Before and After

I came across a painting from 1790 ( yes around the time of my birth) that depicted an English Bulldog of that era. Quite a difference in comparison to our modern day bullie. Taller, leaner with a longer, more pronounced snout it is nothing like what we have come to love in a bulldog. They sure look a lot more athletic! Definitely not to be found taking long naps on the couch or huffing and puffing going up stairs! I showed the picture to Ozzie. He was unimpressed. So just that you all can appreciate the Bulldog of 2010 I have posted the "before and after" pictures. I myself prefer the pushed in nose and the heavy broad chest and the "cowl" of fat around the neck ( in Ozzie's case ). Well you be the judge!

Ozzie Trying to Leave the Bulldog Beach Bash

Bulldogs at the Beach

What a whirlwind weekend for Ozzie! Saturday afternoon was the Belmar Bulldog Beach Bash. It was a glorious Spring day with temps in the high 60's. We arrived to find the folks of the MidAtlantic Bulldog Rescue had set up camp on strip of beach right off 2ND Avenue where at least 50 bulldogs and their owners convened. Lets say Ozzie was less than enthusiastic about joining them! We managed to hit the beach with Mr Reluctance. There he sniffed around a bit and relieved himself creating a poopy sandcastle! Monty, Ozzie's foster Dad from the rescue was there, and he was delighted to see him. Everyone couldn't help but notice that the Oz was the biggest bulldog there. Maybe I should say the fattest bulldog. Yup a not so prestigious honor, he outweighed all the other bullies by pounds and pounds! We stayed for about an hour and a half. By that time Ozzie had his full of his brethren! The ride home was his favorite part of the day! Unfortunately my camera which is quite ancient decided to take pictures when it felt inclined to do so. One of the best photo ops of the year for me and I walked away with only four pictures!
On Sunday we were invited to have dinner with our friends Terri and Dan at their home. It had been raining since Saturday night and conditions had gotten a bit soggy and cool. Ozzie was invited as well and I think he was a little disgusted when he found out we had to go back in the car again. Perhaps fearing we where headed back to the beach. When we arrived we were greeted by their dogs Tank, a lanky Labradoodle and Harley a cute little Pom-Chi ( a Pomeranian Chihuahua mix ) their newest edition to the family! Ozzie was actually quite happy to see them and romp around in the wet grass of their spacious yard. I believe at first he couldn't figure out if Harley was a dog or a cat?! He chased him around the house a bit until he could figure out what he was! Ozzie really enjoyed playing with his friends and was reluctant to leave at the end of the evening! Needless to say that this rainy Monday morning we find him catching up on some much needed rest from his hectic weekend! A guy has gotta get his beauty sleep ya know! Zzzzzz!

Bulldogs on the Beach and Burgers

Well it is Friday again and we are looking forward to going to the Belmar Beach Bulldog Bash on Saturday! For bulldog lovers it is a feast for the eyes! Bulldogs in all sizes and colors, some decked out in costumes roaming the beach with their owners. It is a great opportunity to talk "bull" with other bullie parents and share stories. We went last year in November and Ozzie was one of the biggest bulldogs there. Who would of thunk it?! Hopefully if my camera cooperates I will have some great photos to share with you! In the mean time I cam across a recipe for Bacon Bulldog Burgers that I found on the website: www.bulldogabbie.com
I have revamped it somewhat to make it a little more figure friendly for Ozzie. It seems like this would be a tasty treat that I wouldn't mind eating myself! Enjoy your weekend!

1 cup of brown rice 2 cups of sodium reduced chicken broth 4 slices of turkey bacon 1 large egg 1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs 1 cup of reduced fat shredded cheese ( cheddar or swiss ) Cook rice with chicken broth. Bring to boil then reduce heat to simmer and cover for 20-25 minutes until rice is tender. Transfer rice to large bowl to cool. In skillet cook turkey bacon until crisp. Remove and finely chop bacon and add to rice. Mix in bread crumbs, egg and cheese to rice. Mix thoroughly and separate into 4 equal pieces. ( don't hesitate to add more egg or some low fat milk if mixture is too dry ) Form into patties and cook 4 minutes on each side in the same pan you used to fry the bacon. Allow them to cool and serve to man's best friend!

Stamps to the Rescue

Starting April 30th you will be able to purchase stamps that will help buy food for animal shelters. Ellen DeGeneres is teaming up with Halo "Purely for Pets" and the US Post office to buy a million meals for animals in shelters around the country. The stamps themselves will feature photos of five cats and five dogs taken by photographer Sally Anderson-Bruce. These animals were adopted in her hometown of New Milford Connecticut. Thanks to the effort of the shelter and some kind hearted folks they now all have forever homes! You can pre-order on line at : http://www.stampstotherescue.com/
Millions of cats and dogs are needlessly euthanized each year unnecessarily. Lets do what we can to help out our local shelters and think adopt rather than buy! I promise you that you will have a friend for life when you open your heart and home to a shelter dog or cat!

Ozzie on Deck

The weather has been delightful and Ozzie enjoys lounging on the deck! Just don't get any wild ideas and make him go for a walk!

You Must of Been a Beautiful Bullie!

This morning I came across these pictures of a bulldog mom and her 8 week old pups. OMG! English Bulldog puppies have to be the cutest thing on earth! Unfortunately we never experienced Ozzie in his puppy stage since we adopted him at 2 years old. Although he is very handsome he must of been a beautiful baby! Below is the link. Check it out so you can get your daily dose of EB inspired cheer!

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=10016337

What's This?!

This video is too funny! A box has invaded the kitchen and the bulldogs are on the attack! Ozzie reacts in a similar way when introduced to something out of the ordinary. Maybe a little more lackadaisical in his approach though. I guess these bullies are normal in stature. Ozzie is like Gigantore next to these guys! Enjoy!

Good Morning Ozzie!

Awakening to another Spring morning with slightly overcast skies I hurried downstairs to feed my Ozzie! I discovered him lying on the couch engaged in high volume snoring! "Ozzie wake up! It's rise and shine!" He managed to open one eye and look at me with disgust! " Lady, can't you see I am trying to get some beauty sleep here!" I grabbed his dish and went to the pantry where his dog food lied waiting. As soon as he heard the scooper dig into the bag he perked up! "There you go Oz, breakfast is served! " With a leap he sprang from the couch! ( Okay, it was more like a lumbering rollover he fell to the floor! ) He gobbled it up in his usual time of 10.5 seconds. Then it was out the door for his morning constitutional. Upon his return his highness sought out my husband for his morning belly rub. This was to be followed by his morning nap which he comfortably settled down in the living room on his blanket. Cradling his head was his favorite bone pillow as he blissfully drifted off into doggie slumber! So ends Ozzie's busy morning schedule until lunch begins! Who says that Bulldogs are lazy?!

A Summer Day in April

We had an unusually warm, I should say hot day here in the North East this past Wednesday. The thermometer reached to 92 degrees in the Tri-State area! Not your normal early April temperature by any means! We hesitated to run the AC since that meant unwrapping the unit outside and a few adjustments to the HVAC system. It was just a freak heat and we saw no need to get into running it for one day. Well Ozzie had different thoughts on the subject. We had the ceiling fans on but that didn't cut it for our furry friend! I am aware of how intolerant bulldogs are to heat. In fact it is down right dangerous for them. Anything above 80 degrees and they must stay in where it is air conditioned. With their short muzzles and extremely narrow trachea it makes it very challenging for them to pant in order to cool themselves. Oz seemed okay for most of the day, electing to lay inside on the kitchen floor with his ice water near by. Collectively the day was too much and by the evening he was pooped. The coup de gras was when he ascended the stairs for the evening! The panting went on for several minutes at the top and I was a wreck over it! Sorry buddy next time we have a day like that the AC is going on all the way! Blissfully it has returned to Spring time temps in the low 60's just where Ozzie likes it!

Happy Holidays!

Ozzie and I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Passover and Easter. Enjoy the holidays and the beautiful weather forecast for this weekend! Remember to keep chocolate treats and other goodies out of reach of our fur friends!