Rosco gets featured on www.PlaygroundDad.com

Hey blog buddies,

Check out my feature guest blog on Playground Dad, a website dedicated to helping dads spend better time.

If your household has both kid and canine it's worth a read. 

Hope you enjoy!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, holidays, etc...

All the best to you and yours in 2013.

Tails wags and paw shakes,

Rosco the dog bloggin dog

P.S. See below to see what I think of dog antlers.

Available for immediate employment...

Dear potential employer,

I am a hard working, strong willed individual with great interpersonal skills and a constant drive to succeed. Each day I do what I am told and constantly seek approval for more tasks. In fact, if you don't give me enough work, you might find me in the corner of the room gnawing on one of your shoes. All I ask is that you give me a job with consistent commands and appropriate rewards and you can rely on me to give you everything that I have.

Sincerely yours,

- Fido McPoochy

A canine cover letter would likely resemble the above paragraph.

As a dog with several jobs, I can attest to the satisfaction and esteem that I feel every time I get to perform for my human family. In fact if I didn't have enough work to do I might start to wonder if maybe they didn't trust me or didn't think I was a valuable member of the pack.

Dad let's me carry home all the flyers when we visit the mail box at the end of the street. At first, I started out by just carrying one flyer for a few steps. But the longer I held it and the more flyers that I carried, the more rewards and praise I got. Now I try to fit as much as I can in my mouth and I don't dare drop a single piece of paper until we reach the front porch.

Whenever mom and dad get back from the grocery store they invite me out to the minivan and I get to carry a few items into the kitchen.

Every day before my morning and evening meals I entertain dad with a few tricks of his request before dining on my kibble. If I do something extraordinarily well he throws in a couple pieces of cheese, liver or banana... It makes me want to perform as best as I can.

When someone walks up to our front door it's my job to alert the family with one bark, not two, not three, not insistent mind numbing noise. If the doorbell rings I bark once and go to my bed and wait. 

If a visitor comes in, it's my job to wait on my bed and show everyone that I am calm and ready to say hi. After a couple minutes I get invited to meet and shake paws with our visitor which is usually followed by a thorough belly rubbing-my fave!

When I go for walks with dad, he asks me to carry things from time to time. If I do a good job he brings me to a tree or a fire hydrant and I get to sniff for a few minutes. Might not seem like much of a reward but trust me, for a dog this is what I live for. I get to smell all the different dogs in the neighbourhood.

My job as a dog isn't to lay around the house all day, or chase the cat, or bark uncontrollably when someone just happens to walk by the house. My job is to play a productive role in my pack. My humans have given me guidance and made it abundantly clear that good behaviour gets rewarded. Thanks mom and dad!

Gainfully employed and lovin' it,

- Rosco the dog bloggin dog

P.S. My heart goes out to all the people and animals who found themselves in the path of Hurricane Sandy. It's times like this you realize how quickly life can change. If you want to help animals in need during disasters like Sandy, sign up for the Blogger Disaster Response Network. Here's some info from our friends at Blog Paws on how you can help through your own blog or through your social media channels like Twitter and Facebook: http://www.blogpawsbethechange.com/2012/10/news-introducing-the-blogger-disaster-response-network.html

You can't change the world, but you can make a world of difference!

Game for a Rainy Day...

Here's me, taking myself for a trot in the park sans human.
___________________

Dear pooch people,

Plain and simple, rain sucks! It gets my fur wet, it makes me smell all wet doggy and it usually means I don't get to go play at the dog park.

I used to get really bummed out on rainy days until I learned a new game called 'hide and seek'. Now when it does rain, I know it's just a matter of time before dad's hiding and I'm seeking. It is sooooo much fun. Here's how we play:

1. I sit and stay on a mat in the kitchen
2. Dad finds a hiding spot
3. Calls my name
4. and it's on...
   
   
   Okay, I admit that sometimes I cheat and find him because I can hear where he calls me from or I can clearly see his feet from behind the curtains, but other times I have to rely on my keen sense of smell to track him down.

When I do find him he gets all excited which in turn makes me run in circles chasing after my tail until I can ultimately grab a hold of it and fall to the ground in elation. Sometimes he has a tug toy with him and I get to play tug with him for a few minutes before it's time to hide again.

Dad tells me this game is good for me because it utilizes my sense of smell, sight and hearing and that it helps us bond, but when it really comes down to it, for me it's just plain ole fun.

For beginner pooches:

When I was a young pup, I'll admit that my attention span was about as long as a grain of rice. Because of this, my mom and dad played the game together with me. Dad would put my leash on me and stay with me in the kitchen and my mom would go hide somewhere close by. When mom would shout my name, dad would say “let's go Rosco, SEARCH for mommy”! Sometimes, I would give up after a couple laps around the dining room, but dad would keep encouraging me and eventually we would find her. Now that I am a big boy I can play without any help or leash at all. Ya, I know, it's impressive.

Have fun playing hide and seek with your fur buddies. It's a blast!

Seekingly yours,

- Rosco

P.S. I also enjoy playing a version of this game where instead of finding a human I get to search out and eat a few of my kibble. It's not quite as exciting and I tend to leave a trail of slobber leading up to the treat but it does give me a job to do, and I love that.

I LOVE MY PIT BULL BUDDIES

P.S.S. October 27th is National Pit  Bull Awareness Day! 

To find and/or register for events in your area please check out: http://www.nationalpitbullawarenessday.org/

Yogurt and flax oil and eggs, oh my!

Hi fido friendlies,

It's Monday! I know for most dogs this isn't the best of days. It means the first of five lonely days in a row of spent napping the day away waiting for their pet parents to arrive home from their human jobs.

For me, it means DESSERT DAY!
Out comes the organic, fat free yogurt, then the flax seed oil, and then the best part of the recipe, one fresh, free-run, organic egg.

IMPORTANT! My dad says NEVER use yogurt with artificial sweeteners (xylitol is one of the most dangerous, sucralose, dextrose, aren't friendly either). 

THE RECIPE 
First my dad pours one cup of yogurt into my bowl.Then he adds a little bit of warm water to it, so it doesn't upset my belly. Next, he mixes in one teaspoon of flax seed oil. The last ingredient is the coup de gras of the dish, one free-run, organic egg.

Yes, the whole egg, shell and all. He crushes it all up into little tiny pieces which is great because the calcium in the shell helps make my bones strong.

In fact, all the ingredients in this dish have health benefits and help prevent ailments.

An easy three-ingredient recipe that takes less time to prepare than the commercial break of your nightly sitcom.

This one of my absolute fave dishes. Not only tasty, but low in calories and full of healthy nutritious goodness. Okay, that's enough blogging for one day, it is dessert day after all! Pony up that dish dad!

Are raw eggs safe?
Some people might be hesitant to give their pooches raw eggs for fear of bacteria, but don't fret. Fresh free-run organic eggs are not likely to contain salmonella. Limit consumption to no more than one egg per week. Read this informative article in Dog's Magazine on feeding eggs to your pooch.

You may want to offer your dog a small sample of the dish the first few times to acclimate his belly to something new. Make half portions for dogs under 50 lbs.

Paws out peeps!

- Rosco

P.S. Post your comments below and let me know if your pooch loves this dish as much as I do. Or, give my dad suggestions for dishes and I'll get him to whip them up for me.

The day the mini-human moved in...

Greetings peoples,

Rosco the dog-blogger here. This past summer I had a very unusual day. After two days being "indognito" my mommy and daddy showed up at the front door with a odd mixed-look of fatigue and joy.

They came through the door and two things became immediately apparent to me. First, my mom must have been at some kind of hardcore boot camp because her enormous bubbled out belly was flat again; and secondly, they must have stopped by the human shelter and picked up a stray because they were carrying a miniature human being with them.

Before they even came through the door, they asked me to back up. I had to stay a few feet away. I wasn’t allowed to get too close at first which was fine with me because I just wanted to see mom and dad. The little human was a brand new baby girl. I could tell by the look of joy on mom’s face, coupled with the look of concern on my dad’s face.

I was extremely excited to meet her but they wouldn’t allow me to shower her with kisses quite just yet. They politely asked me to lay down and stay; so of course I did. I know which way the cookie crumbles in this house, and when it does I know who will be handing out the pieces. After a few attempts to approach I let out a big sigh and waited patiently.

Then dad turned to me and invited me to smell the mini human. I approached slowly. I figured, if they didn’t want me to get too close at first then I should be cautious. I didn't want another feline fiasco played out on my precious plush face. I smelled the air from a few feet away.

After sitting patiently for a few minutes I was invited to get a little bit closer. My dad even held the mini human’s hand out for me to smell. I got to give one gentle kiss before they ushered me into the kitchen for not one, but a handful of cookie crumbs and cheese. JACKPOT! I already like this new addition. All I have to do is stay calm when I am around her and I get rewarded.

I have heard from other dogs at the park that eventually this mini-human will provide a bounty of dropped food at the dinner table.

I can’t wait...

Salivatingly yours,

- Rosco

 P.S. Next week I am blogging about my dad's secret recipes for tasty, home-made, healthy snacks... Shhh don't tell him.

Rosco's Dog Blog: My name is Rosco, and I live with a feline...

Rosco's Dog Blog: My name is Rosco, and I live with a feline...: Dear beloved dog-people, Rosco the dog blogging people lover here, waggin his tail and perkin up his ears with another p...

My name is Rosco, and I live with a feline...

Dear beloved dog-people,

Rosco the dog blogging people lover here, waggin his tail and perkin up his ears with another post for you canine friendlies.

I'm sure you've heard of the story about the 'Cat in the Hat'. That cat seems so playful and entertaining. The 'cat in my house' is a whole different story. From day one I have tried my best to befriend this surly 14 year old tabby who the humans call “Fraidy”.

On my very first attempt greeting him, I tried running at him exuberantly as a show of my fondness towards him. The resulting flurry of paws to my face were both unexpected and deflating. I tucked tail and got outta dodge. On my next attempt I thought I would take a more subtle, canine-like approach. Fraidy was sitting at the end of the hall, so I sauntered up and attempted to give him a proper 'how do you do' butt sniffing. The instant my cold wet nose brushed his tail fur he flung his wiry body around to face me and did something quite rude. He opened his mouth and exhaled the most foul, tuna-based bouillon breath I have ever encountered. Who does that?

Since our initial encounters, I have tried a myriad of approaches over the last year and each time I am utterly rejected. I had one last trick up my sleeve, play hard to get... Wouldn't you know it. The instant the cat noticed I was no longer seeking his acquaintance he wants nothing more than to chill with me. Go figure. Cats!

These days, when I get invited up on the human's couch, I get comfy and my new buddy Fraidy, makes his way over and assumes the inner spoon position.

The lesson in this. A cat ignored, is cat on board.

Barkingly yours,

Rosco

P.S. Next week I am blogging about The Day the Mini-Human Moved In...