Hello Fido Friends!

This morning I bumped into a furry friend during my morning walk at Stuyvesant Park who invited me to a doggie slumber party this Saturday Night. This will be my first sleep over and I’m really excited. Here are a few tips to make your dog party a fun and safe one:

• Make sure your mom packs your own doggie bed, this way you are comfy away from home and not confused where to nap.
• Be on your best behavior, after all you are a guest, so make sure mom gets you groomed or at the very least hop into the tub to get squeaky clean before the party. No one likes a smelly pooch.
• Remind your mom to leave her contact info in case they need to reach her; also give your host the vet you usually visit should you swallow something you weren’t suppose to (like a Reese Peanut Butter Cup).
• Go for a long walk before coming to the party, no one wants to clean up your “mistake” on the carpet.
• Bring your own dog food, labeled with feeding instructions.
• Don’t do zooms in your host’s living room or jump on their couch; be civil and the host may invite you for some snuggle time on the sofa. My trick is to sit real pretty, cock my head to one side, and wag my tail a little.

Best of all, just have fun and make sure to say “thank you” at the end of the party with a little gift to your host from a NYC dog care supply shop.

– Love, Rosco

 
State parks would become more dog-friendly under a series of proposed policy changes being considered by the Maryland Park Service.

The proposals are now open to public comment, which you can do by clicking here.

To see the full list of changes, park by park, click here.

Under the proposed changes, dogs will be allowed on some of the trails, picnic areas, campgrounds and day use areas from which they were previously banned.

At Gunpowder Falls, for instance, the proposals call for pets being allowed year-round in Dogwood section of the Hammerman area, and in the entire Hammerman area from October 1 to April 30.

“The proposed pet policy changes were developed with consideration for the opinions and perspectives of park staff and visitors who have contacted us about this specific issue over the years,” the Park Service said. “We also reviewed pet policies employed by similar parks and recreational facilities in Maryland and in other states.

“As part of the overall policy, park managers will retain the discretion to prohibit pets from certain facilities within areas where pets are allowed (e.g. visitor centers, playgrounds). Service animals will still be allowed in all areas open to their owners. Current regulations requiring that all pets be leashed and owners clean up after their pets will remain in effect.”

The state is also accepting snail-mailed comments. Send them to:

Pet Policy Comments
Maryland Park Service
580 Taylor Ave., E-3
Annapolis, MD 21401

Public comments will be accepted until November 30, 2009.

The disturbingly hot weather continues, and we've had to start our summer activities in the house, even though it's supposed to be spring. (Let's hope we get back to normal weather soon.)

One of our favorites is 'hide the food'. Penny sits and I put a piece of food near her nose so she knows what she's looking for. Then she 'waits' while I hide the food at the other end of the house, making sure to choose places that offer her a challenge - for instance, up high, so she has to stretch to find it, or behind half-open doors so she has to nudge them open.

Another game is what I call 'chasey', where I chase her around the house to get the tennis ball from her, then throw it (gently, lol) for her to fetch. She gets it and runs away from me. The fun part is that if I don't chase her, if in fact I run away from her, she pursues me and then I'll do a sudden about turn and leap on her to grab it.

There's one important rule. The green mat is 'barley'. What that means to us is that if Penny sits on her mat, there's a truce and we can't demand the ball from her or try to grab it.



I think there are a couple of advantages to the 'barley' rule. Firstly, it gives Penny a choice about how long to continue the game. But, more importantly, she can usually be tricked into leaping on to the barley-mat and we can have a rest.

We've always used 'barley' in our family to signify a truce from a boisterous game, and I got to wondering where the word comes from. I've found that it's not used in many countries and is a childhood term.

The references I browsed say it's not used by adults, but I think adults who live with dogs are in touch with their 'inner child', lol. After all, I'd never have thought I'd be racing around the house playing games when I reached this age!

Remember back in September when I shared with you that Dog Sport Magazine did a very generous and cool six page spread about us in their September/October issue?

They've given us permission to share the article with you...and we are so excited! Maybe soon you'll see us on your bell tv, just kidding, BOL!

Click here and you will be taken to the pdf of the article. We hope you enjoy it!

And some other cool news! Dog Sport Magazine has agreed to become a sponsor of my website and blog so you are going to see their logo around some. To celebrate they are providing JTD readers a 10% off discount to anything on their site - just enter code Johann2010 upon checkout. The coupon will last from now, all the way through the holidays until January 10, 2010.

Thanks Dog Sport Magazine..Looking forward to a long and wonderful relationship!