Favorite Product of the Week

Happy Friday friends! So it has been really hot these days in SoCal and I want to share with you something I have been giving Bruno to cool himself off. It's currently my favorite product because it smells so delicious and it's all natural!! It's called DogsButter; it's peanut butter for dogs. 

What I really like about DogsButter is that it is made from all natural ingredients (just peanuts, golden flaxseed, and palm fruit oil). The reason I don't give Bruno the peanut butter that I eat is because it contains sugar, salt, soy, and ingredients that I can't even pronounce (I'm sure I've mentioned it before that I prefer to give Bruno anything made by ingredients I can pronounce)! The consistency of the DogsButter is... wet creamy? Haha that's how I would describe it. So it's easy for you to put into a Kong toy, it should slide right in. I would put some treats in first, and then fill the rest up with DogsButter (but put a little bit at a time and let it sink into the hole). When you first take it out of the freezer, put a little bit of DogsButter on top to get your dog started; Bruno couldn't smell the DogsButter at first because it was frozen but as soon as he got his first lick, he wouldn't stop.

I got my jar of DogsButter for $14.99 at our local pet supply store but I found their website where you can buy it for $9.99 (I'm a little upset that I didn't find this before I brought it from the store, but I'll get over it). Another thing I LOVE about this product is that for every jar of DogsButter you buy, the company will give a DogsBar to a dog in need! I'm all for giving back! 

Anyways, stay cool over the weekend guys! Make sure water is always available for your dogs!!

I'm back!

Hi friends! I'm so happy to be back! I've been really busy with work these past couple of weeks so it was hard for me to find time to write. Now that my work schedule is back to normal, I'm able to update you on what Bruno and I have been up to.

Last Sunday we took Bruno to the IGBULLDOG event I have been talking about and it was a lot of fun. So many English and French bulldogs were at the event! It was our first time at Lake Hollywood park and I just have to say... going up that hill was a mission! The road was so narrow; I was so nervous the entire ride up even though I wasn't the one driving. 

He got kissed on the eye by an English bulldog

HELLO HOLLYWOOD! WE HAVE ARRIVED!!

Bruno's puppy brother Brutus was there too!

Jarryd's first attempt at panorama picture... not bad ey?

Tired puppy equals successful trip!

There were people at the event advertising a walk/run-a-thon for dog rescues, Race For The Rescues. You can click here if you are interested in participating. There will be lots food trucks and unique vendors at the event. I'm still debating on doing the 5k walk with Bruno because I don't think he can last that long, but we'll see... maybe if I start training him now, he'll be able to do it. 

This past Saturday we took Bruno to the Unleashed by Petco Snow Day event. It was Bruno's first time to play in "snow." They sectioned off an area in the parking lot and had man made snow for the dogs to play in off leash. It wasn't as great as I had imagined but Bruno had a lot of fun with his friends so I won't complain. Okay, maybe I will complain a little bit... I was really upset watching dog owners not picking up their dogs' poo in a timely manner and that poop would get kicked around by dogs and it was just gross.. like seriously, clean up after your dog, especially when he's a big dog and makes big poops. Anyways, aside from that, I was happy to see Bruno having a blast playing with his friends in the snow.

Meet Echo and Violet! Bruno's lady friends!

catch me if you can!

whee!!

Trying to make a snow angel... you're doing it wrong silly!

we're the cool kids everybody wants to hang out with!

Meet Bruno's Auntie Kaitlyn

Thanks to Violet's dad for these awesome pictures! You guys can follow Violet and Echo on Instagram @violetthefrenchies_dad, @missv4violet, and @frogdog_echo

Frenchies vs. Pugs, Boston Terriers and everybody else

HAPPY SATURDAY FRIENDS! So I'm just going to jump right into my topic for the day. I'm sure many French bulldog owners understand where I'm coming from when I say... I get a little offended when people mistaken Bruno for a pug. There's nothing wrong with pugs, I have friends who own pugs and I adore them; I guess I'm just very proud of being a French bulldog owner (and I'll admit...maybe even a little stuck up). Whenever I take Bruno to the dog park, there is always be that one person who'll ask, "Is he a pug?" or "Is he part pug?" No ma'am/sir, he is 100% French bulldog. Is it because of his rolls? Bruno has extra skin around his neck and they look similar to the rolls pugs have around their necks (Oh Bruno... you little chunk). Frenchie owners, only you guys would understand my pain! Anyways, I found this cute little diagram to help people distinguish the two breeds 

I've also heard frenchie owners say that people often mistaken their frenchies for Boston terriers. I can see how some people can make that mistake because both breeds have the bat ears and the pushed in nose. How I differentiate between the two breeds are: the shapes of their bodies, Boston terriers have a taller and slender figure, as oppose to the French bulldog, who's body is heavier looking and shorter; the size of their faces, Boston terriers have a smaller face than the French bulldogs and have less wrinkles; and the shape of their ears, Boston terrier's ears have points as oppose to a frenchie's rounded bat ears. Of course, these are just my observations! I have posted up several pictures of Boston terriers, French bulldogs, and pugs; let's see if you are able to tell apart the breeds based on what you've just read! Answers will be posted at the end! Have fun! 

Just a reminder! The IGBULLDOGS SOCAL event is TOMORROW! at 11:00am! It will be held at Lake Hollywood Park (3200 Canyon Lake Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027) Hope to see you guys there!!

Answers: Boston terrier, French bulldog, pug, Boston terrier, pug, pug, Boston terrier, French bulldog

Quick Updates &Ramble

Hi friends! I feel like I haven't been very good about keeping up with my writing! Life seriously gets in the way. I think for this entry I'm just going to ramble about what's been going on with Bruno. 

So yesterday I had to work in LA all day long, left home about 7:30am and came home around 10pm, so I left Bruno with my dad. Bruno and my dad get along well, in fact, I think Bruno likes my dad more than he likes me. He's always looking for my dad and is more willing to sit with him on the sofa. That's why I feel more comfortable leaving Bruno with my dad, but the thing with my dad is that he's very old fashioned. What I mean by that is his mentality with dogs is "if it's good enough for me, it's good enough for the dog," and that goes for food, shampoo, etc. I always have to tell him that he can't feed Bruno human food EVER! NEVER EVER FEED BRUNO OILY CHINESE FOOD! Anyways, my dad took Bruno to the park yesterday morning, and Bruno (being the troublemaker that he is) rolled himself into a puddle! And after my dad brought him home, he used human shampoo to wash him. For those of you who know me well can probably tell how upset I got when my dad told me this, but I didn't show it, I know he meant well. I just made a mental note to myself that I need to give my dad or whoever is babysitting special instructions for Bruno (I should always prepare for the worst... like Bruno getting dirty at the park!)

My dad sent this to me when I was at work. Thanks dad!

I remember the first time we left Bruno with Jarryd's aunts (it was our first time being away from Bruno for a weekend), Jarryd typed up a page and a half, size 12 font, of instructions for his aunts; they were very specific instructions. We don't do that anymore because Bruno is so easy to take care of now that he's older. 

Lately, Bruno hasn't been eating his usual two meals a day (one cup per meal); he's only eating one meal at night. He didn't eat at all yesterday! I finally tricked him into eating today by putting a blueberry in his food and once he ate the blueberry from his bowl, he started eating his food. He'll eat treats, but he's more stubborn when it comes to his kibbles (what a stinker). It worries me so much when he doesn't eat because... he's Bruno, he loves to eat! I'm thinking, maybe I'll just feed him once a day, but 1 and a half cup? We feed Bruno Blue Buffalo salmon flavored kibbles... maybe he doesn't like the flavor? I should try switching to another flavor once this bag is done. 

For those of you who live in SoCal! There is an IGBULLDOGS SOCAL event on Sunday, August 18, 2013 at 11:00am! It is going to be a HUGE meetup for english and french bulldogs! It will be held at Lake Hollywood Park (3200 Canyon Lake Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027). I will bring it up again later this week to remind you guys! It sounds like a lot of fun! I will be attending with Jarryd and Bruno! 

That's all for today! I hope my rambling entertained you guys! 

Family Day

Hi friends! I hope everybody had a good weekend! I had an awesome weekend with my little family! On Friday, Jarryd and I went to the OC fair with our good friends, Tiffany and Will. It's our tradition to go to the fair every year and eat delicious fried food and take our photo booth pictures (must start working out this week). On Saturday, we went to Jarryd's old dorm mate's housewarming party; the house was amazing! I envy his little backyard and hardwood floors (Bruno would love a backyard to play in). And yesterday we had our family day! Jarryd and I have been working a lot lately so aside from me taking Bruno to the dog park after work and Jarryd walking Bruno before bedtime, we haven't been spending a lot of time together as a family. There was a Top Dog Barkery event yesterday, so we decided to spend our day in Newport and head over to the event in the afternoon. 
By the way friends who live in the Irvine area! Bruxie on Culver and Walnut just opened and they allow dogs in their patio area! Unfortunately, it was way to packed for us to eat there and we didn't want to wait so we went to the food court in the Marketplace; they have an outdoor seating area and customers are allowed to bring their dogs with them. After lunch, we headed over to Fashion Island in Newport. 
Fashion Island is one of my favorite places to take Bruno. It's such a clean environment with friendly people and their dogs. All the stores are dog friendly, so you're able to bring your dogs with you while you shop; some stores have water bowls and even treats for your dogs (how considerate of them). 

Waiting patiently as dad shops around

Careful Bruno, don't fall in!

"All this walking is making me thirsty mom"

We went to our favorite pet boutique, Muttropolis. I took a few pictures of the store so you can see why we absolutely love the store. 

It's a cute little boutique that sells high end pet supply and accessories. The staff is always so nice and attentive. They always have little events that people can bring their dogs to; last month, they had a little gathering for dogs with July birthdays. 

they sure know how to throw a birthday pawty!

Bruno and his momma and auntie Jenny

If you want to be notified on their upcoming events, you can like them on Facebook. They also hold adoption events at least once a month. We also made a trip to Russo's Pet because we wanted to see if the frenchies we saw last month were still there. Sadly, only one out of the four was sold. I always get so excited whenever I go to Russo's because I love visiting the puppies but after realizing that they have been and will be in the display case for such a long period of time, I get so sad. Puppies are suppose to have a big area to run around and play in, not a small display case! I just want to buy them all and take them home! UGH! Anyways, I won't get into that today. 

"let's get them out mom!"

On a happier note, we met a little blue pied frenchie named Duke while walking in Nordstrom; I told Jarryd that whenever I meet a blue frenchie, I feel like I'm meeting a celebrity (I would feel starstruck). 

Sorry for the terrible pictures! they wouldn't stop moving!

After walking around Fashion Island for a couple of hours we headed to the Top Dog Barkery event. They had such an amazing set up for the event. There were bobbing for balls, doggy pools, music, raffles, etc. 

        

"yum yum keep those cakes coming mom"

Bruno enjoying some DOGERADE!

I was very impressed with how much effort they put into this event. They had a dog trick contest and all the contestants were so talented, including Bruno who went up first and sat and shook hands with me! Sadly, we didn't win (it's okay, next year will be our year!) 

Dog trick contest; we need to teach Bruno more tricks

Like Muttropolis, Top Dog Barkery also sells high end pet supply and accessories, but what I love about Top Dog Barkery is that they have handmade treats that look like actual cakes and cookies! 

making dog friendly turkey and rice potpie... maybe I'll try it one day!

don't they look so yummy!?

these dogs eat better than some humans!

If you ever get the chance to make the trip to Newport, I definitely recommend visiting Muttropolis and Top Dog Barkery with your pooch! 
We had a very successful family day today!! Special thanks to my boyfriend for driving us everywhere! WE LOVE YOU!!

successful family day!