Bo teases your brain with some doggone clever dog riddles!

Q: Why do dogs bury bones in the ground?

A: Because you can't bury them in trees!

Q: A black dog is sleeping in the middle of a black road that has no streetlights and there is no moon. A car coming down the road, with its lights turned off, steers around the dog. How did the driver know the dog was there?

A: It was daytime

Q: What is more amazing than a talking dog?

A: A spelling bee

Q: A man has to take a dog, a cat, and a mouse across a river. He can only take one of the animals across at a time. If he takes the mouse, the dog will eat the cat. If he takes the dog, the cat will eat the mouse. How does he get the three animals across the river?

A: 1. The man takes the cat across and goes back to get the mouse. 2. The man then takes the mouse across and returns with the cat. 3. The man leaves the cat on the shore and takes the dog across. He leaves the dog with the mouse. 4. The man goes back to get the cat and all of the animals have made it across the river!

Q: Why is it called a "litter" of puppies?

A: Because they mess up the whole house!

Q: A girl, a horse, and a dog came to a bridge. The girl rode her horse across the bridge, yet walked. How is this possible? 

A: The dog's name is Yet

Q: Why do you need a licence for a dog and not for a cat?

A: Cats can't drive!

Q: Jack and Jill live in a cabin on top of a hill. One night there was a terrible storm. Lightning flashed, a dog barked, glass broke, and the next morning Jack and Jill were found dead lying on the floor in a puddle of water. How did Jack and Jill die?

A: The glass was an aquarium and Jack and Jill were fish. Therefore, lightning struck and scared the dog. The dog jumped and knocked over the glass aquarium. Since the aquarium broke, Jack and Jill fell on the floor and suffocated because they had no water to breath.

Q: Why did the dog run in circles?

A: He was a watchdog and needed winding.

Q: What do you get if you cross a sheepdog with a rose?

A: A collie-flower!

^{Bo Obama Dog Blog sources: PPE Pet Supplies, Riddles.com}

Gruesome Green (healthy) Halloween Dog Smoothie Recipe

The folks at Raise a Green Dog! came up with an amazing Halloween smoothie recipe guaranteed to delight any tail wagging trick-or-treater!

Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting...lizard's leg, and owlet's wing

Gather your ingredients...

1 cup kefir - low-fat, plain, organic is best
A few oz. organic, unseasoned chicken stock
A nice slice of cooked liver
1/4 Lightly steamed organic (large) carrot
A dollop of canned pumpkin (make sure it's pure pumpkin, K?)
A splash of apple juice
A few slices of banana
Tsp of flax seed
Small spinach leaf.

Double, double toil and trouble....fire burn, and caldron bubble!

How to make it:

Throw all your 'creepy' ingredients into a blender (except the sprinkles and spinach leaf, add those after) and mix well. Serve immediately in a stainless steel dish, or chill for an hour in the fridge for a cooler treat. Sprinkle with crushed flax seed and a small spinach leaf.

Refrigerate any small amount of leftovers and use within 24 hours.

Remember, you don't have to use all the ingredients, the basics are the Kefir, fruits, veggies or meats. Don't forget to check what foods are safe for us pups if you decide to vary the recipe.

And as with all things - moderation is key, so start your pup out with smaller portions to begin with (about 4 oz.). Hope they enjoy their doggie smoothie!"

Sounds delish! I'm going to have the cooks prepare a huge batch so I can share it with all my humans.

Get hip and visit the Raise a Green Dog! website for tips on how you and your pet can go green!

Last chance to win a 10k donation to the shelter or rescue of your choice!

Feel like you always get the short end of the bully stick in life? Well here's an opportunity to turn your karma around and save some very special lives in the process...

Install DogTime's adoptable dog and cat iframe on your website or blog by October 31^st and you'll automatically be entered to win a $10,000 donation to the shelter or rescue of your choice!

There's nothing to lose yet plenty to gain. The more exposure we give these helpless babes, the greater their chance of finding their way to a loving family.

What are you waiting for? Give my pal Christina a shout-out and let her know you're ready to begin your journey on the road to rescue: christina@dogtimemedia.com. Tell her Bo sent you!

SPCA of Wake County | Crazy for pets and ABBA! Brilliant adoption video!!

What a great video! The time and effort that went in to making this masterpiece is an obvious reflection of the SPCA of Wake County staff's passion for animals.  If only I had thumbs I'd make a video too!

I know the sad shelter commericals we see on TV are effective and necessary to make the public aware of the homeless pet's plight, but I'd sure love to see some uplifting shelter commercials (like this video) get some air-time too.

It still makes me teary-eyed, but I can't help smiling too. Just knowing that these little guys have such a loving and fun staff looking-out for them gives me hope!

 

During these tough times, shelters need our help more than ever. If you don't have any change to spare, there are a myriad of other ways you can help your local shelter.

Start by visiting their website for a list of items they need for the daily care of the pets they house (kitty litter, puppy food, etc.). You could also call, or pay them a visit, to see what type of non-monetary donation would help them the most. Perhaps just a little of your time on the weekends?

Dogs in the classroom? You betcha! The real teacher's pets!

If it were up to me, I'd make sure there was a dog in every classroom in the world. Dogs are just too cool not to have in school!

But don't take my word for it, take look at the results from the 2002 study, "Behavioral effects of the presence of a dog in a classroom."

Children were less engaged in loud, conspicuous, or troublesome behavior.

 They paid more attention to their teacher, cooperated better, and communicated more intensely with one another.

Improvements in social behavior were more pronounced in boys than in girls, perhaps because girls showed less boisterous, “rough-and-tumble” activity to begin with.

The teacher's authority increased, particularly with respect to certain male students, in the presence of her compliant, obedient dog.

 The teacher continued to bring her dogs to school the following year. She reported that the effects observed in the study were lasting and long-term.

^{Bo Obama's Dog Blog sources: Classroom Management and the Teacher's Pet}

Win a $10,000 donation and help keep a shelter's doors open!

Bo here with an exciting opportunity to earn some serious karma points by helping those who cannot speak for themselves. Everyone who enters this giveaway walks away a winner!

With an unemployment rate hovering at 9.1% and 1 out of 6 Americans living below the poverty level, those who still have money are understandably holding on to it. The ripple effects of less spending are felt not only by the retailers, the heroes who care for our homeless pets are also feeling the sting. These folks depend on our donations to keep their doors open. 

How much does it cost to run a shelter? Of course the cost varies depending on the size of the shelter and the number of residents they care for but I can tell you some of the things they have to pay for:

• Food
• Vet bills
• Rent
• Insurance
• Medication
• Heat
• Electricity
• Phone
• Website
• Advertising
• Staff

Want to give them a helping hand? Now's your chance! On November 1st, one lucky pet lover will win $10,000 to donate to their favorite rescue shelter! No joke!

To be entered in the November 1st drawing, all you need do is "pay it forward" by playing a part in helping the thousands of homeless pets in the U.S. find loving homes. It's absolutely free!

Here's how:

• A website or blog is necessary (Don't have a blog? Now's a great time to start!)
• Between now and October 31, 2011, install DogTime's adoptable iframe on your website or blog
• Email chelsey@dogtimemedia.com to obtain the easy installation instructions (you'll simply cut and paste 4 lines of code)

Not familiar with the iframe? This is DogTime’s national data feed of adoptable dogs and cats — the only list developed for and used by the ASPCA. It's completely free and super easy to install — requires a mere four lines of code. (We can walk you through the simple process, if needed.) Best of all, it does not drive traffic away from your site. It simply allows your readers, if they like, to browse adoptable dogs and/or cats.

You could be the reason some lucky pup or kitty trades in the confines of a cage for a life filled with love, attention, treats and a cozy, warm lap to curl up in. And the gratification you'll get from helping these innocent, voiceless souls is immeasurable.

I say go for it! I look forward to the day we no longer see those rescue commericals on TV, you know, the ones that show sad, lonely, homeless pets in cages. Man, those spots tear my heart out and bring tears to my eyes every time.

^{Bo Obama's Dog Blog sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics, NYDailyNews.com}

Bo remembers the hero dogs of 9/11

 
2753 lives lost. I've watched many of the television specials showing the events of September 11, 2001 as they unfolded. I cannot fathom what it was like for those people working in the Twin Towers and the Pentagon that day or those innocents trapped on the hijacked planes.

I salute those men, women and canines who lept into action trying to free anyone trapped in the rubble and then searching for remains that could be tested for DNA and bring some much needed closure to the victim's families.

Many of my cousins assisted in the search, rescue and recovery efforts, able to manuever in, around and under the rubble where no human could go.

Watch this wonderful video tribute to the canine heros of 9/11 produced by DogFiles

 

My kin, along with their human co-workers, did their very best in the aftermath of the devastating tragedy and in the midst of so much sorrow, brought what comfort they could to their human counterparts. 

We are called "man's best friend" for a reason. We truly care about you and will continue to do all that we can and all that you ask of us in return for your love and loving care.

Bo's puzzle of the month | Vintage Bo

Check me out...

I'm getting breakfast-in-bed from a foxy pup in this vintage jigsaw puzzle.

Can you name all of the animals shown on the wall behind me?

Fascinating Hush Puppies trivia and a vintage dog ads slideshow

 

Remember Hush Puppies shoes and the cute, dopey Basset Hound they used in their ads? While hunting for vintage ads I came across some interesting trivia about the dog and the shoes...

Founded in 1958, the shoes were almost called "Lasers" before the advertising manager, James Muir, heard that farmers often threw hush puppy corn fritters at their hounds to quiet the barking dogs. If I bark long enough, I wonder if someone will throw a hush puppy at me...the corn fritter not the shoe!

Muir quickly made the connection between the commonly used idiom of the day, to call one's sore feet "barking dogs" and the new shoes. He surmised that the shoes were so comfortable they could "quiet barking dogs."  

Dogs in vintage ads, posters and magazines

Hush Puppies shoes are credited with saving the life of Rolling Stones band member, Keith Richards, when his guitar touched an ungrounded microphone at a 1965 concert, knocking him unconscious. Medics believe that the crepe soles of his Hush Puppies protected him from harm by insulating him. Did Hush Puppies save the future of Rock 'n Roll?

 
It wasn't until the late 1980's that the company hired a real live Basset spokeshound, Jason, a perky house pet and "ham" who fit the bill perfectly. The adverting agency put Jason in all kinds of amusing situations, including a recreation of Marilyn Monroe's famous subway grate photo with his ears playing the part of her billowing dress.

 
Jason even sported a birthmark identical to that of Mikhail Gorbachev's for a Glasnost Hush Puppies ad after the company received an invitation from the Soviet leader to be the first American company to do business in the Soviet Union. I'm sure it was Jason's soulful eyes that melted the dictator's heart. 

^{Bo Obama's Dog Blog sources: HushPuppies.com, Jason's Page, Wikepedia}

Were the Canary Islands really named after dogs?

I learn somethin' new every doggone day! I always thought that the Canary Islands were named after those pretty yellow birds but come to find out, the island's name, Islas Canarias, is derived from the Latin term Insula Canaria, meaning “Island of the Dogs.”

The Canary Islands were named by the Ancient Romans who came upon them during an expedition in which they were exploring the African coast. Some say the Romans named the islands after the wild dogs they saw roaming the islands in abundance, while others theorize that the "dogs" were actually a species of Monk Seals. I'm going with the wild dog theory myself.

And those cute little wild birds who are native to the islands? They were named after the islands! So here's how it shakes out: 1. Wild dogs are living on the islands 2. Greeks find the the islands and name them Islas Canarias, after the wild dogs 3. The island's native birds, Canaries, are named after the islands. 

However they got their name, the Canary Islands sure look like a place I'd like to visit. Check-out this amazing time lapse video of the skies over the Canary Islands. It's muy relajante! 

 

El Cielo de Canarias / Canary sky - Tenerife from Daniel López on Vimeo.

^{Obama's Dog Blog sources: ReyGladiador.com, RingNeckDove.com, the best thing I learned today,  Wikipedia}