THE CHOCOLATE DOG BLOG

With Christmas coming up you should really go check it out and see if there is anything for your four-legged guy or girl. I know it would make for a happy dog come Christmas morning.

The ad will be on the right hand of the site as well if you find it easier to click on it that way.

Bosco also wanted me to pass along that we are starting to decorate a little over here so do not mind the mess.

Came across this today as I surfed around. Another blog out there about a chocolate dog. This charming fudge dog is named Maggie and the blog is called Maggie- A Labrador Retrievers Journey.

Bosco thinks everyone should check it out and say hi to Maggie. Sorry for the short post today but things are busy on the East coast today, more time tomorrow for sure.

I just wanted to say thanks to all those who have helped us reach 19,000 page views in just over a year. Bosco really wants you all to know that he loves being able to share his life with all of you and he hopes it will only get bigger and better.

I figured a billboard was a nice reward for the chocolate guy, if you see it, please honk.

Dear Vets: I have a four year old chocolate lab named “Harley”. He gets ear infections all the time. I have been taking him every month to the vets’ office and it is getting expensive. Is there any alternative medicine to use or something for him to make him feel better. The vets’ office will not let me just come in and pick up a prescription. He also has really bad allergies so I have been giving him benadryl. I need some help.

Sounds like Harley is suffering from a condition called otitis externa. This is the latin name for an outer ear infection. Ears can become infected when conditions favour the over population of microorganisms like bacteria and yeast.

Factors such as excessive moisture, warmth and wax all create a favourable enviroment for these bugs to proliferate. As a result, the ear becomes red, inflamed, swollen and sore. Many dogs will scratch or constantly shake their heads.

Often there will be foul discharge exuding from the ear canal. If left untreated, the infection will progress to infect the middle or inner ear canals, leading to a serious medical problem.

Dogs who generally swim a lot (like Labradors) are predisposed to ear infections because their ears are constantly wet. However, other underlying conditions can also be the cause of recurrent ear infections.

Hormonal imbalance (ie. hypothyroidism), allergies, parasitemia (ie. ear mites) and atopy can all impair the ear from healing even with prescribed medications. A visit to the veterinarians’ office can be crucial in the proper diagnosis and treatment of ear disease. Typically this will include a thorough physical examination including an aural (ear) exam with an instrument called an otoscope. This tool helps to view both the vertical and horizontal canals as well as the tympanic membrane (ear drum).

Generally an ear cleaner and some ear drops will be prescribed to alleviate the symptoms.

Occassionally when the infection is severe enough, oral antibiotics or antifungals will be prescribed.

Sometimes steroids and/or antihistamines (ie. benadryl) will also be used if the ears are excessively swollen and sore. The veterinarian can also collect a swab of the aural discharge and send it away to an external laboratory to perform a culture and sensitivity.

This test can be very important for recurrent ear infections, and although expensive, will determine what organism(s) is causing the problem and which antibiotic will be effective. Sometimes blood tests will be required to determine if there are any underlying allergies, hormone or organ problems.

As far as at home care goes, consider the following:

Always dry the ears after a bath or swim using a hand towel. Never stick q-tips into the ear canal as the ear drum (tympanic membrane) can be easily ruptured.

Keep the hair on the under side of the ear trim. Excess hair promotes moisture and hence the over population of microorganisms. A quick trim with a shaver is best, but never stick it into the canal.

Never pluck hair out as this will keep the pores open and provide a good residence for pesky bugs to live.

Check ears daily for redness, swelling and malodourous discharge. Infections that are caught and treated early rarely lead to serious conditions.

Invest in a good ear cleaner (purchased over the counter at vet offices) and learn from your veterinarian how to properly clean the ear. Once weekly cleaning will remove excess wax and dry out the ears, helping to prevent infection.

Always use medication as directed and finish the whole course of antibiotics.

If the ears recurrently become infected despite proper care, then one must search for an underlying condition. Consult your local veterinarian.

My advice for Harley would be to explore any underlying conditions that would cause these recurrent infections and to ensure that proper home care of the ears is being performed. Good luck and I hope he feels better soon!

If you would like to ask Dr. Tiffany Durzi and Dr. Lana Watler from the Cayman Animal Hospital a question please email: askthevets@caymannetnews.com

The funny thing is not much is going on with the Chocolate dog. Over the last few days it has been nothing but normal stuff like walks and naps and eating. I guess a dog can't complain about that eh? Yesterday we went over to the Commons to see if there were any other dogs out. There were a few but none that really got Bosco running around. It was a nice day out so it was cool to go over there. Still hard to believe it was just a few months ago that the Rolling Stones played there.

Last night we had a fire and that always makes Bosco cozy and sleepy. He moved around from the chair to the couch to just in front of the fireplace. Always having that relaxed sleeping face. He really has taken over the couch lately always moving in when ever someone gets up. It is kind of funny but we have agreed that when the day comes that we get new furnature, Bosco and Mercy are getting kicked to the floor.

Boss is staring at me right now hoping that we go on a walk soon. He will have to wait as I am going to take care of breakfast first. I hope the sun comes out and makes it a little warmer as well.

Anyways that is what is up with Bosco, nothing exciting but I guess since this is a blog, you take the good, you take the bad and there you have the facts of life.

Talk to you all later.

Well if the answer is yes you may want to check out Nationalpayday.com for some help. National Payday provides payday loans and cash advances both quickly and securely at competitive rates. I know there are times when payday can't come soon enough and sometimes a little help is needed for those unexpected trips to the vet.

This site takes a lot of the hassle out of the situation and will help you to feeling better and making that payment that may be haunting you. The site claims "if you apply for one of our free payday loans today during business hours, you can be pre-approved in minutes with the cash deposited directly into your account tomorrow or the next business day."

Now that is the kind of help you want when there are bills etc piling up and the dog needs some food. It it is a lot less painful than going to a bank or asking friends and family.

Nationalpayday.com is by means a solution to long term problem but it can help people out of a problem for the time being. I have looked around the site and read it over and it seems all very easy to follow and understand. With this type of service it would be very easy to leave things vague and hard to follow but not this site.

Nationalpayday.com serves it's purpose and should be checked out for when things do not go as planned or your dog just wants to live a little nicer when payday is a week away.

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The following is a paid review.

Hi there I was just checking out a site that I think is very simple and at the same time very useful. It is called DogForums.com and it basically is a message board for everyone to share information about their dogs or dogs in general.

Right from the stylish looking header it is easy to navigate around this site and find what you are looking for. All it takes is signing up for a membership that takes less than a few minutes and then you can start posting in whatever forum or group you want to.

It could be the weekend or the middle of the night and your new puppy is making some new noise or acting a little odd. The vet is not open and before you go all crazy and call an emergency number you can hop onto Dogforums.com and post a message. Odds are good that since the site is world wide there is someone checking and may have some info to help you or at least calm your nerves. The Internet can create a real network of people who know what they are talking about and sites like Dogforums.com can do that for dog owners.

I personally like to check out and post in the pictures section just because I like to see pictures of other peoples dogs. There is something for everyone on this site and I really think you should check it out.

Bosco already has a name of course but there is even a neat little section on choosing your dog's name. I know way back in the beginning I was stumped for ideas.

The great thing about a forum based site like this is it is only as strong or as good as the people who post. It is not one persons idea or opinions, it is a vast wealth of info from a wide range of people. The one common thing being we all love dogs and want to learn more.

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I am sure the smell of turkey will be great for dogs as well and maybe if they are lucky there will be a few nibbles of the juicy bird.

Happy chocolate thanksgiving one and all.

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The other reason is there has not been a lot going on to really write about. Katie went away for the weekend and the farm pretty much stayed within five feet of me at all times when I was home. I kind of felt like Ace Ventura Pet Dectective or something. Mercy on my left, Bosco on my right, both trying to take over the entire couch. At one point Bosco actually tried to kick me off as he started to roll on his back kicking his legs.

They slept on the floor on either side of the bed, followed me around the house, I was looking foward to Katie getting home so she could take some of the load from these needy pets. Then finally when Katie got home late Sunday night, Bosco gave her suitcase a sniff and just went back to bed, no hi how are ya nothing.

It was not til the next morning that he gave any kind of welcome home and even that was brief. I guess BOsco takes it hard when someone goes away. Is he hurt that someone left him? My thinking he is more let down that he did not get to go haha. We shall she how he is when we go away for the holidays. Although it sounds like he is going to have a lot of fun where he is going and there are a lot of people excited to see him.

As a final note, Bosco did pick the winner of the Grey Cup this past weekend but got the Michigan-Ohio State game wrong. I guess you can't win them all even when you are a chocolate dog.

We met Brian and Rusty just over the bridge in Dartmouth and headed to Rainbow Haven Beach out in Cole Harbour. I had never been out this way and it sure is a nice spot that I hope to find again. I know Katie would like it.

Anyways we get there and Bosco and Rusty meet for the first time and it does not take long before they are racing around and having a good old time. There is this cool boardwalk that goes down to the beach and then you can make this long loop around the beach with water on your side the whole time. It was a good 35-40 minute walk. The dogs sure were tired after all the swimming and running in the sand. I will be heading back over there for sure.

In case those of you are not so sure where Cole Harbour is, all you need to know is that it is the birthplace and home of Sidney Crosby. Here are so shots of the trip. Bosco is still very sleepy from all the exercise and fresh salt air.

Then on Sunday up here in Canada we have the Grey Cup out in Winnepeg. B.C. Lions and Montreal rocking the CFL game.

Bosco wanted to weigh in on these games before the beer is cracked for a nice weekend of sports.

First game Bosco likes Michigan to pull off the upet 24-21. Then on Sunday Bosco likes the Lions to win a shoot out 45-36.

here is a little preview for Sunday. Have a great weekend everyone.

Famous Labs

* Buddy, U.S. President Bill Clinton's Labrador.
* Seamus, Clinton's other pet Labrador he received for Father's Day
* Koni, Russian President Vladimir Putin's Labrador Retriever.
* Vincent from Lost, played by the famous dog Madison
* Marley, "The World's Worst Dog" featured in journalist John Grogan's book Marley & Me
* Bouncer from Neighbours
* Ubu Roi of UBU Productions
* Zeke the Wonder Dog (1&2), mascot and frisbee fanatic for the Michigan State University Spartans.
* Maggie
* Chloe, the yellow lab that is a great hunter and campanion
* Old Yeller
* Jet (formerly Boots), adopted by the fictional detective Nero Wolfe who claims labradors have "the largest brain pans" and are therefore the most intelligent breed. * Napo, from the TV series "Chore & Napo"
* The 'Andrex' Puppy, the labrador retriever pup used as a mascot who features in television spots (UK) for the Andrex brand of toilet paper, the brand is also known in other regions as 'Scott' or 'Cottonelle', still featuring the puppy mascot.
* Luath from The Incredible Journey.
* Bosco, the chocolate lab from The Chocolate Dog Blog

Way to go Bosco, I guess someone thinks you are famous. The last three days have been proving that with record hits on the site.

Today is the third day in a row of over 100 views and on Monday there was a record 330 views. Crazy stuff for a chocolate dog from Halfax.

Dive Dog - video powered by Metacafe

CDTV (Chocolate Dog Television)

Shows

Bosco also seems to think he could get away with only running commercials for dog food and dog toys.

Sounds like a great channel to watch if you walk around on four legs.

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What he loves to do is steal another dogs tennis ball and then taunt the dog with it as he runs in circles playing keep away. As mean as it is it is kind of funny to see when the other dog is game to play tag to get it back. It is not the other dog that generally has a problem with this game it is the other owner and I can understand that.

Sometimes you just want to spend time with your dog and other dogs or people can ruin that. Bosco was being a jerk in the park today. All this older dog wanted to do was chase his orange hockey ball at his own pace and Bosco kept beating him to it and taking off with the ball. The owner was being nice but I could tell it was bothering her. So I had to finally leash up the big chocolate fool and go for a time out walk around the block.

I gave him a talking to and when we came back he was all better and focused on chasing his own tennis ball. Amazing that a time out and a little chat works with a dog but it does. I am sure it looks funny to see me bending down face to face and talking to my dog like that but it works.

Will Bosco still be a jerk sometimes?? For sure! Is it the end of the world that he steals other dogs toys?? Hardly not. I can think of much worse bad habits for a dog to have so I will count my blessings and enjoy all the other great qualities of Bosco.

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From what I can tell it has a lot of cool designs and stuff for dogs and pictures of dogs, now who does not love pictures!!

You can find it in the blog roll as well, happy surfing one and all.

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Figured we could all use a classic pic from Bosco's past. What a cute puppy he was!

Have a good Sunday everyone.

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ReviewMe wants your help.

From time to time Bosco likes to review sites and in this case there is site that helps promote this blog so of course that is a good one to check out. The site is called ReviewME and it is for both bloggers and advertisers. I think it is a great way to help Bosco grow his readership and maybe pick up some pocket change along the way.

The site is useful to anyone who wants to get their topic or message out there in the form of a blog. They let you search by topic or category and make it all very easy to let others find your blog.

The cool part is once you have joined you can start reviewing other blogs about a wide range of topics and possibly even get paid.

We all have a critic inside of us, we all see a movie or website that wows us or turns us off so why not express yourself and tell others what you think. Websites can be just like TV shows or movies and the power of word of mouth always has a great impact.

I would certainly like to learn what others think of The chocolate dog blog so I would hope one day it gets reviewed by members of this site.

If you are trying to get your blog to grow and take roots on the Internet I highly suggest the ReviewMe site.

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Yes I think dogs invented the morning nap because no person needs that much sleep. Since I will be at work today Bosco is in the good hands of Katie and I am sure they will get up to something fun and maybe both of them will have an afternoon nap at some point?

Now that we have booked a ticket back to Toronto for Christmas the biggest thing for me to figure out was what to do with Brown. I was going to look into a kennel or somewhere to baord him but really was not that thrilled to do it.

Luckily my coworker has volunteered to take him for the 5 days we will be away and she is most excited to do it. I guess their family dog passed away a few years ago and their whole family is thrilled to have a dog around for the holidays again. Sounds to me like Bosco is going to have a lot of fun and maybe even get more spoiled than he normally does.

So that worked out great, a big relief that is for sure. It will be sad not having him around over Christmas but what are you gonna do. We will all miss his big, silly chocolate self.

OKay I better wrap this up and get to work. I have to support the life style that Bosco has become accustomed to now don't I. Thanks for all the views lately, the numbers are really growing and it is a nice feeling. Bosco sure loves it! He loves being popular. I hope all his friends out there are doing well and I hope they can check in and say hi.

So to keep things entertaining there have been a lot of house games today. I also picked up a bone at the store to keep Bosco busy. That lasted about 45 minutes. We just finished playing some tug of war with snakey in Bosco's room. He is tired now after that little battle. He never gets to win the poor guy.

There was some wrestling and some fetching up and down the stairs as well so yes he has no more beans for awhile.

Figured I would get the camera out and take some pics. Here they are. Have a super day everyone and I hope it is sunny wherever you are.

Just some pictures of Bosco's first winter in Halifax. Snow Patrol's Eyes Wide Open is the song.

Carpet cleaning can be the way to go and here is a site to check out for all your needs. Pet Stain Removal in Austin has a great site that provides K&M steam cleaning that will surely get that nasty stain out. Along with carpet cleaning they provide cleaning for drapes and vents and numerous other things.

Now I realize that K&M Steam cleaning is in Texas but I am sure it will spark an idea for those of you not in that area. I am sure wherever you live there is a similar service for you to use.

What I like about them is that K&M Steam Cleaning's six mobile units are staffed by professionals trained personally by Ken.

K&M Steam Cleaning is fully insured and bonded and is registered with the BBB. This is a great thing to look for when choosing a company to clean your carpets and home.

I hope this helps out in getting those little presents out of the carpet for all you pet owners out there.

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Being a big fan of the NBA it has cleary rubbed off on Bosco over the years. He likes to sit with me when the game is on and I like to think he is sitting there watching and trying to think of ways for the Raptors to improve their interior D.

That being said I think Bosco does like NBA basketball and if he were able to speak I think he would tell me how much he likes Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Here are the top 10 reasons why Bosco likes "The Answer"

1. They are roughy the same size
2. Bosco likes his thug appearance with all the tatts
3. They are both quick
4. Iverson's high tolerance of pain
5. The way a guy that small can dominate a game that big
6. The way that he is misunderstood
7. Bosco assumes they would be friends
8. Iverson's killer attitude
9. They both look good in black
10. They both think they are the answer to all questions

By the way Iverson and the Sixers are in Toronto tonight to play the Raps. I will be cheering for Toronto so Bosco better keep his comments to himself.

No, no it is not snowing that bad yet but there have been flurries in Halifax that last few days. It melts once it hits the ground but it is a chilling reminder of what is to come very soon.

Bosco does not care however, he loves the snow and because he stays so warm it does not bother him to stay out much longer than I want to. Even today it was pretty chilling in the park, tossing the ball over and over again. Bosco's breath was clear to see and yet in his world it is like summer out there. Funny that the only weather he hates in the rain. Go figure since he loves to swim and get wet any chance he can. Maybe the rain just depresses him or it bothers his face and it pitter patters off his nose?

In other news, Mercy has reclaimed the chair in the living room and when the couch is full as well Bosco gets very pouty and goes upstairs to lay down. It is almost as if the floor is not good enough for him anymore and I guess that is really our fault.

Yep life is hard when you are a dog. I am sure right now as I type this he is somewhere quite cozy on some piece of furniture. Hey at least he has learned to stay off the bed so that is a small victory I guess.

Okay time to go have some lunch as the dog day afternoon continues.

Labels: bosco news

Octopus
Booda
Snakey
Basketball

Here is a shot of the four very sad looking toys. You can see they are in rough shape but Bosco loves them none the less.

Yesterday we went for a car trip, first one in sometime for the Chocolate guy. We went out to Long Lake for a romp in the leaves. Bosco put his foot in the water but decided not to go in. I bet it was pretty cold.

I get a kick of how excited he gets to go in the car. He just sits in the window checking out the world flying by. Oh to be a doggy.

Not much else new with Bosco. We have booked our holiday tickets to go back to Toronto so I am in the process of figuring out what to do with Bosco for five days. I have a few prospects and it should work out just fine. He is pretty happy whereever he goes.

Labels: bosco news

The most misunderstood dogs in America

Of course they touch on Labs and Lab mixes and here is what it says.

Labradors (and Lab mixes). People expect Labs to be perfectly trained, like the service Labs who team with the visually or physically impaired. "Here's the reality: They were bred to work under difficult conditions and have the drive to swim through ice to get that bird," says Patricia McConnell, author of "For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend." That's not to say with training and time they don't settle down, but they're not the instant soup people expect. "The expectations are so high, it's difficult to live up to," VanKavage says. "They're great dogs for a fairly active family, but not for elderly Aunt Tilda," Bradley adds. "And because Labs are large, they can easily learn to drag Aunt Tilda down the street." Golden retrievers can have the same problems.

I would have to say that this account is not fully true based on my experiences with Bosco. My chocolate guy has lived up to the high expectations. I chose a Lab because I have read and been told that they are very easy and low maintenance. Bosco was house trained pretty much in one day and other than the normal growing pains and learning the rules he has been a very well behaved guy.

Is he big? Does he get in the way? For sure but you have to know that when signing up for a Lab. I will agree with the whole dragging people down the street because he certainly is strong enough if it is someone like Katie walking him.

I guess my whole point of writing this is I got all defensive when reading that people give away and get rid of their Labs when they don't turn out the way they want. Labs are very smart and very trainable. Yes they are working dogs, so make them work and give them exercise.

What do other Lab owners think?? Has it been everything you thought it would be having a Lab in your life?

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Sadie knows an interloper when she sees one.

So when the black Labrador retriever detected a stranger in her back yard she sent up an alert in the only way she knows how.

Sadie barked like crazy.

It was a black bear; a real one, not some Halloween hanger-on in a costume.

By the time Sadie's owner, Frances Vinsant, was able to look around, the young, 50-pound bear was halfway up a large pine tree in the Vinsants' fenced back yard.

How the yearling bear got into the yard is anybody's guess, but by the time Blount County Sheriff's Office deputies arrived the bear was apparently blissfully snoozing on a branch about 40 feet off the ground.

Jeff Pearce, a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officer summoned to the scene, mindful of a bear attack on a woman last weekend in Gatlinburg, Tenn., decided to tranquilize the bear and remove it to a remote location to be set free. Pearce summoned help from his colleague, Curt Henderson, who arrived with a gas-powered rifle to fire the tranquilizer dart.

Dart No. 1 hit the tree. But the second dart found the bear.

The startled bear then climbed about 10 feet further up the tree to near the top, lay down on a branch and promptly took a chemically induced nap.

So here's the situation: Bear full of whoopee juice is high in a tree and showing no sign of complying with the law of gravity, while deputies and wildlife officers are getting sore necks trying to see what the animal is up to.

Well, if you want to get something out of a tree, you shake it, right?

So Deputy Sam McCroskey climbed halfway up and began to shake the foot-in-diameter trunk to dislodge the bear.

No luck.

He climbed a little higher while one of his colleagues went to a neighbor's house to obtain a swimming pool net pole with which to give the sleeping bear a nudge.

Stretching high and poking carefully, McCroskey separated the bear from its lofty napping couch, and down it came through the branches and pinecones to the grassy yard below.

Pearce administered a booster shot of tranquilizer to make sure it wouldn't awaken quite yet, and the officers carried it to a waiting cage trap.

Safely in the cage, the bear will be checked out physically and taken to a remote area that Pearce declines to identify, where it will be set free.

But after so much excitement, who can hibernate?

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I am sure it went pretty much like this. Wake up, breakfast, bathroom, sleep, walk around, chew, sleep, sleep some more, go for walk, drink, sleep, dinner, sleep , sleep, play for a bit before bed,

Yep pretty exciting. Well hopefully this weekend we can take him in the car for some fun. We know he loves to play in leaves so I am sure there is a trail somewhere with Bosco's name on it.

Until later when something more interesting may happen here is a picture of the farm better known as Bosco and Mercy.

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