Chinese New Year

I know I am little late with this as the actual Chinese New Year was February 3rd, but I thought it would be a fun bit for this hump day.   As I prepare for the Pooch Parade tonight, I need a little fun to inspire me.
So this is the year of the Rabbit!  According to Petside.com "the year of the rabbit, along with the people born in it, tends to be lucky and peaceful.  People born during this year are said to be sensitive, conservative, compassionate, intelligent, and enjoy being around family and friends however, they can also be moody, detached, and self-indulgent."
"Also considered serene and diplomatic, rabbits prefer to avoid conflict and stay far from aggressive and competitive situations. Rather shy and soft-spoken, rabbits are sometimes considered pushovers, but still, are good friends, gracious, and have lady luck on their side."
I always had rabbits as a child, they were one of my favorite animals on the farm!  They were all very good friends, but not all were that shy.   I had a couple of rather assertive rabbits and quite frankly a little dog like in their behavior. What fun they all were!

To get back to the Chinese New Year, below is the list of all the Chinese Zodiac Signs from Petside.com, find yours...


Find out which animal you are and check out it's character attributes, below. What do you think? Does your dog, rabbit, or pet rat fit these characteristics? Do you think you share the personality traits of your sign?
Rat: Forthright, intense, meticulous, charismatic, quick-witted, intellectual, industrious, charming, eloquent, sociable, artistic, and shrewd. Can be manipulative, vindictive, self-destructive, envious, tenacious, critical, over-ambitious, ruthless, intolerant, and scheming.
Ox: Dependable, steadfast, hardworking, good-natured, conventional, patient, calm, a leader. Can be stubborn, dogmatic, hot-tempered, narrow-minded, materialistic, rigid, demanding.
Tiger: Brave, adventurous, affectionate, ferocious, authoritative, unpredictable, passionate, warm-hearted. Can be restless, reckless, impatient, quick-tempered, obstinate, selfish, aggressive, moody.
Rabbit: see above.
Dragon: Energetic, warm-hearted, charismatic, visionary leader, decisive, noble, passionate, generous, and lucky at love. Can be egotistical, tactless, demanding, violent, tyrannical, and brash.
Snake: Seductive, introverted, generous, charming, good with money, analytical, smart, rely on gut feelings, hardworking, and graceful. Can be cold, insecure, jealous, and slightly dangerous
Horse: Energetic, self-reliant, talkative, popular, intelligent, astute, seductive, changeable, and open-minded. Can be impatient, a drifter, childish, anxious, gullible and rude.
Ram: Gentle-hearted, loving, sincere, mild-mannered, shy, artistic, creative, gentle, compassionate, understanding, maternal, and generous. Can be unorganized, high-strung, insecure, and anxiety-ridden, needing a lot of love, support, and reassurance.
Monkey: Fun, versatile, energetic, upbeat, inquisitive, inventive, sociable, artistic, and clever. Can be unpredictable, egotistical, selfish, arrogant, and lack self-control.
Rooster: Frank, clever, wryly humorous, neat, meticulous, practical, honest and conservative. Can be over zealous and critical, puritanical, egotistical, abrasive, proud, opinionated, given to empty bravado.
Dog: Loyal, strong sense of justice and fair play, intelligent, open-minded, idealistic, practical, sensitive, temperamental, and sociable. Can be cynical, pessimistic, stubborn, and a worrier.
Pig: Honest, good-hearted, genuine, friendly, well mannered, intelligent, passionate, and perfectionist. Can be materialistic, self-indulgent, and exclusive.

To read more about the Chinese New Year, bark on the link:  Bark!

Want to know more about the Pooch Parade, bark on the link:  Bark!

Disturbing Video Of Dog Being Adandoned At Shelter

I saw this on Dogster this morning and decided I would share it with all of you.  I will not lie, this is really disturbing video.  I think for me the most disturbing part is that the owner could let their dog get to this point.  You never want an owner to surrender a animal to a shelter, in a perfect world everyone that owned animals would be able to care for them properly and all would be happy.  But the fact is, that is not the world we live in, so the next best hope would be that if an owner must surrender their animal, they do so in a way that is the least stressful for the animal and most helpful to the shelter.  Meaning surrendering the animal to a staff member and giving the full history (or what they have) of the animal.  But once again, that is not the case most of the time. 

This video was captured in by CCTV at the Wood Green Animal Shelter in Great Britain.  What you will see if you choose to watch is a man walking in the gates of the shelter with a very emaciated and scared dog.  The assumed owner then tethers the dog to a drain pipe and then leaves with a glance back over his shoulder.  You then see the dog try to follow and then try to free herself.

A staff member who arrived for work found this 4-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix and took her inside.  The staff gave her the name Honey and say she is very sweet, but very scared.  In addition to the emaciation (she was 10kg, half of her ideal weight) she also had very painful sores on her back legs.  These are thought to be caused from her being kept outside.

Honey was transferred to Godmanchester Shelter and given a warm kennel with lots of blankets and a special diet to help her gain weight.

In January alone the Green Animal Shelter Charity took in 354 animals.  Not all animals get the chance to find a loving home, but we wish Honey the best, I hope she finds a home that will love and care for her.  Our fingers are crossed.

If you wish to watch the video, you can view it below:

To read more on the story, bark on the link:  Bark!

Dogs In Super Bowl Commercials

Of course my favorite commercials from the big game yesterday had dogs as their stars.  To be honest I didn't see the whole game, so I guess I should say these are my favorites of what I saw.  But based on all the Facebook and Twitter updates, I don't think I missed too much.

I loved the Bud Light party with the dogs as the "staff".  I think anytime you see dogs put in human situations it is very amusing.  It also helped that all of the dogs were just adorable!

But my absolute favorite was the Pug attack from the Doritos commercial.  It is just silly and the fact that they used a pug make it even that much more funny.  Since this got a laugh out of me yesterday, I thought I would share it with you this morning.  I hope you find it entertaining and it gets your week started off on a good note.

To find out more about Bark & Clark, bark on the link:  Bark!

And The Winner Is...

At the beginning of the week we opened up a free raffle for a spot in our Love Your Dog Valentine Pooch Parade.  I would like to first thank all of the people that took their time to send in your dogs picture and reason why they are so lovable for the raffle.  It was so much fun seeing all of those pictures everyone has such beautiful dogs!

Without further ado, the winner of the free spot in the Love Your Dog Pooch Parade, February 9th @ 7pm is:

Kelly Ann Thuet with her pooch Kouga! 

Congratulations!

All the details will be sent to you directly by Monday evening, February 7th.

Again I would like to thank everyone who entered.  Even though there can only be one winner of this raffle, there are still a couple of spots left if you wish to RSVP for the Pooch Parade.

Have a fun and safe weekend, don't forget to love your dog.

For more information on the Pooch Parade, bark on the link:  Bark!

What's Up Downtown - February

WOW!  That was January, we are now into February and going strong.  There is a lot happening this month, lots of fun to be had.  What's Up Downtown - February has a lot to offer this month, great ideas on how to say "I love you", sporting events you don't want to miss, performances that are one of a kind and of course our very own Valentine Pooch Parade.  Don't forget to try out the new restaurants and market in town.

Whatever you are looking to do, I'm sure you will find it Downtown. 

To view the What's Up Downtown-February, bark on the link:  Bark!

To RSVP for the Pooch Parade, bark on the link:  Bark!

Help For Dogs In Detroit

When I think of Detroit, I knew it was a city in trouble, a city becoming a shell of what it was.  But I had no idea how bad it was.  A good friend forwarded me the video below last night and it really got to me.  The situation is dire with 70,000 abandoned buildings and people obviously fleeing the city... but apparently they are leaving their dogs behind.  There are an estimated 50,000 stray dogs and only 23 animal control officers.  There is no place for the dogs to go, no food, no shelter and the ones that are being picked usually end up just being euthanized.

This video is a plea for help.  If you have a few dollars you can spare for the dogs in Detroit, they need our help.

Please be warned, this video has graphic images that are hard to watch.

To donate to the Detroit Dog Rescue, bark on the link:  Bark!

Foster Dog Update

The last time I blogged about the foster dog I took in was right after I got him.  Then, his name was Trapper... well that has been changed, his new name is Neville.  It was a name that just seemed to fit and he has been responding to as if it had always been his.  Harry Potter fans, if you are wondering if I named him after the character in the books, you are correct.  Shy but brave, loyal and a heart of gold... it describes him perfectly.

His name is far from the only changes that have occurred for him.  Everyday he improves on something just a little more.  While on the elevator, he now stretches his nose to sniff anyone else that might be in there with us and if there is someone on the elevator when we enter, he actually will walk on.  This is a huge improvement from having to be encouraged to walk on and then hiding in the corner.

His walking is getting so much better, he walks on a loose leash about 50% of the time.  I did just start using an Easy Walk harness on him, my hands needed a break from the leash constantly pulling.  This is just an additional tool for me, but I am still doing the traditional training rather than just relying on this to do the work for me.

While we are on walks, he is becoming more curious of people and will sniff almost everyone we pass.  He is still scared of people and especially men, but it is great to see him assert himself when he feels safe.

His relationship with Adam (my boyfriend) is really starting to improve.  Adam goes on a lot of walks with him and feeds him half of the time (we hand feed him all his meals).  But Neville still is a little frightened when he opens his crate or comes home from work, though the reactions are getting less and less.

Otherwise, his personality is really starting to come out.  He likes to initiate play with both Adam by jumping into our laps and licking our faces and loves to chew on his bones.  My cat, Cowboy, is starting to enjoy playing with him, I see him initiate these little chase games all the time.  I have yet to snap a picture because the interactions are either too quick or they are moving too fast.

All in all, Neville is doing so good.  I can't believe that tomorrow marks 2 weeks that I have had him in my life.  With every progress I celebrate it like it is the most amazing thing in the world, but to me it is.  He is working so hard and the work has only began.  It is almost as if he knows I was brought into his life to help him, he just trusts me.  

As Neville continues to improve, I will keep you all updated on his progress.

To contact B&C for training, bark on the link:  Bark!

Don't forget to sign up for the Free Raffle for the Pooch Parade!  Learn more HERE.