THE CHOCOLATE DOG BLOG

Not much going on with Bosco today. The usual trip to the park to chase after tennis balls. Tomorrow and Thursday he is with Katie as I will be working. I hope they have fun.

Bosco went to the vet yesterday, he is officially under 80lbs. 79 lbs for the boss man. I am starting to think he is wasting away haha. We also stopped in at House of Dogs for some shampoo but they don't think he needs any so that was fine with me. Labs have a natural oil that keeps their coat all nice and shiny that you really do not want to wash away. He does not smell either so really there is no point.

We did pick him up a treat and he has been chewing on it for days. Oh the simple things in life, a three dollar bone keeps him out of trouble for days.

He is sitting in the chair next to me pretending to sleep but I Know he is reading over my shoulder to make sure I am saying nice things.

See you in a few days when I have more time to blog again.

Labels: bosco news

Hockey player

NBA baller

Labels: dog pics

And local gangs who export pirated discs through the mail might soon find themselves in the doghouse.

The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry may bring Neil Powell, Lucky and Flo’s trainer, to Malaysia to train dogs here. Using sniffer dogs would greatly increase their chances of finding pirated CDs and DVDs in packages and containers.

Lucky and Flo demonstrated their technique to Customs officials from around the region in Hong Kong last week. Ministry deputy director- general (management) Ahmad Dahuri Mahmud, the head of its optical discs special unit, attended the demonstration at the invitation of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).

"The dogs were very effective at sniffing out DVDs even though they had been covered with a substantial amount of bubble wrap," Ahmad said, adding that he had discussed the training methods with Powell. He declined to comment when asked whether the ministry plans to hire Powell to train dogs here.

"The ministry is studying the feasibility of using dogs for its enforcement operations. We do not have any experience in this field." Senior ministry officials, on the other hand, said they are considering bringing Powell to Malaysia as the dogs could be a valuable asset in the battle against piracy.

"Many are in favour of setting up a dog unit similar to that of the police canine unit," sources said.

"The general consensus is that the dogs have proven their effectiveness in discovering optical discs under difficult conditions and can aid enforcement officers at mail points." It has been learnt that the MPA has offered Powell’s expertise to the ministry.

Between Sept 8 and Oct 12 this year, close to 5,000 parcels containing nearly 20,000 DVDs were seized at the mail and courier centres at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

"The recent discovery of 138,000 pirated discs worth RM1.38 million at the MAS Cargo Complex is ample proof of the demand for pirated discs from abroad," sources said.

"Most of the confiscated discs were destined for various capitals in the Middle East, one of the main targets of the gangs.

"The international market is much more lucrative than the local market, due to the exchange rate and the fact that they charge their customers in US dollars."

(for full story)

Labels: dog news

Bosco being a canine and a gentleman is certainly interested in this blog and hopes to make it onto it one day. GCS can you help out a Chocolate guy??

Labels: dog blogs

At the annual Haute Dog Howl'oween Parade on Sunday in Belmont Shore, that was truer than ever.

About 500 dogs and their owners and friends marched in costume - often in matching costumes - to the delight of hundreds of onlookers.

Devils, geishas, ballerinas, construction workers, 1950s dancing girls, hippies, bumblebees - no costume was too elaborate for the pooches or their owners.

Rachel Levi came as a cleaning lady with Hazel, her brown-and-white, half-Australian shepherd, half-poodle, who came as a mop.

In one hand, Levi, of Long Beach, held a plastic bucket filled with cleaning supplies. In the other hand she held the stick of the mop, which was attached to Hazel. The mop was dyed brown with white string to match the dog's frizzy 'do.

Some avoided the complex and instead went for comedy.

Hamster and Stanley came as Sonny and Cher. Hamster, a huge English mastiff, wore a black wig and a red dress, while Stanley, a small pug,

(full story)

Labels: dog news

Labels: pictures

Bosco was bugging us for food and wanting to go out and doing all his normal things on time for him but of course we are like, go away we still have an hour.

Poor Bosco, he did not set his clock back, when will dogs learn!

I don't know about your dog but Bosco really has no issues with having his nails clipped. Sometimes it can be hard since he has those dark black nails but I have only caused blood a few times over the years. I find the key is to just take a little off at a time and to have some good clippers.

Vets and dog grooming places over charge for this simple task and if you start early with your pup you will save so much money over the years.

As for the bath thing, Bosco really does not have a lot of baths since in the good weather months he is swimming all the time anyways. Labs are not supposed to have a lot of shampooed baths anyways because they have an oil that they need in their skin that occurs naturally.

Now that the lakes are getting cold, I figured it is time to bath the beast and get him all shiny and fresh. Nothing like a clean dog smell I tell ya.

pictures to come I am sure.

Labels: bosco news

Katie is at work til 6pm and I am sleeping usually til about then. So what does Bosco do? Well he waits until I fall asleep and then gets on the bed and nuzzles into me and falls asleep. The funny thing is I do not even notice at the is odd seeing as Bosco is an eighty pound clumsy dog. He usually can't finesse himself into too many places.

So I wake up feeling trapped under the covers because he is laying on top of them right against my side. The good part is he keeps everything nice and warm. The bed part is that Bosco is not supposed to be on the bed and he knows that.

Oh well it could be worse, he could keep me awake and bother me until he gets what he wants. So it is kind of nice that he takes what he is given and just relaxes.

Labels: bosco news

Labels: pictures

Meet Yoda the dog.

Labels: dog pics

Labels: fun

I had no idea that there was a service for this and it certainly opened my eyes as to how far people will go for their special pet. The part of the site that I found interesting was all the information and helpful links they offer to help you deal with the hard loss of a pet. There is poetry and articles and other things to read to help you get some closure.

Personally I would never of thought of any of this and over my life with the many dogs my family has had something like a Pet Urn or pet creamation was not even a thought.For even more information on this I highly suggest checking out http://www.angelashes.com/petcremation.htm and see for yourself if this is something you would consider one day far far down the road when your best friend runs off to that special place where all doggies go one day.

I do not think it would be for me when the day comes but everyone is different so there should be options.

Labels: pictures

The Boss has been having a lot of time to himself the last few days to reflect and to look ahead to the future. I am sure it was a good time for him to get everything in his life in balance. Who am I kidding he just slept and chewed on his toys counting the minutes til someone got home.
I guess he had a lot of fun yesterday because there were a bunch of other dogs over at the baseball diamond where we take him. Bosco likes to play with other dogs and it helps him work off all his energy before a nice evening nap.
It is a cold one today in Halifax so we will be going for a walk soon. I am sure Bosco will like it a lot more than I will.
If you notice some new posts that are kind of out of left field and weird it is because I am trying out some pay per posts from a few sites where they give you a website to promote and write about. I have my first one so that will be going up today. Bosco has to eat haha!
I hope everyone and their dogs are doing well and I love hearing from you all. Have a great day.

Labels: daily news

Labels: pictures

Last night Bosco got some bonus fun to as we had some friends over after being out for dinner. Bosco loves company and of course got a lot of extra attention. I think he slept good last night thats for sure.

Mercy is emjoying the peace and quiet as he just came over to visit me as I type this.

Speaking of Mercy, him and Bosco have started playing a new game, sort of like what is known as playing chicken. You know when two cars or whatever speed towards each other and then one moves at the last second.

Mercy has this habit of waiting in Bosco's path as he charges to dinner or a treat and Bosco usually always moves at the last second. Mercy has nerves of steel or just knows Bosco is a big chocolate chicken.

Well yesterday it finally happened when Bosco actually did not stop and ploughed right through Mercy. It was pretty funny to see and I think from now on Mercy will think twice about standing in Bosco's way.

Labels: daily news

I was just showing Bosco the stats for this site and he was pretty amazed at how global it is.

Just check out some of these places.

Canada

Lively, Ontario
Halifax , Nova Scotia
Port Coquitlam, BC
Calgary, Alberta
Prince George, BC
Red Deer, Alberta
Brantford, Ontario
London, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Downsview, Ontario
Winnepeg, Manitoba

World

Praha, Czech Republic
Cordoba, Argentina
Valencia, Venezuela
Alexandria, Virginia, USA
Pasadena, California, USA
San Antonio, Texas, USA
New Delhi, India
Tartu, Estonia
Singapore
Mascot, Australia
Auckland, New Zealand
Centro, Italy

These are only a few of the places that are listed. I think there is not one part of the world that Bosco has not hit. I have even seen people from Africa on the site before. One chocolate dog uniting the world, thats cool.

Labels: facts

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Labels: daily question

Liberal MP Belinda Stronach has demanded an apology from Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay following allegations he referred to her as a dog in the House of Commons.

"For that kind of comment to be made is just plain unacceptable," Stronach told reporters Friday. "I expect an apology for that."

I had to explain to Bosco that this is in fact a bad thing and people should not be calling each other dogs. Bosco was confused because he is called a dog many times a day and it has never bothered him.

Bosco thinks that being called a dumb or bad dog is something worth getting mad at however.

Labels: daily news

more

Labels: dog news

Labels: dog news

Things are getting back to normal over here at the Chocolate Dog Blog. There have been a lot of changes over the last little while and I am glad you all stuck around to see the outcome.

I have been doing some work on the site to make it look nicer and I hope people are enjoying that. Bosco is a demanding guy and wants the best for his readers. I have to keep that in mind when making changes because I do not want the brown boy to be mad at me.

Things are pretty normal these days. Daily walks, naps, all the usual stuff for Bosco. It can't be road trips to PEI all the time now can it. I do not think he minds as long as he gets a lot of attention and the odd treat.

Anyways I am going to take off for now but have a super day and keep those comments coming.

Labels: daily news

Labels: pictures

With the colder weather coming and the fireplace back in use again we try to keep the heat in the living room by keep doors almost closed. We normally would keep them totally closed but with two animals that need to get to water or litter boxes, the doors need to stay ajar.

It was most noticable last night that Bosco really does not like doors to be closed or even slightly closed. Thinking back over the years this has always been true with bedroom doors as well.

Any door that is not fully open he will go around and push them open. The door gets closed again and he will get up and go push it open.

I do not know if he has a hate for Jim Morrison or he feels like he gets a closed in feeling but the chocolate dude likes his doors wide open.

Anyone else notice this with their dogs? Any other odds habits??

Labels: bosco habits

Labels: ad

His favourite team of course is the Toronto Raptors (Yes his is I swear) and he is very excited at how the Raptors look this season.

The Boss is predicting great things for this team and I hope you all cheer for them.

Labels: bosco's fav sport

I must say would you rather have a small yappy dog or a large and quiet dog staying at your place.

I know what I would pick. Here is the official blurb from the site. Go check it out.

Hitting the road for a cross-country adventure with Fido in tow can be a chance to bond with a beloved pet; but with different pet policies, rules, laws, and regulations looming around every corner, it's hard for pet owners to get their trips planned, much less off the ground. BigDogsWelcome.com addresses the concerns all big dog owners face when trying to plan a relaxing, fur-filled vacation.

Labels: info

Karl Malone, former NBA All-Star has a chocolate named Abigail. Jazzy name don't you think!

You can check out the list here.

Labels: dog sites

Would you trade you best friend for cash??

If someone offered you 100 thousand dollars for your dog, would you trade??

I would love to hear what people think.

Don't worry Bosco you are far too valuable to get nervous!

Labels: daily news

Lets see he ate, slept, went for walks, slept, played with his toys, ate snacks, went for more walks and slept some more. Pretty typical in the land of labs.

Took him for an extra long romp today at the baseball diamond, you know to work off thw weekend rust. He is sleeping and exhausted right now.

very little happening in the land of Bosco that is for sure, no news is good news I guess.

I am enjoying the new look and the new blogger bata thingy. I hope everyone is having a good Monday.

Labels: daily news

Bosco is having a quiet weekend at home with Katie as I am working all weekend. I am sure he can use a laid back at home weekend after last weekend.

On the Mercy front, the farm as we call them are getting to be much closer friends. They have a new routine when Bosco is eating his morning meal. Bosco eats and drinks (while wagging his tail) and Mercy will walk under Bosco back and forth. It is funny because when the cat's tail hits Bosco's tummy it appears to tickle as Bosco will move. I have termed this as driving under the overpass. I will try and get a picture of it some day.

Labels: daily news

Labels: treats

In Austria, the Vienna Dog-Dropping Initiative, has asked residents to conduct a puppy poop census. The group has organized the census to get the attention of lawmakers and alert them to the growing problem of dog owners not cleaning up after their pups. It will be interesting to see the results of this census.

Police in London plan to meet with supermodel Claudia Schiffer to warn her about letting her dogs roam free on her country estate. A public walking trail runs next to Schiffer’s estate in London and pedestrians have filed complaints that Schiffer’s dogs have been less than friendly. A report has even been filed claiming that Schiffer’s dog bit another dog.

If you like to take trips with your precious pup in tow, Fido Friendly magazine may be just what you are looking for. Fido Friendly is a quarterly magazine that keeps you up to date on all things related to pet friendly travel in the United States and Canada. A perfect magazine for anyone who likes to get away with their pet.

Australian researchers have begun a 3-year study to determine what traits make successful working dogs. So far the researchers have determine that the paw your dog favors can be indicative of certain behavior traits. For example, dogs that use their left and right paw equally are more likely to be upset by thunderstorms and fireworks. You can read more about the study here.

Moving can be a stressful time for both people and dogs. Here is a great article on how to help your dog cope with a move.

An Italian Judge ruled that dogs have an “existential right to bark” in a case brought before him by a retired man who claims that his neighbor’s Doberman Pinschers bark day and night. Needless to say, the retired man was not happy with the Judge’s decision, but the defendant was very happy the case was presided over by a dog-friendly judge.

Labels: dog news

Feel free to contact me to discuss this more.

Bosco likes to help out where he can!

So as you may know, on the long weekend we went to PEI and rented a little cottage on the water near Confederation Bridge. They were dog friendly so of course we packed up Bosco in the car and were off.

I do not think he has ever had a more fun time. He was as happy as a lab can be! His days were full of roaming free in open fields, running on the beach when the tide was out and swimming in the ocean when the tide came in.

He slept on comfy couches and had someone around almost all the time.

I would have to say his favourite was when we would chuck tennis balls off the cliff and he would run down the path way to the beach and find the ball. He would go right out to the sand barges when he could.

Katie and my favourite was when the tide came in and the waves were fairly big, we would chuck a ball into the water and Bosco would have to fight the waves to go out and get it. Yes we laughed when huge waves hit him in the face or lifted his bum up in the air.

He had lots of sticks to chew and places to roll around. For anyone looking for a place to go that is dog friendly I highly suggest this cottage (see earlier post).

Now we are home and Bosco has pretty much been lazing around the house for a few days. I think he is part tired and part sad. I know he misses the cottage and the ocean and the fresh salt air.

We will go back I am sure and I also know there are many car trips in Bosco's future.

Labels: trips

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We stayed at Maggie's Cottages in Borden-Carlton. It is just over the Confederation Bridge and is not too far from Summerside. Charlottetown was about a 40 minute drive.

They are dog friendly and we never had any problems having Bosco there. For more information please check them out, I highly recommend it.

As for more tales and experiences of raising Bosco, I would have to say you are going to have to read the archives because I have certainly touched on that over the last year. Good luck with your new dog.

Labels: answers

10 things Bosco likes about PEI:

1. Swimming in the ocean everyday
2. very little time on leash
3. all the fresh, salt air
4. fetching tennis balls out of the ocean
5. surfing the waves
6. a new couch to sleep on
7. all the attention is on him
8. running on the beach
9. did I mention the ocean?
10. entertaining everyone for hours

Here is a slideshow of the pictures from the weekend, enjoy!

Labels: daily news, pictures

The best news is the comments work again and today we have added our first advertiser. Please check out Barkslope.com. They have everything you could ever want for your doggie in terms of beds, apparel and collars for Labs! I just might have to start thinking of a Christmas present for Bosco!

Later on today or tomorrow I am also going to recap the wonderful weekend we had in PEI. Bosco had the best time ever and there are so many pictures and stories to share.

This is a great day everyone, please keep up your dedicated following.

Labels: daily news

Overhaul of the Chocolate Dog Blog

stay tuned everyone.

Labels: trips

Labels: humour

Okay I think I have to admit defeat and just go with comments. I have no idea what is going on and it is too frustrating to deal with. The blog is so linked up across the net and it has carved out the space with the name that it is pointless to start a new blog or even transfer this one to a new platform. Everytime I seem to use blogger something goes wrong and it is not that easy to just change looks or templates because there are hardly any that allow a custom picture in the heading. So for the time being there will be no comments which sucks because I really enjoy reading them and it is a good way for people to say hi. There is the chat box on the side if you want to say hi or leave a comment. Until I figure out what to do next I guess that will have to be the way to go. Please email me too, I can always post the comments in a large bunch every week or so. Have a great day everyone and keep blogging. I am also going to use a smaller font from now on as well.

Labels: site news

Labels: daily news

The Halifax Regional Municipality is holding a public meeting on Thurs., Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. in the Queen Elizabeth High School cafeteria (take the entrance off Bell Road) to discuss an application by Janet Chernin — she runs the doggy daycare Canine Casbah — to amend the peninsula land use bylaw to allow her to run the daycare from her home.

Janet, who is also the local spokeswoman for the Dog Legislation Council of Canada, has apparently run the daycare for several years out of her home with no complaints. But someone allegedly filed a gripe with the city recently.

It might be nice if other dog lovers got out and supported her application.