For Pittie's Sake!

Greetings dog friends, friends of dogs and cats!

October is my absolute favorite month of the entire year!  Why?  Not only is it my birthday coming up, and not only is it National Pit Bull Awareness Month…but it’s ALSO National Adopt-a-Shelter-Pet month! It's like having 3 birthday's in 1 month!

So in honor of the 3 occasions, we'd like to highlight a special rescue pittie named Sgt. Stubby.

Sergent Stubby (1916 or 1917 – April 4, 1926), was the most decorated war dog of World War I and the only dog to be promoted to sergeant through combat. Found at Yale Field in New Haven, Connecticut while a group of soldiers were training, Stubby was America's first war dog. Read more about him at: Sgt. Stubby on Wikipedia

See my buddies Remy and Casey and I come from a long line of pittie strays that make a difference in the world. Our battles may not be on a battle field but we put our best paw forward to help out in our own ways.

My mom and I have devoted our lives to raising money and awareness for homeless pups of all breeds through the sales of our treats and we've been successful locally. Recently we reached out to businesses across the U.S. and Canada and now they're excited about carrying our treats too. Just think of all the dogs we can help! But we need to expand our operation, and we need your help to do it.

We’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign to help hurl us into the national marketplace. This is my birthday wish, guys! Please visit our site, contribute what you can, and, most importantly, share with your friends and family. You'll get treats and we'll give treats to rescues too!

Go to: Rosie's Barkery Indiegogo

Let’s make this October a month where we help not just pitties but doggies of all breeds and creeds! Together, we can do it!

9-11

Greetings dog friends, friends of dogs and cats,

Every year on this day we remember and honor the people we lost that horrible day. Heroes were lost that day, and heroes emerged when they heard their call.

We, at Rosie's Barkery, salute all the heroes that sacrificed so much, especially the waggy tailed heroes who dedicated their talents to saving lives that day and the days that followed. We're not alone in our salute, in fact there is a short you can check out called, "Hero Dogs of 9/11" on thedogfiles.com

To watch the original “Hero Dogs Of 9/11 short,” visit http://thedogfiles.com/herodogsof911. To watch the follow up 10th anniversary video, “Hero Dogs of 9/11 Legacy short,” visit http://thedogfiles.com/herodogsof911legacy. Amazing footage of their stories, just keep the Kleenex box handy is all.

Another amazing short they have there is called "Pit Proud" which details the history and 2 family stories (including an inspiring story of one of Michael Vick's dogs) about the American Pit Bull.

As you may or may not know, Rosie herself is a very proud Pit lady (ahem, see photo) so she found this short to be of pawticular interest.

It's full of old paintings even we had never seen before and WWI hero Sgt. Stubby's story (who we created a tribute treat for). Really recommend watching (and sharing) this online at:
http://www.thedogfiles.com/2010/10/11/pit-proud-the-history-of-the-pit-bull/

As Rosie says, "Sometimes being a Pit is the pits, but a lot of other times it's doggone inspiring"!

Staffing Up!

Hello, dog friends, friends of dogs and cats!!!  It’s time to roll out the first of many changes resulting from our success at Super Zoo! 

See, with my mom and I so busy preparing for our national launch (WOOHOO!!!), I’ve hired my own writing staff to keep you guys up on all the latest news – not only in Rosie’s Barkery, but also throughout the realm of dogs, blogs and frogs!

(Actually, I can’t promise frogs. My bad.)

All smiles!

Let me introduce you to Wesley.  Wesley’s my buddy.  He’s a good guy, once you get past his slobber and obsession with anything tasty.  Wes is an American Bulldog/Siberian Husky mix, rescued in December 2010.  He likes chasing sea lions and battling boomer balls…but I’ll let him tell you the rest in the following interview.

Hi, Wesley.  Why don’t you tell the folks out there a little more about yourself?

I like cookies!

Um. Okay.  How about this.  What brings you aboard my writing staff?

I like cookies.

Pretty sure I brought that on myself.  One more try.  Wes, what’s your favorite kind of cookies?

Delicious ones.

Anything you want to tell us that doesn’t pertain to cookies?

One time I shoved my head in a bag of kibble and it got stuck.  Daddy had to rescue me.  I had crumbs all over my face.  Best night ever. I can lick my eyeballs.

I guess he wasn't kidding about that bag thing.  

Um. So. Yeah.

Wes may not be the most talkative guy out there, but he’s really good at cyber-sniffing super stories.  He keeps up to date on current events and interesting goings-on in the dog world, so he’s a really great addition to my team. 

I hope you like Wesley's Wisdom!

Vegas Hound!

Hello, dog friends, friends of dogs and cats!!!  I know I haven’t blogged in awhile – I was crazy busy helping my mom get everything ready for our first ever Super Zoo Convention!

What is Super Zoo, you ask? No, it’s not some super-secret sanctuary for mutant ninja superhero dogs (although, that’s a pawsome idea!).  It’s only THE largest national pet retailer convention this side of the Mississippi!  Pet retailers, groomers, and industry friends from around the world meet in Las Vegas, Nevada every year to show off their products, share ideas, and hobnob with like-minded pet industry professionals. (Check out their site at www.superzoo.org).

And we were there!  I know, right?!  Lily can’t talk about it without peeing a little. But that’s totally fine, because not only was the trip to Vegas exciting – but just wait 'til I tell you all the wonderful things that are happening right now in Rosie’s Barkery as a result of our exhibition!

Our booth on New Exhibitor's Row!

Are you ready?

Wait for it…

We’re going NATIONAL!  

Can you believe it?!  My mom and I have been working our tails off these past two years, creating and promoting our healthy, gluten free cookies that help all kinds of critters in need, and our experience at Super Zoo proved to us that we’re doing a good thing here.  

Lots of companies from across the USA and Canada have climbed aboard the Rosie Wagon – so you can start looking for my treats in a retail store near you very soon!

My mom and our PR Director sporting the ole'
Rosie bicep flex!

There are quite a few more changes coming your way, but don’t worry!  We’re still providing my yummy treats and helping rescue pups like me all across the nation.  The following year will be bigger and better than you can imagine!  Stay tuned to Good Bloggy for updates, rescue information, and where you can go to buy your very own bag of Rosie’s Barkery Treats!   

Rosie to the Rescue: The Pets with Disabilities interview!

Time again for another installment of (Doo do do doo!) Rosie to the Rescue! The post that digs deep into each rescue group we love. This month's rescue is: Pets with Disabilities!

Dog friends, just when you think you have it bad cuz have to wear the cone of shame, you ain't seen nothin'!

Pets with Disabilities helps dog friends who are blind, deaf and even wheelchair bound. But before you feel sorry for these pups, just take a look at how happy and loved they are.

 
 
 

I've seen dogs who have all their abilities living in homes that look worse then these fur friends. That doesn't mean these guys wouldn't love to have a home and family of their own though, and that's what Pets with Disabilities is all about. 

But don't take my words for it, read what co-founder Joyce Darrell has to say.

How did Pets with Disabilities get started?  
In 1998, Mike and I went down to our local rescue to adopt a new member of the family. We saw this vibrant young shepherd mix, and knew he was the one to join us. We brought him home and promptly named him Duke.

Duke was a wonderful, typical puppy who added lots of excitement and joy to our home. We had no idea he was about to change our lives forever. 2 months after adopting Duke, he was playing with another puppy and had a tragic accident, severing his spinal cord. At 6 months old our vibrant young rescue dog was in a wheelchair. Well guess what, Duke was still vibrant and young - he just had special needs. When we adopted Duke and took him home it was a commitment, thru sickness and health until death do us part – he was a member of our family. So many people forget that adopting a dog is a commitment, and once their dog gets ill or sick they still need to commit to caring for them.

A few months later we heard about another pup named Misty, living in a NY shelter for over 5 years. Nobody wanted Misty because she had hind leg problems. Hundreds and Hundreds of people passed her cage, not even giving her a chance. We went to NY and adopted her immediately. For years Misty became quite a “spokes-dog” for her cause. People started looking at her, seeing the life in her eyes, and the heart she wanted to share and commented on what a wonderful dog she was, and “How could she had been in a shelter so long?”.

After loving our wheelchair dog Duke, and seeing the impact Misty had on people, and realizing there was no support system or education available for people dealing with disabled pets, Pets with Disabilities was incorporated to be that support system for these animals with no voice.

For 8 years, while Mike and I both had full time jobs…. We traveled to events and expos’ to speak on behalf of these wonderful spirits, we set-up a website to post animals needing help, at one point we had 12 disabled animals living in our home – and due to the constant need and 100’s of requests for help, we decided to expand our efforts and build our rescue barn, in order to help more dogs.

In 2004 I made a huge decision to close my small business and volunteer FULL time on behalf of the disabled animals.

With the expansion of the rescue, I committed myself totally to the helping these dogs in need. Many people that visit our website, think we are a huge organization, when in fact, I am a one person show. I take no salary for my hours and hours of work, and have no paid help and a small core group of volunteers. This is a labor of love.

While I’ve spent my fair share of life in a cone, I can’t imagine what it must be like to be blind or missing a leg, how do you help your dog friends manage their disabilities?

Our home, rescue barn and property are all “disabled pet” friendly. We built our home with our pets in mind. We have an area in our home specifically designed for our wheelchair bound dogs, ramps off of our deck to our back yard. We have several acres fenced in for our dogs, so blind, three legged, deaf, wheelchair bound, they all get to enjoy lots of open space to romp and play.

We currently have 5 wheelchair bound dogs that have had wheelchairs custom made for them to make moving around much easier for them.

Do you have any events coming up for party animals feeling frisky? 
We will be attending the Perfect Pet Resort Pet Expo on Saturday May 11th from 11am-3pm. They are located in Lothian, MD.

We are also having our Annual “A Toast to Pets With Disabilities” Friday June 14th, 2013 from 6pm-10pm at the Running Hare Vineyard in Prince Frederick Maryland. This is our largest fundraiser for the year, and it is a very fun relaxing event. We will have a wonderful silent auction, music, food & drink, and of course wine tasting! Tickets are on sale if you visit our website www.petswithdisabilities.org

Annually we also have our “Open House’” where we invite the public, donors, volunteers, adopters to our rescue. There is food, drink, a DJ, and the best part is dog friendly dogs are welcome!

How can human friends contact you if they want to volunteer, donate or adopt an amazing animal friend that will change their lives with an increase in love?  
We always recommend people visit our website first, you can find most information you may need on our website. It is www.petswithdisabilities.org

You can find our dogs for adoption, and also many courtesy postings of dogs/cats around the country that are looking for homes. Of course all courtesy posts have to have some kind of disability.

People can also email us at petswithdisabilities@comcast.net if they have any questions or want to set up a visit.

Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to answer some questions for our human friends.

Rant 101

Greetings dog friends, friends of dogs and cats,

Allow me the occassional rant:

February 11 and 12 premiers the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show 2013. A show I enjoy watching myself just to see my pure breed dog brothers and sisters parade their stuff across the TV. It celebrates every breed and creed of dogs, that is, all except us mutts.

You see, I'm a mutt. I'm part German Shorthaired Pointer and American Staffordshire Terrier. My human parents found me in the shelter, a 3 month old baby with no papers and no knowledge of my dog parents or the matchmaker breeder who introduced my parents to each other. The only paper they found on me said I was a stray, so who knows what that means cuz I don't. All I know is that by pure miracle, they rescued me from a high-kill shelter, took me into their home and love me for the individual I am.

I am a strong, loving dog. There may be other Pointer/Am Staff mixes, but there will never be another one just like me. That's the beauty in adopting a mutt, you get a dog that cannot be judged by anyone's standards but your own AND, you get extra karma points for saving a life. So while I'll be very happy for the dog friend who wins Best in Show, there will be no hint of jealousy in my bark because I'm very happy in my warm home being the best Rosie my humans love.

Cage free K9 Camp rescues the day!

Greetings dog friends, friends of dogs and cats,

Remember the lovely dog couple, Sheldon and Adele (who are still up for adoption in case you wondered)?

Well allow us to introduce our newest rescue which is also where Sheldon and Adele are currently living: Cage free K9 Camp!

This is a really unique place, merging rescuing efforts with boarding and grooming, it's a one stop shop for dog lovers! We love the concept, they're doing important work there. Check out their site and if you're in their neighborhood go say hi!



Cage free K9 Camp is located in Santa Monica at: 3385 Robertson Place, Los Angeles, CA 90034 • Tel: 310-202-6900

We'll be raising funds for these fine folks all month so make sure to buy your furry sweetie a valentine treat to remember! Go to www.rosiesbarkery.com

And now for another installment of:   
Rosie to the Rescue!

In honor of Valentine's Day we have created a special cookie pair we're calling, "Puppy Love". It's inspired by 2 dogs who are very much in puppy love themselves.

Meet Sheldon and Adele!

   

When Adele was rescued by Cagefree Canines, she looked and felt like she had never been loved in her whole 7 years of life. Adele was completely emaciated with hair falling out all over her body. Her skin was flaky and thin plus she had sores all over the place. Every vertebra was plain to see and her abdomen was distended along with severe muscle atrophy. It turned out she had Cushing’s disease and she felt awful!

Adele may have felt unloved, but one look at her and her beau, Sheldon was tail over heels in puppy love with her! While he’s no puppy himself, for a 10 year old, he was sure acting like a goofy pup for Adele. Sheldon also had a ruff go when Cagefree Canines found him at the pound. He had an ulcer in his eye, ouch! But no illness could stop Sheldon from making eyes at Adele!

Now both are on medication and are getting better everyday, together. Cagefree Canines saved Sheldon and Adele’s broken bodies and once they found each other, they saved each other’s hearts.

Sheldon and Adele are a love story that deserve a happy ending, contact Cagefree Canines to meet this adorable couple. http://www.cagefreecanines.com/rescue.asp