THE CHOCOLATE DOG BLOG

Happy 2007 to all those who made the CDB what it is. Without you it is just an ordinary blog.

Bosco also wants you all to remember to party hard but party safe and please don't give your dog any of the bubblee at midnight. Stick to a big sloppy kiss.

Well the time has come, with only a few days left, Bosco finally rolls out the top 10 moments of his year.

#1 All of you, the readers! Thank for from the bottom of Bosco's big chocolate heart. You are what makes this blog work.

#2 The big trip to PEI for Thanksgiving. This by far was Bosco's fav trip ever. Lots of car rides and open running. The fresh air and ocean swimming left Bosco tired and happy everynight. I remember his face when it was time to leave, it was one of are you serious?? Why do we want to leave. Don't worry Bosco we will go back many times.

#3 Everyone reading Marley & Me. This book was a great read and for all those who read it who know Bosco, could not help but think of the chocolate guy. It made the book even better having a Bosco to compare everything too. With all the stuff Marley got into, Bosco is a prince.

#4 All the friends and readers Bosco has helped in whatever way he could. I know it seems weird that a simple blog about a dog can actually affect people but I would like to think it is true. You have all read about our friend from India and I am sure there are many more who have taken something joyful from Bosco. He is a special dog and even though we all say that about our own, his powers are truly magical. He is a sure thing smile no matter what kind of day is happening. Bosco does not like to brag but he is very proud of this.

#5 Getting advertising. Bosco has become used to a certain lifestyle and now that we have some advertising going on, I may be able to afford that chocolate life. Ha ha I ma kidding Bosco is pretty low cost other than food and the occasional toy. That first year I did pump a lot of money into him so I guess you could say Bosco is paying me back with the tales of his life.

#6 The growth of the blog. I know I have mentioned this already but one of the highlights of the year was watching the site grow in readership on a daily basis. At this point we get about 100 views a day and have a solid following. I really hope to make that grow in the new year and I hope the core 100 will stay with us. Thanks again to all who read and love the Bosco.

#7 Point Pleasant Park. A few times this year Bosco got to go to the biggest park in Halifax and enjoy the off leash dog trails. One time in June when my parents were here visiting we took Bosco and Brodie to the park and they had a great time. I know this will be a fun adventure again and again this coming year as well.

#8 Being on Youtube for everyone to see. This past year Youtube has taken the World by storm and Bosco got in on the act a few times. Thousands of people took a peak at pictures of Bosco doing various things. Seems silly but man you can certainly get a message out to the peeps of the universe.

#9 All the BBQ's we had in the backyard this summer. Bosco loves to hang out in the cool grass with the smell of meat in the air. We had many great cookouts this past summer and Bosco was always a part of it.

#10 This past week when Katie and I went to Toronto for Christmas, Bosco stayed with Sara (coworker) and her family. From what I hear Bosco has a blast and certainly came home tired. I am so glad I can give Bosco to someone to watch and he behaves. Christmas 2006 will always be remembered by the Chocolate guy.

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It has been a long week of partying and celebrating and we all need some time to rest up and catch up. Here at the Chocolate Dog Blog that is the same. So here is a picture of Bosco from today as he is resting up for New Years. Please be patient as we get back in the swing of things and getting the blog rockin just like always.

The return on chocolate!!

I am in Toronto and have not seen Bosco since Friday. I miss the big chunk but I know he is having fun back in Nova Scotia.

Looking forward to seeing him on Wednesday and getting the blog rockin again.

It has been a great holiday season so far here in Toronto and actually nice to get away from the computer for a few days.

Stay tuned for more and I promise no more vacations for a little while anyways.

Hope you and your doggies had a great week.

Okay I know I have fallen behind on the countdown, you have every right to be mad. It has been a busy week and as you know Bosco can't type to well so he is really no help.

Now where were we.......

#11 Bosco gets published. On this day Bosco was featured in an online publication called Doggiewire. Thanks to the good folks for giving us a little bit of fame. Too bad it went to Bosco's head for a few weeks.

#12 Chocolate tube. Thanks to Youtube now we can all share video of our dogs and anything else we want. I have used this site many times to showcase my own work and other peoples videos. On this day we showed a bunch of videos of cute chocolate puppies.

#13 The many pet stories that were written. Of note the famous Pet Prison Break where Mercy tried to bust out of the house with some help from Bosco. It is worth a read for anyone wondering what their pets do when they are out. I hope to have some more tales in the New Year.

#14 The blogs 100 post. It was about crazy dog mixes. I don't know who would ever mix and match these breeds but a little change is always good. I kind of think all dogs should have a little chocolate mixed in for flavour.

#15 The day Bosco became a Haligonian! We went to the vet and got him an official city tag. Now that is snazzy. Nothing like a dog with shiny bling.

#16 Bosco's review of Marley & Me. Now that was a good book despite being sad. I took a lot out of this one and have passed it on to everyone I know. Funny enough they all picture Bosco as they read it. A must read for any dog owner young or old.

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Apparently, Kevin Federline wasn't the only warm-blooded being Britney Spears ousted from her home this year.

Once the proud owner of pampered pooches Bit-Bit, Lacy and Lucky, Spears ended the year dog-less, a feat that earned her the title of World's Worst Celebrity Dog Owner in an online poll of readers of Hollywood Dog and New York Dog magazines.

"Britney was the overwhelming choice," editor Hilary O'Hagan said in a statement. "She once had three Chihuahuas and never left home without at least one of them on her arm. As soon as she met K-Fed and had kids, they disappeared."

In an interview with Teen People in September, Federline admitted that he and Spears had decided the dogs no longer fit into their lifestyle.

"We gave all the dogs to friends of ours," Federline said at the time. "It's just too much with the kids and all these dogs running around all over the place. It just wasn't really working."

Shortly thereafter, Spears decided it wasn't really working with Federline either and filed for divorce.

Click here to read the rest of the article

Bosco got a Christmas card!

More like Dog of the Year!! Okay I am very bias but hey Bosco is very deserving.

This site is pretty cool and has lots of stuff about dogs. With everyone having some extra time off coming up I figured it was good to check out.

Good morning everyone, how is the preparation for Christmas going? I have been running around the last few days taking care of my shopping and therefore the blogging has taken a back seat. So please forgive me for not keeping up with the countdown.

#17 The day we met Tyson. Okay I know Jay will be like, what we only rank 17th! Well that is just the kind of year it was for Bosco. Meeting such a cool dog only gets that high on the list. Tyson is one crazy guy and the stories I have heard from him only make me think he should have his own blog. I hope in the new year the two can get together again for a rumble or two. Merry Christmas T and I hope you have a happy new year.

#18 Hearing from a fan in India. I got an email that was pretty amazing and touching to read. It was from a women in India and she was telling her tale of being a lab owner. Her lab shadow was stricken by cancer and reached the third stage in a matter of months and he passed away in May of 2005, (euthansia) he was just 2.5 years old. What a sad story to read about. Anyways the reason I am telling you is her email also told how blogs like this one helped her heal. That was pretty amazing to see what power Bosco had with others. One of the best moments in 2006 for sure.

Christmas is close!!

Here is a shot of Bosco as he waits for me to decorate the tree.

Here is a little clip of our tree getting decorated. Bosco had nothing to do with this but I wanted to share.

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I came across an interesting site that covers a lot of topics I have not really thought of before so I felt it was important to pass it along to you. The site is Petfriendlyhealth.com and of course it deals with the health and well being of pets.

What I found interesting was this drug called Diaxol and it is for pets that have been diagnosed with diabetes. This is a huge problem for people and I know many who deal with it everyday of their life but I never thought about pets having the same thing.

Here is a quote from the site. "You've arrived here because your beloved pet has been diagnosed with diabetes. You're very upset… and for good reason. Currently diabetes occurs in approximately 1 out of 400 animals. The average life expectancy of diabetic pets is only 2-5 years. Diabetes is a disease that without effective action, only gets worse. Pets that have diabetes are more prone to infections, seizures, coma, blindness, and even death!"

This really grabbed me and I read a lot more about it and it really opens your eyes. So what is Diaxol? Well I will not go into great detail, you can read more about it at Petfriendlyhealth.com, but basically it is the only organic mineral complex that can effectively reverse diabetes quickly and effectively…ONCE AND FOR ALL!

Petfriendlyhealth.com provides all the information you could possibly need if you have a dog or pet with diabetes. There are testimonials of how it worked for others and it provides all the scientific information so everyone can feel comfortable about using it.

You can order it right from the site and they even claim to have a Pet Friendly Health™ Iron Clad Guarantee.

Before checking out Petfriendlyhealth.com I really had no idea this was something many people have to deal with. I am just glad that Bosco does not have to. At least if that changes one day I know there is an alternative to helping the problem. I suggest you give this site a read, even if it is just food for thought.

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Today the plan is to get the shopping started and before I do that I have to take Bosco for a walk of course. He is a patient guy but he certainly likes to give big hints. Here is a picture of Bosco right now as I sit at the computer. Maybe he is looking for Santa? Nah he just wants to get outside and have fun.

#19 The day way back in January when the blog hit 1000 views. This was a great moment for all and we knew it was the start of bigger things to come. That first 1000 always is special and it is hard to imagine that in less than a year we have hit 20,000. It is great to have so many loyal visitors and fans and to be part of the dog blog community. Who knows what is in store for 2007. Bosco says onward and upward and more chocolate for everyone!

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Boy this countdown thing is getting hard. I have a lot of good memories to use but I want to save them as we get closer to the end. It does not help that my brain is not awake and I can't remember too many things from Bosco's year. If only he could type, I just know he would have a lot of stories to share. But no, he is sleeping and enjoying life as a dog right now. Okay the countdown must go on.

#20 The day we launched the new look of the blog. Back near the end of the summer the blog was having some technical issues with comments and the overall look was suffering for some unknown coding problem.

Because Bosco is such a perfectionist when it comes to his blog he demanded it be fixed so a whole new look was formed. It is the look you see today. The new theme, header and style. Since then the numbers have really taken off and there are even some really cool advertisers joining in on the fun. Way to go everyone at the Chocolate Dog Blog.

By the way big props to everyone as well as I see we just crossed the 20,000 hit mark. Wowsers for a tiny little blog that started just over a year ago.

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So we had more snow on Friday in Halifax so Bosco is all happy again. He sits by the door all day in hopes of going out to play in it. I try to let him as much as possible but I think he may just want to live out there.

I have been busy doing Christmas stuff so I was not able to keep the countdown going yesterday. Good news, today you will get 2 moments from Bosco's 2006. So here goes.

#21 The day Bosco killed his Booda. Well most of you by now know Bosco had a toy cow named Booda. He has had it since May and Bosco never went to far without it. Well in September while we were away, Bosco decided it was time for Booda to become many Booda's. Bosco had destroyed his toy while he was playing with someone in a battle of tug of war. Booda had been killed. Here is a pic of the outcome, please look away if you have a weak tummy! RIP Booda.....you were a good.

#22 The first time we met Colleen Jones in the dog park. It was last winter and we were playing when her and her lab Brutus came over. They live right across the street and they are there quite often. She is a pretty quiet person considering how we all know the loudness of her hurry hard commands! Brutus is a fun dog as well even though he is a few years older than the Boss.

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#23 Car rides! Bosco has been on car rides before, in friends cars, rent a cars and cabs. This year however he has a car to call his own, kind of. When we bought our first car in August Bosco quicky claimed the backseat as his and freaks out anytime I pick up my keys.

He is so calm in the back seat, just looking out the window and being quiet. You forget he is there half the time. Now that is the perfect car dog ain't it?

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#24 Spending summers in the backyard. This was Bosco's first summer with a backyard with actual grass and gardens to play in. We spent a great deal of time out there bbq'ing and hanging out at the table. Bosco always wanted to be out there chewing sticks or just laying in the grass getting some sun. Who would of thought a piece of chocolate like him would want to lay in the sun all day??

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MGM fired the Lion today and hired Bosco. I hope you enjoy seeing his face before your favourite movie.

Good day everyone, well winter has hit the maritimes as you may know so that means a lot of ice and snow. Bosco is enjyoing himself as always but it also means it is time for the mass amounts of salt being tossed around.

Salt hurts doggie's feet and dries them out. So if you can find it I highly recommend this blue salt you can buy that is pet friendly. I was also told that cat litter is good to use as well. Who would of thought of that!

Today we went for a walk over to Sara's place. She is the one who is going to be looking after Bosco over Christmas. They are going to get along just fine and I know I won't have to worry about a thing.

Bosco is taking his afternoon nap so I guess that would be a good time to think of another memory.

#25 The weekend Bosco spent with Paul. In September Katie and I went to Ottawa for the weekend to go to a friends wedding. A friend of Katie's stayed at the house and took care of Bosco. They had a lot of fun because it was frosh week and Paul is a student at Kings. I bet they went on keggers and a lot of other parties but Bosco won't tell me a thing. Oh well I guess I should just be happy he was still there when I got home.

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Well I mentioned yesterday all the rain we were getting and around 1pm yesterday it turned to snow and then more snow and in the end we got a few inches and the city not being ready was shut down to a crawl last night. We had a power outage for a few hours and there is still a lot of snow on the ground today.

So this meant Bosco's first snow dance for the season and as soon as his paws hit it he was running around crazy for 10 minutes. He just loves snow, running in it, rolling in it, everything about it. I did not have the camera going but I have enough pics of him in the snow I was not too worried.

That brings us to the next 2006 memory and this one was a real weight off of Bosco's shoulders, and hips and feet.

#26 Early in the year we had him checked out at the vet and learned he was over weight. So I started working him hard with runs, cutting back on food and we made it our effort to get him to his target weight of 80lbs. Starting at a whopping 99lbs this amazing race was accomplished in 6 short months. It was a proud moment to see him step on the scale and see it dip just below 80lbs for the first time. Way to go Bosco!

Just to update you, we went to the vet yesterday for a weigh in and he was at 80.6 lbs, so 5 months later Boss man is keeping that weight off, that is sweet news to everytone.

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Good day everyone. It is cold and rainy in Halifax today but I guess that is better than snow or is it? I am kind of ready for some snow on the ground and I can bet Bosco is too considering how much he hates rain. I am sure it is only a matter of days before their are some flurries.

Should get out and take him for his walk so here is today's 2006 memory.

#27 The Rolling Stones came to town to play on the Commons. This giant park/field is one of Bosco's favorite places to go for running around with other dogs and having a lot of space to do whatever he wants. It is one of the great things about living in this city and it was a really big event when the Stones played there. Next time a giant rock band comes town Bosco has asked if he can actually go and soak up the music. I think that can be arranged as long as he is a good Lab.

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It is getting colder and there were some snow flurries in Halifax. It reminds me of a time last February when we got so much snow Bosco buried himself. That leads us to the next 2006 memory.

#28 Bosco's first Halifax snowday. Last February we woke up to so much snow that the front door of the house would not open. The porch steps were buried and the city of Halifax was shut down. Luckily it was fairly mild and the snow melted pretty fast. Bosco went out to the backyard and was able to fully disappear into the snow drifts. Of course the reason he went in was because I tossed his ball in. Just like a Lab to ask questions later and just jump right in.

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#29 We discover Long Lake Provincial Park for dog walks. Many times we went with Bosco to this park for a lot of running and swimming with other dogs. Endess dips in the lake to chase tennis balls and wrestle with other doggies. Bosco is never happier than he is when swimming around in water. He gets so tired but still wants to keep playing. I can't wait to take him there when the snow settles in.

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Well we made it! It is December and that means it is time to get festive. As you can see I have already started the decorating and Bosco wants a lot of holiday cheer on the site so the blog elves better get to work.

I was trying to think of some kind of countdown since it is also the end of a great 2006. So much has happened this year for Bosco so I think I am going to list a cool memory or event each day for the rest of the year.

Don't worry there will be other posts and pictures but at least you know you can check in each day for a new memory from Bosco's year.

Might as well get it started, I will try and keep them going but please don't hold it against me if I slip a few days here and there (mostly once Christmas vacation hits).

#30 Bosco remembers a fun couple of days when Katie and I went to Toronto and Bosco got to stay at the canine casba down the street from us. He got to meet Janet and play with many dogs including Pickles. I don't think I have ever seen Bosco so tired and docile as when I picked him up.

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