuum and clean up the piles of dog hair left behind from our favorite canine. Ozzie in much anticipation to get back on his beloved couch cannot wait and sits there, sans cushions! In the process of this he leaves more hair behind for me to pick up! Thanks Oz!

P.S. For those of you wondering what Ozzie wore for Halloween, it wasn't much. With the snow and all I just didn't feel in the mood and neither did Ozzie. He ended up wearing a dog-bone patterned bandana and anxiously answered the door each time the kids rang for trick-or-treat. The kids were so thrilled that a bulldog answered the door and supervised the candy being doled out that it didn't matter much what he wore!