Strangers in the Night

It's time to get into full swing for the shopping blitzkrieg of the holidays. I managed to shop a bit on online this morning, very successfully I may add! It's great way to shop when the only thing you have to park is your rear end into a chair! It was just as well I stayed home. I was a bit bleary eyed from having another late night episode with Ozzie! He woke me around 3:00 AM with his pacing around the room. Everything is wood floors here so the clickiety clack of his nails are hard to ignore ( though somehow my husband does a very good job of it! ) I got up and stumbled over to my slippers and pulled on a sweat shirt. He usually waits for me at the top of the stair but he had already made his descent. "I'm coming Ozzie, wait for Mom! " I said. I got downstairs and walked to the back door that leads down to the garage. Not noticing where he was I approached the door when all of a sudden I slide into second base! "Whoa!" I grabbed for a light switch and flipped it on. Immediately I knew even without the light what he did! "Ozzie!!!" There it was ...poop on the floor and there was Ozzie cowering under the dinning room table! I was totally not prepared to clean dog do at 3:00 in the morning! I picked up what I could and ushered Oz and the offending poo out to the backyard! I guess he really had to go I couldn't get mad at him for that. Although he could of given me some kind of heads up that there was a road detour to the back door! "Don't most dogs bark when they have to go to the bathroom that bad?" My right slipper took the worst hit. It was slathered in dog do and I was in no mood to work on that. It would have to spend the night in the garage. After Ozzie did his obligatory pee we went back inside. I cleaned up the rest of the mess on the floor all the time wondering where did I put the number to the Bulldog rescue?! I dragged myself back upstairs to bed while Ozzie confined himself to the couch in the TV room. My husband laid there blissfully snoring away. The morning came way to early for me. My husband woke up fresh as a daisy! "What's the matter Hon, didn't you sleep well" he questioned. "Tell me you didn't hear me get up with the dog and my banshee scream when I stepped in 3 pounds of dog excrement!?" "No dear, I did not but that is too bad. Is there anything I can do for you now? "Yeah, teach your dog how to use the toilet!" Yikes, men and dogs!

Day of Thankfulness and not so Traditional Cooking!

Thanksgiving is almost here and I have to still run around and get a few more items to complete my shopping list. It never seems like there is enough time probably due to my little habit of time mismanagement! We are having a smaller crowd than usual this year which required only one 15 pound turkey. Last year we had two turkeys and my husband and his friends Vinnie and Lenny thought it would work out better if we roasted them on the gas grill outdoors using the rotisserie. Some how they manage to tie up both turkeys at the stake which weighed in at 30 plus pounds! It certainly would have made any boy scout proud they way they wrapped and knotted the unsuspecting poultry to it's spike-let! I had my doubts but was doubly assured this would work fine! As the big birds struggled to make their rotation over the grill I watched skeptically from inside with my Dad. A few minutes had passed when my father calmly stated " I think you have a fire out there!" Well sure enough flames where shooting out of the bottom of the Weber! "Fire in the hole!" I shouted! The men sprung to action! Extinguishing the fire they examined the charred turkeys. They had admitted ( a difficult thing for men to do! ) that the weight was too much and they skin was the accelerator in this case. They removed the birds and salvaged what they could. One was refurbished to go back on the rotisserie and since the oven was busy with other dishes of the day there was a back up plan for turkey number two. Vinnie had brought with him one of those Ronco Rotisseries. You know the ones that use to be on the infomercials hawked by Ron Popeil. They work pretty well for what they are. However they are made to accommodate a large chicken at best. In order to get this unwilling bird in there the legs and wings had to be amputated. Ouch what a sight! " Oh well" I thought "they are always enough sweet potatoes and green bean casserole to fill folks up with!" With a little faith and holiday magic the two turkeys were cooked ( maybe not to perfection! ) and were on the table with the rest of the goodies. I could swear I could taste something like charred skin but I ate it with a smile! Hopefully this year will be less eventful though we have Ozzie now so no telling how dog versus turkey will turn out! Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Uga Vll goes to the Dog House in the Sky!

It was in the news yesterday that Uga Vll passed away unexpectedly! Uga is the famed white bulldog, University of Georgia mascot. He was only four years old! His owner Frank "Sonny" Seiler said " Uga woke up Thursday morning and did not seem to be feeling well." They have an on call veterinarian who immediately came to the home and took Uga to the veterinary hospital but alas too late! It is believed he died from congestive heart failure. Uga has been the mascot since he had to fill the shoes of his father in August 2008. He was the school's winningest mascot with a 87 - 27 record. He was a dignified and well behaved bullie that roamed the sidelines with his little "G" jersey. A replacement has not been announced yet and a wreath will be laid on Uga's doghouse in the stadium. Ozzie has not yet applied for the job but since he is red and white that would probably exclude from consideration. Besides Ozzie is a Rutgers fan anyway! I am sure that Uga was much more than a mascot. He was a beloved pet and he will surely be missed!

Dancing Dog Debut

I came across online this morning an English Bulldog named Deezel that is just amazing, at least by bulldog standards! He participates in agility testing and freestyle dance competitions! I can't even get Ozzie to walk to the corner just to relieve himself on the fire hydrant. Bulldogs just don't do competitions like that! He must have a gene from a Lab or Collie in him! I wouldn't want to make Ozzie feel bad about himself but the likely hood of him doing any of these stunts, well you have a better chance at seeing me run in the NYC marathon next year! Now if they had canine competition for snoozing on the couch or the most prolific pooper then Ozzie may have a chance of wining! Sorry ole dog you will never be a contender like Deezel but you will always be in a champion in this household!

Check this bullie out!

http://dog.org.es/bulldog/deezel-english-bulldog-incredible-dog

Ozzie's Faux Poo !

What a beautiful weekend here in NJ we had! On Saturday we met a group of good friends in the city to stroll around the Village and have dinner at a Argentinian steakhouse. It was an all day event and since our son was not going to be home at all we had to arrange for our neighbors, Al and Clare to doggy sit Ozzie! Now they really like Oz and have watched him once before when we went to a wedding! I felt a little guilty about asking then to sit again but my husband assured me that they don't mind and would be happy to do it! So around 2:00 in the afternoon we brought him over with all his doggy paraphernalia. We thanked them profusely and made a quick exit while Ozzie was distracted! The plan was for then to have him until around 9:00 PM when they would drop him off home and we would arrive shortly after! Well we got home and everything seemed to go as planned. Ozzie was waiting for us shaking his little rear in bulldog glee! There was a little pee pee on our oriental rug but we have now resigned that this happens when we go out. ( Time to buy wee wee pads! ) I went out on Sunday and wanted to get them something to show our appreciation. I got them a gift card to the local Chilli's figuring going out for a bite to eat is always enjoyable. I went over there with thank-you card in hand and rang the bell. Clare answered and I asked her how it went for them yesterday. She replied that Ozzie may have worn out his welcome! "oh no" I gasped, "Did he pee on your floor?" " No worst!" she said " he pooped in my dining room!" They ran out for a short moment to her daughter's house. They wanted to bring their granddaughters over to play with Ozzie. I bet that was a nice surprise to come home to! I apologized profusely for the mess my dog made as I handed the card to them. " You didn't have to do that" said Clare. Oh yes I did, especially now that I know my dog relieved himself of number 2 on your carpet! I walked home my head hung in shame! When I got in the house I shouted to my husband " Guess what your dog did! " "Yikes he did not!" was his reply after he heard the ugly news! "Yes and now we will either never leave him alone for more than a hour or have to find new doggy sitters that don't mind the occasional dog doo disaster! In all this Ozzie laid on the floor, head tucked in between his paws trying not to look at either one of us! Ozzie has to know this is not a way to influence people or make friends. Maybe in the dog world this is an acceptable practice and maybe a compliment of sorts. In the human world this just doesn't fly! Oh Ozzie why do you do the things you doo-doo!

All I Need is the Air That I Breath.......

Last night was a struggle for my olfactory senses! Given the fact that Ozzie was tooting up a storm while he slept! I know that Bulldogs are infamous for their flatulent abilities. Ozzie was always the occasional tooter. Letting one out at the most inappropriate moments! Saturday night was like a symphony of sorts! I think my husband was giving the Oz some competition as well! I thought for sure they would find me asphyxiated in my bed the next morning! You have to really love the bulldog, between the gas and the snoring at night. It makes him a challenging dog to own! Though Bulldog fans would not have it any other way. They are so charming and appealing you can forgive them for a whole slew of sins! Well excuse me now while I go open some windows and air the place out! Cleaning the canvas sort of speak for Ozzie's next work of fart!

The Pirate and the Wolfman

Monday morning finds me reeling from my weekend sugar high. Just like a methadone program for heroine addicts I am stepping down and eating only one bag of Raisinets for breakfast! Halloween was fun with unseasonably warm temperatures near 70 degrees! Ozzie had a blast giving out candy to the kiddies! He was dressed up as a pirate, we called him Captain Le Woof! The pirate hat lasted about 5 seconds, definitely too small for his big head! Though he finally surrendered to wearing the cape which made him look very dashing! Parents delighted at taking pictures of the Oz with their kids! ( maybe I should charge them next year..hmmmm?! ) I think on Sunday Ozzie was wondering were all the kids went as paced back and forth by the front door?! My husband didn't really dress up but insisted on wearing his pumpkin beret! He looked like a homeless man with a pumpkin on his head. Good look dear! Though I must say if we were giving out prizes for best family costume it has to go to my son Will. He purchased a Wolf-man makeup kit from a local year round costume store called "Fun Ghouls". He was down in his room for 2 hours applying the makeup. When he came upstairs I gasped! I barely recognize him! It was Lon Chaney Jr reincarnate! Ozzie thought Will was his long lost brother! Any how on to the next holiday. That would be Thanksgiving but it seems the stores have forgotten about it totally and have fast forwarded to Christmas! I don't even want to think about Christmas shopping yet but if I was smart I would! Well for now let me think about what to do with all this leftover candy first. I should insist that my husband take it in to his office for all his co-workers (maybe except for the Raisinets! ) Well let me continue to think about it!

Rainy Days and Tuesdays Always Get Me Down!

It is one of those rainy days where if you don't have to be somewhere you are better off just hunkering down and reading a good book while baking some cookies! Ozzie seems to feel that way today. I can't seem to motivate him to do much of anything! He just got off of the couch only to wander over to his blanket in the office. I tried to entice him to play with his rope and rubber bone! No go! Maybe he is perfectly content and I should just leave him the heck alone! Yawn! Hey Oz move over and let me lie down too! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Beach Blanket Bulldog

Sunday was a beautiful Autumn day, just ripe for getting out and enjoying the weather and the stunning Fall foliage! My husband Mark and I took a ride down to the Jersey shore with Ozzie to attend the 5th Annual Belmar Beach Bulldog Bash! Wow talk about Bulldog overload! It was a great day on the beach and the folks from the MidAtlantic Bulldog rescue sponsored the event! Ozzie was greeted by dozens of his brethren of all sizes and colors! What a great opportunity to get together with other bulldog owners and talk bull! Ozzie if not the biggest bulldog was one of the top three in the weight category! Only to be over sized by one that was 78 and 82 pounds respectively. Ozzie also had his first taste of sand and surf. Daring the waters edge he got his paws wet and so did we! Talk about photo opt! I took a few but it was challenging with my camera! ( this is a hint for my husband to get me a new one for Christmas !) A lot of folks seemed to be charmed with Ozzie as he casually walked the beach and inspected everyone. One man with an impressive camera set up asked if he could photograph Ozzie. He was doing a full glamor shoot of the Oz and yes Ozzie was loving it! Work it Oz! One rescue who I had read about on the MABDR site was there! His name is Louie. Louie is a precious 2 year old white bulldog that was retrieved from an awful situation down in Louisiana. Two of the rescue co-founders, Kathy and Joann drove all the way from NJ to bring him back. He was found tied up with wire around his back legs resulting in severe injury! They brought him to a veterinarian up here who treated him and today he is good as new except for the remaining scars on his legs. Louie and his new mommy where there and it made me thrilled to see how happy he was! We walked away Sunday with new bulldog friends and a content but tired Ozzie. I also walked away with some sand coated dog poop on my shoe. Something I didn't want to take with me! Oh well until next years bulldog beach bash take care all you bullies!

Dirty Dog No More!

Well I took Ozzie to be groomed yesterday for the first time since we had him. His only bath with us was the outdoor version with the garden hose! Since the weather no longer allows for it I decided to take him to our local Petsmart where they have grooming facilities. When I dropped him off he didn't look too happy but went in to the "salon" willingly. I asked the gal at the desk how long would he be. I thought it be an hour at the most and I would just peruse the aisles of the DSW shoe outlet next door! " Oh it will take at least 3 hours. Leave us your cell phone number and we will call you when he is ready." Whoa, I had no clue it would take so long. After all he is short haired and there is no clipping involved?! Okay I guess but I felt bad to leave him there for that length of time! I went about my day and around 3:00 I thought "Wow he's been there since 12:30 so why don't I mosey on down." When I arrived I went inside and asked the gal at the desk if Ozzie was ready yet. She told me that he would be another hour! What were they doing to him in there? Shiatsu message, botoxing his wrinkles away?! She explained to me they had to make sure he was perfectly dried. Hmm he doesn't have a long coat like an Irish Setter but he does have a lot of surface area! Alright, I ended up wandering the store and made a few purchases ( they really know how to make money off a shampoo?! ) So finally at 4:30 he was "fini"! As they brought him out from the back room he looked relieved to see me! " He was a good boy!" assured the groomer. At least he didn't smell like the back end of a horse any more! Ozzie made a made a rush for the door only to be sidelined by the cashier who gave him a biscuit for all his troubles. "Okay" he thought " maybe I will stay for another moment or two!" "Come Oz, lets go!"I pleaded. I had enough of Petsmart for one day! He immediately relieved himself outside. I guess that pee was well deserved! As I was pulling him to the car a women stopped and commented "What a handsome boy"! Ozzie wasn't wasting anytime in showing off his newly coiffed fur. "Yeah lady I am handsome all the time, just now I smell better!"

Brisket Bomb and Balloon Boy

I am waking up this morning to the faint smell of brisket that permeated my house yesterday. Not that it's a bad thing, I actually think it is a comforting smell from some comfort food. It would of been the perfect meal for a rainy Sunday afternoon but the culinary gods had their own plans! I purchased a lovely piece of brisket, 1st cut, from Fairway. It was 3.5 pounds of stunning beef! I was going to take that baby home and give it, its proper due! I decided to use my crock pot for the cooking method. So after seasoning and browning it in a pan I plunked it in with broth and red wine for it's cooking journey. Five hours later ( cooked on high setting ) I proudly pulled it out of the pot. As I sliced into the meat I noticed it resisted some! Hm not a good sign. I turned out to be as tough as shoe leather though the gravy was tasty and so were my garlic mashed potatoes! I am not sure who to blame the crock pot or me. Either way I think the winner in all this is Ozzie since he will be the recipient of some of the fallen brisket! I guess we couldn't just help watch the saga of the balloon boy on TV these past few days! Shame on the Heene family for pulling this hoax and exploiting their kids. It was truly out of the mouth of babes when their son, little Falcon, blurted the truth on national TV. I guess it's not all their fault, we do have an appetite as a society for these reality types who seek fame for doing nothing more than being a little wacky than most folks. I thought maybe a good publicity stunt for my blog would be to call the local news station and tell them my car is missing and coincidentally so is my English Bulldog! I could tell them I believe he took it for a joy ride and does not have a drivers license! Considering the charges that the Heene's face maybe its not such a good idea but it definitely would draw some traffic to the blog. Oh well better think of something else. In the meanwhile I need to redeem myself in the kitchen. Maybe hot-dogs and beans tonight, I can't mess that up! Can I?

Sounds of Silence

I have removed the music selections from my blog due to several requests. Apparently "Who let the dogs out?!" bombards you when you arrive at the blog and most folks are not sure how to turn the music off (?) so I eliminated it. I rather you all have quiet thoughts than be annoyed by George Thorogood screaming to you that you are bad to the bone! Meanwhile I am quite tired from my 3:30 AM adventure. I originally got up to go to the bathroom where on exiting the powder room I knocked over a glass bottle of Bath & Body Works hand lotion that landed directly on my pinkie toe! I stifled every curse word known to man and that is when my boy Ozzie awoke from his snoring slumber. He gave me that why don't' we go potty look since your up?! So it was the backyard for me as I hobbled there with my swollen toe! Of course he delights in taking his time and stopping to chew on a fallen branch for a bit. Again I stifle every curse word know to man as I wave a dog biscuit around to entice him back inside! Thanks Ozzie, I didn't realize how cold it gets now that time of the night! We were looking forward to this Saturday since it is the The 5th Annual Bulldog Bash on the Beach at Belmar, NJ. It is an event sponsored by the MidAtlantic Bulldog Rescue where we adopted Ozzie. The only reason I say were is because the weather calls for rain and wind from a Nor'Easter that is headed our way. I will have to check for a rain date. I think it is probably a bull dog over load type of day and of course my camera is not working! This may give me time to get a new lithium battery for it. The camera is an Oylmpus and it's least 5 years old. The technology on it is now old school. Though my husband insists that it is still good and will not upgrade to a new model! I am sure he still has his first Brownie camera somewhere in the attic too! I am looking forward to seeing Debbie's new bulldog Diamond that she recently adopted after the passing of Knuckles! She looks like a real cutie and I will post her picture so you all can get a glimpse! I guess this weekend we will just honker down and catch up on some reading and a movie or two! Or maybe I will just catch up on some sleep!

Costume Quest and Candy Dangers!

I went the other day to one of the local Halloween stores that have been popping up in buildings that fell victim to the economy ( i.e. Circuit City, Tower Records ). I saw that there were few costumes left in the XL size category so in my desperation I grabbed a Yoda costume for Ozzie. I brought it home and my son Will and I tried it on him. Well with it's dangling fake arms and robe etc it was just too much costume and distraction for Oz! He attempted to bite the arms and wiggled his Yoda ears off. It was a good laugh for us! I guess that it is not going to work out! I have until the 15th to return it only for something else in the store. What that something else is I have no idea! That brings me to the subject of Halloween treats. As we are well aware that the day is going to be a candy bonanza and we have to keep a watch on the forever famished bulldog who will eat cardboard if it looks enticing enough! You may already know that chocolate can make a dog very ill, but there is another candy culprit that is very dangerous to dogs and cats. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that is used in sugarless gum and candies. When ingested by dogs and cats it causes a dangerous surge of insulin. At high doses it is believed to be toxic to the canine liver. Depending on the amount used in the product between 8 to 10 sticks of gum can kill a 65 pound dog. This dangerous drop in blood sugar can cause overall weakness, lethargy, loss of coordination and total collapse! Veterinary treatment needs to be seeked immediately! I found a pack of sugar free gum on my son's coffee table downstairs and almost had a conniption! Will is now fully educated on the dangers of Xylitol and how crazy his mother can be at times! ( I guess I went off a bit! ) Anyway I just wanted to pass that bit of knowledge along and I will now go back to the costume quest for Ozzie. Any suggestions out there?!

Back on the Blog Again!

Sorry I have been away from the blog so long! We had a little computer malfunctioning going on and my husband took it to a friend of his who is an IT specialist to have some PC doctoring done! Turns out we has 165 viruses that were bogging us down that had to be cleaned out! How you get that many viruses I don't know! Certainly if it was human it would of been in the ICU with a very dim prognosis! Anyhow it's up and running and better than before! To get back to last week when we were leaving Ozzie with our neighbors, Al and Claire for the evening. We took him over around 3:00 PM and stood there chatting in their living room for a moment. He knew that this whole set up was strange and that we were definitely up to something! We quickly exited and ran into the car as not to lend ourselves to long goodbyes. It turned out he was very good for them. He amused himself with their cat YoYo who he curiously sniffed and promptly was swatted in the snoot! Then as YoYo went up the stairs Ozzie followed him. I guess he wanted to play and YoYo wanted no part of it! He did his usual there, eat and sleep! Al could not get over how quickly he would fall into a deep sleep and snore away like an old man! Guess Ozzie felt right at home and he was invited back so that is a good thing! I am still searching for a Halloween costume for the Oz. I should of ordered the pirate costume because now it appears they are all out of XL's. I have been to a couple of "Halloween" stores and they seem void of large dog costumes. Even the pet stores just seem to cater to the small doggies. So if you are a Maltese or a Chihuahua you have plenty of options! I need to step up my search this week or Ozzie is going to end up being a pumpkin! Mark and I stopped by the organic pet store on Sunday just to take a look see. It was stocked with big selection of natural chew products. They were mostly dried up tendons and trachea's of some poor ole farm animals. Supposedly better than nasty rawhide. We picked up for our little man a long twisted tendon of sorts called a Bully Jr Spring wrap. Just the name sounded right! Well we got that bad boy home and Ozzie thought he seen heaven! He quickly went to town on it making the ends of it soft and stringy and full of dog spittle. After 20 minutes of gnawing at it he got up with his prize still in his mouth and went to the back door. I stupidly thought " how is going to pee with that in his mouth?!" I let him out and he marched down the stairs to the corner of the yard. He proceeded to dig away in an attempt to bury it. Perhaps to save for another day of nirvana gnawing! I called for Mark to go get him and the now soggy muddy Bully Jr Spring wrap. Well it was pretty much a done deal and Ozzie's face was covered with dirt. I guess for five bucks it was worth the 45 minutes of happiness that beamed out of our best friend!

Reviewing Rescue Ink

The other night I watched the new show on the NatGeo channel "Rescue Ink". This group of guys you wouldn't want to mess with! They are all big boys built like brick houses and they are very passionate about animals and their well being. On one segment of the show they came to the aid of a man who was severely injured by a group of thugs in his neighborhood in the Bronx. He has three pit bulls and the jerks that attacked him got him one day when the dogs weren't with him. He was hospitalized with a fractured skull and the boys of Rescue Ink came to his aid! The man was sneaking out of the hospital to go to his apartment and feed his dogs. He was more concerned about his beloved animals than himself. Rescue Ink went to his apartment where the dogs had been for several days without food ( yikes! ) and carefully lured them out. They had arranged with a local shelter to house them until the poor guy was released from the hospital. This man was so grateful that he was in tears when he knew that his dogs were safe! There was a more comical segment where Rescue Ink was called to a Long Island neighborhood that had a flock of chickens on the loose. What a hoot to see these big lugs with nets trying to chase down the chickens! The show is entertaining and heartwarming. A must see at 10:00 PM on Friday nights!
We are going to my niece's wedding later on today. Since we all will be out of the house for a considerable amount of time ( and Ozzie was surprisingly not invited! ) we have asked our next door neighbors, Al and Claire to doggie sit. We are actually bringing him over to their home so I am hoping he is well behaved and there are no "accidents"! I will let you all know how he fared! Enjoy what is left of the weekend all!

Night of the Nose Licker

Well here I am a little groggy from last night. Oz woke us up again though this time he was ferociously licking his nose instead of his paws. I had to "talk" him down from it. I petted him and reassured him all was right in his doggie world and that he had to lay down. This seemed to work as he went back to sleep?! I believe that Ozzie could become a mascot for the Olympic OCD team! If they had one! Would that be like one person obsessively putting items in order then washing their hands repeatedly?! At any rate that brings me to the subject of Bulldogs being the most accepted symbol of athletic teams in the United States. Since the bulldog has the reputation of ferocious loyalty and tenacity ( a nice way of saying they are stubborn as a mule! ) it only seems a natural choice. The most famous mascots are probably Handsome Dan of Yale University and Uga, the University of Georgia's bulldog. They are there on the field representing their teams at every game. Uga even has his own little doghouse that has AC and an endless supply of ice! Then there is the unofficial mascot of the US Marine Corps, Chesty who has a tough as nails reputation! You will find that dozens of high schools around the nation have the bulldog as their mascot too. Just down the road from me in the town of Rutherford their high school proudly boasts a bulldog as one of their own! Still this leaves me wondering where Ozzie would fit in as a mascot. He doesn't care for anything that is physical much less sports! I thought maybe a good fit would be the annual Coney Island hot-dog eating contest. The gastronomic event that involves eating has many Nathan Franks as one can shove down their gobs in a limited amount of time. Why that sounds right of Oz's alley! Only they have a hard time keeping him away from the frankfurters! Oh well he will always be our little mascot here at home. A symbol of snoring, eating, slobbering and the American way!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uga_%28mascot%29

I am Captain of my Ship!

Well back to Monday I suppose. The weekend was busy however and weather wise you could not ask for two more perfect days! We were invited up to our friends house, Ed and Marilyn, who have a lovely home right on Greenwood Lake. We took advantage of the great weather and went for a ride in their motorboat. Of course Ozzie came with us and I was a little apprehensive of him going in the boat. Since bulldogs have a reputation of a none swimmer and considering Ozzie is built like an anchor I was in a bit of turmoil over it. Ed put a regular life jacket on him which looked quite comical since it had to go on backwards. It seemed to fit him perfectly that way and this put my concerns to rest a little bit! Mark and Ed hoisted him into the boat and we were off. I couldn't really tell if he enjoyed it or not. It was a short ride up and down the lake and toward the end he fell asleep at Mark's feet. I don't know if he did this because the motion of boat put him under or it was a way to escape the situation! Any rate it made for some good photo ops as you will see! They have 6 cats at their home so this was the first encounter ( at least we know of ) with the feline world! Ozzie approached the first cat he ran into slowly with a childish curiosity to get a whack in the snoot. "Hmmm he thought, I won't mess with him!" The other cats were leery of this beast that resembled a coffee table with legs. Preferring to observe him from counter levels where it was safe. Overall I thought Oz was pretty well behaved with the kitties. The funniest thing was when he tried to get through the little cat door they had in the back door of the kitchen. Ozzie tried several times to get his 75 pound body through the 10 pound door with no success! We all had a laugh from that except for Ozzie who was totally frustrated! We had a great time and Ozzie was such a good doggie I am sure he will get an invite back again soon! Meanwhile we resume ourselves to the blase of the week day! Ozzie is catching up on some sleep from the marine events of the weekend, perhaps dreaming of sailing the high seas with a crew of cats!

Paw - don Me!

I was awaken last night by the most frightening sound! It was similar to a freight train running off the track or as forbid the thought a 737 landing on top of our house! ( We unfortunately live next to several major airports! ) " Wait a minute!" as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes......I could see that it was coming from Ozzie! He was licking his paw with great intensity making horrid snorting, gagging noises as he continued his business! "Ozzie stop that!" I cried. He went on like he was in some kind of canine trance! My husband woke up to the melee and said "What the heck is that noise!" "It's Ozzie!" I said. " Make him stop!" Mark walked around and stood over Ozzie and in a sharp commanding alpha male voice said "Ozzie cut that out now!" Ozzie stared up at Mark like he was just in some other doggie dimension! He thankfully stopped and at 4:00 AM we managed to get back to sleep. Needless to say this morning I can't get enough coffee in me and hubby is a little bit groggy for the events of the night! I set out to research this problem. I found an article written by veterinarian Dr Janet Tobiassen-Crosby concerning the subject. She indicated that it could be from inhalant allergies causing general itchiness, arthritis or other painful "interior" conditions casing pain in that area without any visible infection. ( He does not have Inter-digital cysts which Bullies are prone to, and he is probably too young for arthritis?!! ) She goes on to say that it may simply be a habit! A behavior seen when the dog is relaxing or stressed or bored. Well he shouldn't be any of those things 4:00 AM in the morning! I have seen him do this paw licking stunt during the day. If it lasted too long I would distract him with a toy to snap him out of it, but this nocturnal lick-a-thon has to stop! Short of putting some topical brew of bitter or hot on his paws I am stumped on what to do. I will continue to search the dog information forums and with our next vet visit it will be the first topic to bring up! In the meanwhile Ozzie is snoozing peacefully here on the rug while we are victims of sleep deprivation! Enjoy your morning nap buddy while I make another pot of coffee!

Over the weekend we visited friends Terri and Dan, who have been attempting to have a final BBQ of the summer gathering! I say attempting because when they plan the party, it seems that each weekend it decides to rain! It has not been the most cooperative summer weather wise here in the northeast! So of course it did rain but they forged ahead and had a wonderful party despite the weather! Ozzie was invited too and you know anything that has to do with food and he is there! They have a wonderful Labradoodle appropriately named Tank. He is a big wiry boy and very sweet! He greeted Oz with some boisterous barking and was a good host. The rain stopped enough so they could play tug of war outside for a bit. They had some fun together and other than Ozzie's faux pas of eating from Tank's food dish all was well! Thanks guys for having us!

Farewell to a Friend!

I received some sad news this weekend. My friend Debbie emailed me that Knuckles had suddenly passed away. He was a wonderful little bully who was cherished by his owner and made countless people smile with his many hats and his visits to hospitals and libraries in our area! I know that Ozzie and I will miss him. Maybe if we can get Ozzie going as a therapy dog he will carry on in the tradition of Knuckles work! My condolences to Debbie, it's difficult to lose a pet especially a bully as sweet as Knuckles.!
I happen to catch a commercial the other day for a new show on the NatGeo channel. It's called Rescue Ink. They are a bunch of big burly tattooed biker dudes that rescue abused and neglected animals. They seem a bit intimidating and I am sure their techniques are a little over the top but hey more power to them. Certainly some of these animal abusers deserve to have their butts kicked though I am sure that these guys are operating within the confines of the law. ( Though don't you wish when the cameras stop rolling that they are beating the poop out of those scumbags! ) It starts on September 25th at 10:00 PM so try to catch it if you can. They will be making an appearance on Good Morning America on the 23rd and their website is http://www.rescueink.org/ so check it out!

Dressing up the Dog?!

The month of September signals the end of summer and the start of the Fall season. With that also comes thoughts of Halloween! There are displays in all the stores advertising candies and costumes. ( yes rudely enough some stores are hinting at Christmas, they should be arrested for that !) This led me to wonder what should Ozzie be for Halloween?! It falls on a Saturday this year so I suspect that there will be an all day onslaught of trick or treater's! How neat would it be for the kids to be greeted by the Oz in some whimsical costume?! I asked my son Will if he had any ideas and he came up with a couple good ones! He suggested that Ozzie sort of resembles the late great Yankee Babe Ruth in stature! We could dress him up in pinstripes and get a fake cigar and call him "Babe Woof" I have had trouble finding a Jersey in his size, apparently they only make them for smaller doggies. ( Of course it needs to be XL for proper fit! ) Will also came up with an old time gangster costume and we could refer to him as "Al CaBone"! Since I am worthless at sewing I may have to turn to online store alternatives! I found a couple that may work! One is a prisoner costume, black and white stripes with a ball and chain! Then there is the Pirate costume with a parrot and eye patch to boot! They are both pretty cute and it's a hard decision to make! I think Ozzie is partial to pirates so we may go with that! I have displayed them here so let me know what you think?!
On a more serious note today is the eighth anniversary of 9/11. Though thankfully I do not know anyone personally that lost their lives that day, living here right across the river from the event it has impacted my life greatly. I was at work that day and witnessed through our windows the plane slamming into the second tower. It was a horrible day indeed and we all need to honor those that passed that day by never forgetting! Peace to all!

Good Bye Summer!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Labor Day weekend. Ozzie and I watched the kids this morning as they begrudgingly with their back pack and lunches in hand walked to school! (Sigh..) We had a nice weekend filled with good friends and good food. Of course Ozzie accompanied us, going to Uncle Peter and Aunt Lydia's house on Saturday and a BBQ at Uncle Lenny's on Sunday! Let's say he had his fair share of food! He lavishly dined on some fillet Mignon that Auntie Lydia gave him and Uncle Lenny and Uncle Vinnie kept his plate fill with Roast Pork Loin at the BBQ ( no hot-dogs for this hot-dog! ) He almost had an Oreo cake to himself if it were not for the fast reflexes of Uncle Lenny! ( good catch Len! ) Well now it time to undo some of those calories! We must get Ozzie into shape for the upcoming Therapy Dog testing! I have my doubts if he will pass because there are 10 steps of the test he must complete and there are 4 of them he is a little shaky on! Especially step number 4 walking on a leash! Yep that may be his undoing! When you have to push and drag one's dog is that considered walking? Well we have to September 19 th so we will be working it! In the mean time I am open to suggestions if anyone out there can give us some tips on walking on the leash please leave a comment! Alright I just downed my last sip of coffee. Come on Oz let's go for a stroll....oops too late he already is REM stage of his morning nap! Maybe later?!

Clanton Advertiser | Working like a dog

Check out this story about a bully named J.R. that loves to go to work every day with his owner!


Clanton Advertiser | Working like a dog

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Knuckles Pays a Visit!

Yesterday Ozzie had a wonderful time with his friend Knuckles! Knuckles came over to get acquainted and Ozzie was a most gracious host! As I had mentioned in a previous post we met Knuckles mom, Debbie through the MidAtlantic Bulldog Rescue. She has been doing therapy work with him, visiting patients in nursing homes and going to libraries where they have reading to dogs programs for kids. Oz and Knuckles make quite the pair! Knuckles is only 30 petite pounds next to Ozzie's massive 74 pounds! They are like David and Goliath! They had fun hanging out on the deck and sharing a biscuit or two! The picture I captured of the two of them looks like Knuckles just told Ozzie some Bulldog joke that was hilarious! Feeling inspired by the work that Debbie does with Knuckles I will see if we can register for the next therapy dog certification test. There are still some elements of the test that we still haven't mastered! Like "down" and "stay"! Probably important commands....but maybe they will let him slide a little since he does the "cute" command so well!

For Your Listening Pleasure!

I have added a playlist of music to my blog. It has some noteworthy bully tunes on it you may enjoy! I especially like "I got a Bulldog" by a county folk group called Sweet Brothers & Ernest Stoneman. It's a wee bit folksy and it reminds me of the "Darlings" the back woods jug band that use to pop up on the Andy Griffith show. I stuck in there the song "Linger" by the Cranberries. You may ask what it the bulldog connection to that?! Well it is sort of an ode to bully farts! Besides I like the song! I will work on aligning it a bit better in the sidebar column. It was a challenge to just add it in there, so forgive me on that for a while! Today Knuckles is coming over to visit Ozzie. He is the therapy bully who's mom we met through the rescue. He is going to walk with Ozzie and hopefully encourage him to ease on down the road! I will update you on that event tomorrow ( with some pictures too!).

"I'll Have Cheese on those Fries!"

So yesterday was the big weigh in day. While Ozzie was not the biggest loser he was not the biggest gainer either! Yes he stayed consistently chubby at 74.15 pounds! So lets give credit due to the boy! Still this poses the problem of what are we doing wrong or right?! Cutting down his kibble even more would be just downright starvation city for Oz! Unfortunately the key element here must be the dreaded "e" word! Yes exercise! Walks in the evening have become the battle of wills! He must be dragged and coaxed with treats in order to make the 2 block trek! Somehow that seems counter productive! Apparently his former owners never walked him! That may have been fine in the more rural area they lived in but here where our property is the size of a postage stamp some walking is necessary! I did have a brain storm of sorts, I could dress up as Mayor Mc Cheese. This way Ozzie would have incentive to chase me down the block! Hmm maybe not! That could result in serious injury ...to me! In the meanwhile I think I'll call Jenny Craig and see if they have a canine division!

Weighing In!

When Ozzie came to us he was already a little on the ahhh...let's say chunky side! Certainly at his prior home he wasn't starved! As I have mentioned before he doesn't care for going on walks! In matter of fact he just flat out hates them. As soon as we walk out the door he plants his feet firmly on the ground and assumes the position of " I ain't gonna do it!" I have been trying to keep him on a "diet" of sorts. Reduced calorie kibble and snacks like canned pumpkin, non-fat cottage cheese. The vet pointed out that Milk Bones where high in fat so we found low fat chicken jerky! Ozzie does not seem to be the least bit phased by his portly physique! He probably refers to himself as "big boned". I came across a bulldog that may be a little bit heavier than Oz! Frankly I hope this is a result of Photo Shop not gluttony! I showed this to Ozzie and told him "You don't' want to look like this do you boy?" That should scare anyone skinny! Well today we are going to drop by his veterinarian to check on his weight, so keep your fingers crossed that we may have dropped a pound not gained one!

EveryOne into the Pool!

With the waning days of summer we all try to get one more day at the beach or the pool into our schedule. I have found out that though bulldogs are not known to be swimmers there are many bullies out there that do enjoy the water! Friends Don and Melinda had Bullet who couldn't wait to go for a swim in the lake or at the ocean. They said he would swim out to Cuba if he could. He especially liked to body surf! Monty from the bulldog rescue has Ruby and a French bulldog Frankie and a pug, Adrienne that all adore the water. They were upstate NY by Lake Placid this month where they all got their paws wet. He does have a life jacket ( which is recommended ) for Ruby but she prefers to skinny dip, so they have to be very watchful when she is in the water! Now as for Ozzie I have my doubts. The fact that he is a wee bit over weight certainly doesn't make him the most buoyant bully around! Just taking him for a walk around the block is a challenge. Besides I don't think that bulldogs are ergonomically designed for water. They are kind of shaped like an anvil. I could just see Ozzie heading straight for the bottom at record speed! I have considered going out and purchasing one of those plastic kiddie pools for the Oz. Knowing him he probably think it was one giant water dish! Oh well we may just be spending the rest of the summer in the shade taking power naps!

A Walk in the Bark Park

We have discovered a dog park located in the near by town of Ridgewood called the "Bark Park". I suppose most towns have caught onto this trend by making a space for dogs to run leash free in public parks. They divide it up, one side for small dogs ( up to 25 pounds ) and the other side for the big boys. We trotted Ozzie in there the other day and found a whole social network going on for dogs and their owners! Oz made the rounds with the usual doggie greeting! After sufficient butt sniffing he began to pee on anything vertical. An excited Golden Retriever came up to him as if to say " hey you wanna play with me?!" but Ozzie just plumped his rear end down on the ground and looked away. I in the meanwhile was talking with the doggie parents about what kind of food they feed their "babies" and which vacuum picks up the most fur. I definitely felt like I was part of the social click going on there, while Ozzie was not feeling the love! He was just standing there looking bored ( if dogs can look bored I suppose?!) "Well I guess it's time for us to go" I said to my new found friends. That was when Ozzie decided it was time to relieve himself of a two days worth of kibble! "Oz,don't do that" I shouted! Well there is no stopping mother nature! Luckily they supply poop bags there! We left with Oz and the big bag of dog doo. I guess that was less then fun for him. I was kind of enjoying it! Maybe we will try another dog park one day where they won't know to refer to him as the "dumper"!

You must catch Ozzie who's pictures are featured on another blog today! The site is www.boneheadbulldogs.com . I found it to be a neat place to get some bulldog information and enjoy the bully antics of Kennedy and Reagan. I'll be back tomorrow with a post titled "A Walk in the Bark Park". Stay cool you bullies!

Happy Trails to Dad!

Yesterday we had a big send off party for my Dad who has finally decided to retire at age 80! He is moving out to Oregon to live with his sister Marie on a 40 acre ranch. I don't know if you could qualify it as a ranch but she does have 3 horses, 2 cats and a toy poodle named Molly! Unfortunately it rained on and off as remnants of Hurricane Bill blew past the east coast so it was largely an indoor event. It got kinda hot and sticky in the house even though we had the air on down to 60 degrees! We had a good sized crowd and with the stove going it was sauna like. As you can imagine it was not a good hair day! Thank God my cousin Annie is a caterer who specializes in barbecue was on hand to help me pull off this gig ( to whom I give my gratitude. Otherwise we all just be eating hot dogs and hamburgers with Shop-Rite potato salad) ! On the menu was barbecued brisket, pulled pork, potato salad, pasta salad, steamed clams, linguine and crab sauce ( to die for! ) and desserts that I will still be eating come this weekend unless I fall into a diabetic coma before that! Though the party was for Dad at times it was Ozzie who was the center of attention! Many of our friends had not yet seen Ozzie so it was a coming out party for him. Ozzie didn't have to do much to elicit folks to eww and ahhh over him. Most of the day he lied smack dab in the middle of the kitchen with his tongue hanging out! What a sight. I only tripped over him 23 times! My father received a lot of well wishes and gifts but I think Ozzie had his share of "gifts" too! My husband fed him enough brisket to serve a family of four with. As for my nieces and nephews no telling how many Doritos they ended up giving him! At the end of the evening Dad was very post party happy. Ozzie too had this very contented look on his face as he slipped off into his doggie slumber for the night!

Burn Baby Burn!

Yes it looks like a disco inferno took place on our lawn! Our backyard while not spacious was once a lush healthy green! This morning while I gaze across the landscape I see a big yellow patch of what was once grass. Ozzie's preference is to take his daily pees in the privacy of his yard. While this makes it easier on us and him ( he rather not walk if at all possible! ) its created a problem I cannot remedy! It's lawn burn in the first degree and there are some solutions I found on the Internet. One should saturate the area with water every time they urinate. ( Well our back yard hose is not working and I be darned if I am gonna drag the hose out from the front each time he pees. I'll just pray for rain! ) You can plant urine resistant grasses such as rye and fescues ( My husband fired the landscaper because he thought he could do just as good of a job. Needless to say the lawn hasn't been the same since. He couldn't get weeds to grow! ) There are pro-biotic compounds on the market such as Dogonit, which has natural enzymes in it that speed up the break down of urine. ( Can't I save a dime and use baking soda?! I thought that works wonders on everything?!) We are having a BBQ this Sunday. I suppose I could throw a big tarp on the spot and set up the bar area there. I will then pray that it's not too hot and folks won't notice it smells like a port a potty spilled its guts out! If any of you have any suggestions please don't be shy and leave a comment! Have a good weekend all!

The Boys of Moonshine

I happened to be watching Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern on the Travel Channel the other day when they had a most interesting episode! He and Anthony Bourdain another Travel Channel Chef/celeb went local and visited a bar in the Redhook section of Brooklyn called Moonshine. The element that caught my attention was the place is patrolled by two bulldogs! It's a regulars joint that features country bands and bulldog decor and you can play pool for free on Sundays! They serve a lot of locally brewed beers and there is an unspoiled charm about it! They have a neat garden area in the back where they supply the grill if you supply the meat. BYOM! I emailed Nick who owns the adorable bullies and he told me their names are Boss and Topper. They are 10 years old and brothers! I think we will try to make it there if only just to visit the bullies! In the meanwhile if you have a hankering for beer and do it yourself BBQ with a shot of bulldogs then take a trip out to Brooklyn and stop by Moonshine. Tell Boss and Topper Ozzie says "hey"! http://www.brooklynmoonshine.com/

ZZZZZZZZ

Sleeping may be the favorite past time of the bulldog! They do it so well and with such style! Nothing is more soothing to my ears than the full throttle, 500 decibel, ear crushing snore of my Ozzie! I have updated the video bar with some of Ozzie's brethren cutting wood like only bullies can. I wonder if Breathe Right has a canine strip! They could make a bundle just from Bulldog owners! Sweet dreams all!

Thinking About Adopting?!

I just wanted to take time to thank the folks at the MidAtlantic Bulldog Rescue! This is where we adopted Ozzie from! They work tirelessly to rescue and find homes for bulldogs that have been surrendered to them. Many need immediate veterinary care! One of the principal members Joanne has even driven down to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to rescue a bully who had severe injuries to his legs! If that is not love and dedication I don't know what is! So if you decide you want to become a parent to a bully and live in the NJ/PA/MD/DE area please contact MABD.

Vick Still One Up on His Dogs

After serving 18 months in prison and his personal lost of millions, Michael Vick gets a second chance for fame and fortune with the NFL. Signed on for a 1 year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles at 1.6 million dollars and an option for a second year he is doing better than he should!

It always amazes me that society seems to reward those that do not deserve it. I guess in this case money talks and the NFL still sees Vick as a big bonanza of revenue! For a man who had every thing and ventured in the dog fighting arena shows a lack of intelligence and humanity!

An on line pet store called Hot Dog Collars which specializes in sports team themed pet products has recently discontinued selling Eagles pet paraphernalia. They now accept donations to the Philadelphia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Bravo! Hopefully the rest of the city of brotherly love will turn their backs on Vick! He may have paid his dues to society but to dog lovers the score will never be settled!

Sharing Some Bull with Friends

What a wonderful community of folks Bulldog owners are! I know some people, friends of a friend that have been emailing me with Bulldog tips. They are on Bulldog number three so I consider them experts of sort! I would like to share with you their advice since I have found it most insightful. So here are some excerpts from Don & Melinda out of Texas:

If you are talking about the fold of skin across the top of his nose, that is called his “rope.” Actually, we just learned that when we got our new puppy (Walter). His brother had a very prominent rope and they sometimes need to be removed or trimmed down. As for walks, ours love to go for walks but they have to be very short ones. The biggest fear you have with bullies is that they overheat. They love to lay in the sun but can unknowingly get heat stroke while doing that so don’t let them do anything in the sun for any length of time. Too much cold can mess with them, too. For such big, burly dogs, they can be quite fragile. We have never had a problem with it but most bullies have to have their face crevices and wrinkles cleaned often or they essentially mildew, so that’s another thing to watch out for.

BIG CONCERN: Bulldogs have very high tolerances for pain. When Bullet and Blossom were “fixed” they weren’t even given pain pills because they just don’t do that with bullies. In fact, we had no idea that Bullet was in pain until it was too late. So, keep a close eye on Ozzie and know that he will probably just ignore something that would have another breed whining and crying.

I may have mentioned this but, if not, we just got the AKC papers back on Walter and it turns out that he is the half-nephew of our beloved first Bulldog, Bullet. Bullet’s father was Walter’s grandfather.

I have attached photos of Bullet (75 or so pounds of sweet, loving, slobber-making, solid muscle bulldog), Blossom (64 pounds of high-jumping, lizard and squirrel-chasing, not afraid of anything, non-slobbering little girl), and Walter, a rather stoic but very sweet 4 month old 35 pounder that can’t seem to get the knack of being housebroken, yet. The shot of Walter is from when he was about 8 weeks old.

Working it!

It is going to be a chore to get Ozzie to lose some tonnage! He really detests to walk and he really loves to eat! We have tried nonfat plain yogurt to nonfat cottage cheese to only the whites of his morning hard boiled egg! He does manage to get anything that hits the floor food or otherwise. However he seems to have a penchant for paper which probably is zero points according to Weight Watchers! We saw that he was unusually rambunctious tonight so we decided to try going for a walk. We went down the cross streets which are shorter blocks for his sake. He begrudgingly waddled along for a bit and then the smells of an impending rainstorm and dog urine got him going! As we got to end of the third block we feared that he we would have to carry him back or call a cab! Luckily a terrier came along and then a pug which enticed him to follow along leading us back to the house! He has been sucking wind for the last 30 minutes but I think it's a good start to a slimmer Ozzie!

Coming Clean

This installment is not a tell all. Unless knowing that I stole Beth Silverberg's pen in the third grade does something for you! She was a know it all and teacher's pet anyways! Actually we gave Ozzie a bath yesterday since it was super hot here and an opportunity to wash and dry in the outdoors! He was surprisingly cooperative! Or it may have been fear that kept him frozen to one spot! He was very dapper looking after his drenching! I believe he smells a little less "doggie"! Though you need to be mindful to not get your bully's eyes, ears and nose wet. It is suggested to clean his face separately which we all do daily anyways. Curious enough due to their upturned noses water can easily enter the nose and drip into the lungs. A Bulldog can drown in a relatively small amount of water so be careful not to get water in his nose! I told my son this while were bathing him and he looked at me like I was totally paranoid! "I rather be safe than sorry I told him, maybe that is why you made it to 23 years old!"

Words of Wisdom from Ozzie

If it smells like cheese......eat it!

Dog Tags Chewy Shoe

Yesterday I was watching Oprah and ( oops you caught me yes I admit to becoming an Oprah junkie! ) and they were doing a show on animals and our relationships with them. They had a segment that was on "Puppies Behind Bars" an organization that has inmates training puppies to become service dogs for soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. What a wonderful situation for those men! Doing time, behind bars and feeling hopeless in a sense and then being given an opportunity to give back to society! These inmates whom I am sure have lead less than stellar lives are for the first time feeling good about themselves while having the companionship of a dog and the knowledge that they are doing something of value! The soldiers that receive these dogs some with physical disabilities or emotional are getting back to good with the aid of these animals. The actress Glenn Close was on and endorsing this program while encouraging folks to purchase the Dog tag Chewy Shoe toy. It's made of non-toxic rubber and from the same molds that are used to make the soles of military boots. I think it's a nice way to honor the sacrifice made by our guys and gals in the military and with a portion ($2.00) going to the Puppies Behind Bars program its a worth while buy!

Weighing in on Ozzie

We were lucky to receive Ozzie is such good health. At 2 years old he is a vigorous strapping example of a Bulldog. He did however test positive for Lyme's disease with a high bacterial count so our vet put him on doxycycline for 21 days. He had no outward symptoms and has completed his meds so he is in the clear. It's been a damp summer to say the least and ticks and mosquitoes have flourished! Oz does need to lose weight however! He should weigh in around 65 pounds or so and currently is tipping the scale at 74.6 pounds. When he went to the vets for a recheck on Monday he was down a whole pound! So give credit its due! It's a challenge to get him to slim down especially since he detests to do any walking. If he could he would request the town move the fire hydrant from our corner to in front of our house! It is simply exhausting! Maybe with our new goal for training for the Canine Good Citizen's Test we can work on the walking thing! We thought his would be a good challenge to segue into therapy dog training. A new friend we have made through the Bulldog Rescue, Debbie, is involved with her bully Knuckles, as a therapy dog and visits hospitals and the like with him! Knuckles ( that is him looking dapper in his hat ) has also participated in reading programs for children at local libraries. The kids get to read their hearts out to a nonjudgmental Knuckles who attentively listens. ( maybe while taking a snooze or two! ) This has got to be a win win situation for all. I hope I can get Ozzie to cooperate with me on this one. I think he would be idea for this except for his lack of desire to walk with me! We will work on this and report back our progress. In the meanwhile if you want to read the comments left by Don and Melinda on the Ozzie birthday post you will find some very sage advice on bulldogs and a laugh or two. Thank you for your words of bully wisdom!

Skateboarding doggie

I put some video up of Tillman the now famous skateboarding Bulldog. He is a trip to watch! Ozzie's comment was that Tillman was a show off and he could do that with his eyes close taking his afternoon nap at the same time! The only part I believe is the afternoon nap which he is an expert at. Not to mention the morning nap too!