Simply Sunday and Countdown to Turkey!

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is almost upon us! The national holiday where we all give thanks for nature's bounty and the family and friends that we share it with! This year may be more dear to those who have had their lives turned upside down (literally) by Hurricane Sandy! We are having the holiday here at Ozzie's house with a good size group of family and friends.

The menu is pretty much predictable, turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, green beans etc. There are "no bones about it" though that the menu presents some dangers to our pets. Once again the food of the holidays will present perilous situations, and we really have to be on guard!

Turkey bones are a major no-no, they can puncture, scrape or cause blockages to their stomachs/intestinal tracts. The skin from the bird is very high in fat and eating that can lead to pancreatitis  in dogs. Here is a list of 10 things to avoid giving your dog and or cat during this feast of thanks.

So what can we give  our canine pals to enjoy while we are all noshing away on Thanksgiving dinners?! I came upon this recipe from Rachel Ray who regularly whips up cuisine for dogs. It's called "Who are you calling turkey?!" Patty. It can be made from your leftovers and sounds like a winner to me.

As usual keep an eye out for Uncle Fred who is constantly giving hand outs when your back is turned!

To follow are Ozzie's obligatory pictures with the turkey hat! Sorry about this Oz, but your so darn cute in it!

"This totally takes away my dignity! Besides, I hate turkeys! They are big fat stupid birds!"

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Simply Sunday and Saluting Veterans

It's been almost 2 weeks since Sandy has hit the North East and there are still people without power and heat. I think that it turned into such a massive storm that the utility companies were not prepared enough?! I know that I would be really upset if I was still sitting in the dark! Especially Ozzie who wouldn't be able to watch his favorite TV shows..."Dancing with the Stars", "The Dog Whisperer" and "Fox News". Hopefully everyone will back on the grid this coming week! 

Ozzie and I would like to thank all the Veteran's out there who have served, who are still serving and those who made sacrifices beyond what us civilians can imagine. For those who made the ultimate sacrifice, our condolences to them and their families!  

"I was thinking about joining the Marines but somehow my weight was an issue!"

Thoughtful Thursday and Aftermath of Sandy

Sandy came roaring in on Monday and really packed a wallop for the NY/NJ area's. The Jersey shore was really hard hit with tidal surges of water that swept away parts of boardwalks in communities like Seas Side Heights and Point Pleasant. We were without power since Monday night and it was not fun. You really get a sense of what life was before power and believe me its not pretty. We finally got power restored to our neighborhood last night and what a sense of relief. The temperatures were dropping into the low 40's (F) and I was walking around with my coat on trying to think warm thoughts,... Bermuda, Bahamas..! But fortunately the power tripped on around 9:45 PM and so did the heat! Yea! Ozzie was probably getting use to life without lights.
A tree from our neighbors yard split down the middle with a good chunk of it crossing our back yard into our neighbors pool. We were lucky that was the worse we experienced. Some folks in the area lost a lot more. Halloween was postponed by Governor Chris Christie and rescheduled for Monday November 4th. I am sure a lot of kids were disappointed but with all the down wires and trees it was just to risky to be roaming the streets!

In the meanwhile life will slowly creep back to normal while services are restored and areas that were hard hit get cleaned up. Ozzie will patiently wait for trick or treaters on Monday and enjoy the much taken for granted light and warmth!

My thoughts and prayers go out to all who suffered losses from the storm!

"Where are the trick or treaters?"

"A common sight in the neighborhood."

Simply Sunday and Waiting for Sandy

Its now the calm before the Mega Storm or Frankenstorm as the local papers call it. Hurricane Sandy a thousand mile wide, category one hurricane is making its way to the east coast corridor of the US, slamming very unladylike into areas of New Jersey and New York City! Today is the last day to hunker down and get supplies for a possible 2 day stint of being stuck inside. Hopefully we will not have a power outage but with the severe winds that Sandy (up to 75 mph) is packing we may not be so lucky! 

The grocery stores are empty of any kind of bottled water so hopefully we have enough just in case. I noticed the liquor store was very crowded yesterday. Maybe a lot of folks rather be short of water but not of their booze to ride out the storm with?!

Part of our preparing for the hurricane includes making Ozzie his cinnamon pumpkin cookies. They are fairly easy to put together and I just pulled them out of the oven. Ozzie is patiently waiting for them to cool so he may sample one! (see recipe below)

Not to fail to mention the good news with Ozzie.His last chemo treatment was Friday and he went through it like a trooper. The vet wants to see him in one month to check him out and he will continue to take the steroids until then. Dr D  said that he responded well to the treatments and the lymphoma is in remission. Yea! We were very happy to hear this and hope that he continues to keep the cancer at bay!

For all those in the path of Sandy, stay safe have a plan and good luck!


Cinnamon Pumpkin Cookies

2 1/2 cup of organic flour ( you can use regular or whole wheat)
1 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree ( make sure its not the pie filling kind that is seasoned)
1/4 cup of crunchy peanut butter ( organic or all natural if you can )
3/4 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 cup of water (amount varies depending on the dough's consistency)

Preheat the oven to 275 F. Mix all the ingredients together. Once you get a nice dough ball going get your rolling pin and roll it out to about a 1/4 inch. Take your cookie cutter and cut out your cookies. Place them on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and bake them for 1 hour. The doggie treats should be lightly browned. Let them cool for an hour or so. Then give them to your favorite pup!

"How long must I wait! Wake me when they're done!"

Wordless Wednesday

"Excuse me, I am sleeping here!"

Simply Sunday and Bad Bullies

Last night we ended up watching the Dog Whisperer. It was just by chance that the whole show was about Cesar helping out two owners with bulldogs. Both had aggression issues with other dogs and one with people as well! The one dog, Hugo, ended up going to Cesar's home for several months since he required intense training and rehabilitation  The owners of these two dogs were the best bulldog dads you could find and very devoted to their bullies. It just makes you wonder what goes wrong sometimes in a dogs thinking, They did explain that with Hugo, was attacked by another dog in doggy day care,that then carried  over into him attacking other dogs. One must remember that bulldog genetics hold generations of dogs that were trained to fight. Ozzie is really a good boy and is more of a lover than a fighter, though except when it comes to his human brother Will. (Ozzie still does go after him from time to time, and we still can't figure it out!) Any one who is thinking of getting a bulldog should consider that they can be difficult to train and should decide if they are up to the task before hand!

Cesar Millan has a new book coming out in January titled A Short Guide to a Happy Dog. Guess what breed of dog  appears on the cover with him? Yup that's right...a bulldog! 

This week I promise to make Ozzie his peanut butter and pumpkin cookies. I just need to get some organic peanut butter. I will post the recipe for them in next Sunday's blog.

In the mean while we are just enjoying the beautiful Fall weather this weekend. The leaves are turning brilliant colors and Ozzie is just soaking it all in!

Here is hoping you are doing the same and have a great week all!

"Happy Pumpkin Day...I just made that up..haha!"

Sunday, Chubby Sunday

What a wonderful Autumn weekend its been so far! Ozzie is currently lounging on the deck with his Pop and all is right in the world at the moment. He  has been feeling well and with that his weight has gone up. Though you like to see him maintain and not lose weight with the lymphoma, one would hope he wouldn't start to fit in his extra-large size pants again.  ( That is if he were to wear pants!) It may be back to his low cal dog food. I have a call in to the vet to see what she thinks about switching foods.

In the meanwhile there shall be no more pizza crust for Ozzie on Fridays!

"Hey, it's okay this is a low cal bullie stick!"

Simply Sunday and Bless the Beasts

I work at a small Franciscan College one town over from me which is a 5 minute commute from my house. (You gotta love it!) October 4th is the Feast of St Francis of Assisi who is remembered for his love of all creatures. In celebration of this event, we had a blessing of the animals on Friday.  Ozzie's  Pop was  home Friday so I called him in the morning to bring Ozzie to the college lunch time when Father Damian was going to bless our pets. I also reminded him to bring the camera which of course he forgot, (husbands!) so I have no pictures of this event! Ozzie was the hit of the animal parade and got his sprinkle of Holy water and blessing. Ozzie needs all the blessings he can get! 

Ozzie has been feeling okay lately except a bout of diarrhea that began yesterday. He woke us up at 4:00 AM this morning because he had to do an  emergency poop! We have medication for his stomach woes that we gave him and it will be a chicken and rice kind of day for the Oz. Hopefully this will pass and he will be back to his ole self soon!

In the meantime take a moment to give thanks to the love and joy our pets bring into our lives and pray for those animals that don't have the wonderful homes they deserve...yet!

Ozzie made the local paper a couple of years ago for the Blessing of the Animals!

Simply Sunday and Sizes X-Large to X-Small

Ozzie is recovering from chemo treatment number 4 this weekend. All went well and the vet reports that he is a perfect patient as usual. Also good to know that his lymph nodes are normal in size and over all he seems fit. Yes he is fit all right, up to 81 pounds! I guess his appetite has not suffered! He has another treatment to go next month and then we will see where we are at. Knowing the outcome of this disease all we can pray for is his continued good health and time!

Last Sunday we attended the Columbus Avenue street fair in NYC. There was food galore and vendors of all sorts and music from Zeppelin to Sinatra. The day was sunny and mild and folks where out by the scores, a lot walking dogs of all kinds. Of course we came across a bulldog. She was very lovely, with coloring much like Ozzie. Her name was Dylan and she was a petite thing. Her owner told us that she was 4  years old and the runt of her litter. She weighed only 42 pounds. Wow, Ozzie is twice her weight! 

Here is the scoop on Bulldog's height and weight:

Height, Weight

Height: about 12-16 inches (31-40 cm.) (there is no prescribed height, but shorter Bulldogs are more prized when being shown) Weight: Dogs 53-55 pounds (24-25kg.) Bitches 49-51 pounds (22-23kg.)

Ozzie is at least 18 inches and weighs in at 81 pounds so I guess he is just off the charts!


Happy Sunday all!

Dylan the bulldog of the Upper West Side, New York City

Recall Alert on Bully Sticks!

The FDA just came out the other day with a recall of the brand Boots & Barkley American Beef Bully Sticks. It may be contaminated with Salmonella.

One of Ozzie's favorite treats is the one and only delicious bully stick. He wants all to know that this particular brand is on recall and should not be given to your special pooch!
The brand was sold at Target stores between April 2012  through September 2012. 

Please read the FDA link below to get the full scoop!


http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm320569.htm 

" All bully sticks are not created equal!"

Simply Sunday and a River Runs Through it!

Brrr! An evening rain storm has ushered in cooler temps and truly Fall is here! Time to plant mums and to think about Ozzie's Halloween outfit! 

So Ozzie's new idiosyncrasy is holding in his pee for an inordinate amount of time. Example extreme,....Ozzie's last visit to the back yard 4:45 PM. His next visit 11:30 AM! Of course when he finally lets loose he goes and goes, so much that he ends up standing in a river of his pee! What this means I am not sure but I will not fail to mention it to the vet when he goes this coming Friday for his 4th chemotherapy treatment. Other than that he seems fine. His appetite is good and his breathing even seems a bit better! Certainly the cooler weather helps in that department!

"So what, can't a guy decide when he needs to pee or not! Besides I'm busy now!"

It's 8:17  AM Sunday and Ozzie refuses to go out in the back yard to do his morning business. Husband suggests bribing him with cheese, that seems to work. Really? Do we have to bribe him to go to the bathroom?! Hmm, not so stubborn as smart perhaps!

Happy Sunday and enjoy the invigorating Fall weather! 

Suddenly Saturday and Smells Like Fall

We had a front come through last night that brought a little rain and some cooler air. This morning is glorious, sunny with a feel of Autumn in the air! Ozzie can definitely appreciate this weather and so can I!

Ozzie is feeling fine as of late. The only thing that bothers him (mostly bothers me) is his excessive panting. Especially after he exerts himself (i.e. going up stairs etc.), he just hyperventilates away! I know that this is a side effect of the Prednisone but it really is distressing to me. A good side effect if you will is that his skin has never been more irritant free and over all is clear from dermatitis of any kind! 

Last night I had a dream of finding a cat that was all white and bringing it home. Ozzie was cool with it and they seem to get along. I miss having a cat but perhaps that addition would not be good timing? I am sure there is some Freudian message in that dream but at the moment I will just take it for what it is!

Below is an interesting link to an article on the use of Prednisone for dogs with lymphoma if any of you out there are experiencing this same dilemma! 

For all of you, enjoy the wonderful weekend of weather and here is looking forward to the Fall! Yippee!

http://www.vetcancerspecialists.com/blog/2012/5/7/use-of-prednisone-in-canine-lymphoma-friend-or-foe/

Ozzie's Favorite Time of Year

Tool for Drool? Now Who's the Fool?!

This is an amendment to my previous post concerning the Shark steam mop. The following story is true and no names have been changed to protect the innocent!

As I got ready to clean my kitchen floor yesterday I plugged in my mop to get the steam up and running. I finished sweeping the floor and grabbed the steam mop and began to pump the handle in order to release the steam. To my surprise there was no steam coming out. The unit felt hot but no steam was being produced and as I looked at the mop head there was a big puddle of water on the floor the size of lake Michigan. What?! I began pumping the handle vigorously as if I were to get a pound of butter out of it. Notta, zip, zilch, zero! Hey, how can this be broke, I only had it for a year if that. I went on the internet and found others who had the same problem. The customer service reps at Shark told them to send $39.99 along with the cost of the shipping and they would send them a new one. I mentioned this today to my friend Terri who had recommended the Shark mop to me and she told me her's just broke the other day, She said that the Shark Customer Service rep told her the same thing and that for around $51.00 she would have a new mop. Hmm, do I want to buy another mop from them that's going to break down in another year's time? They are just about admitting that its defective and they know it's going to end up in the junk heap! Then I read online some guy who took it all apart and cleaned out all the hardened mineral deposits that gunk up the valves. He recommended that you only use distilled water not tap water or it will happen again. Why doesn't Shark tell you that?!

 "They don't make things like they use to huh?"

 I think its time to look around for another steam cleaner. Good-bye Shark it's been real but I don't want to get bitten again!