AmandaJane and Roscoe

Recently I met a dog named Chaos at the dog park. This puppy was so sweet, he looked to be about 4 months old and was still young enough to be intimidated by most of the dogs he encountered. His owner was very caring and watchful. Here's the part that bothered me, this little angel might have a difficult road ahead of him because of his name. Chaos is a pit bull, whom I have nothing against, but naming any dog Chaos is bound to lead to misunderstandings of the dog's nature.

Anyone has the right to name their dog what ever they want, but in the same instance society will make a snap judgement against that dog because of his name. This dog was young and sweet but someday he will be big and sweet. His name makes you think, "What a troublemaker…" If the same name was attached to lets say a pug, one might think of a small dog who destroys the house or makes owner's life crazy. I once saw a rat terrier named Skeletor, like the villain off of He - Man. I immediately thought this dog looked boney, unfun to pet and could be mean. Take the same dog and call him Rupert and you might think of a dog who loves the finer things in life and taking care of his royal responsibility of greeting the dog park paupers. Take it a step further and change the name to Mr. Giggles and suddenly he's the happiest little rat terrier you ever met.

I will say I think it's really funny when people give their dogs human names like Mike or Annie. They can be very fitting and confusing. Speaking of Mike, my friend's grandmother had a yorkie named Mighty Mike. She would always say Mike and her were going here or there. For months I thought Mike was her boyfriend. Which he was, just not the way I thought. I also understand that when kids or popular movies are involved in the naming process, your going to meet some Ariels, Bellas, Astros and Thors. One thing I've noticed about dogs with human names is that they tend to have even more human characteristics. You get what you create.

This blog was just a reminder that naming a dog something that seems cool or funny, no matter the breed or size, can have a lifetime impact for that dog and yourself. This is an unpleasant thing to mention, but unforseen things come up in life and sometimes we are unable to keep a dog throughout their lifetime. The wrong name can make rehoming that much more difficult. A name can determine the mindset of everyone the dog encounters from first meetings on the street to vet vists to long time friends opinions. A name holds a lot of power be careful how you use it. In the end though, it's your dog and you'll give the right name for the right reasons. Maybe we should all just take the time to get to know the story behind the names?

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Happy Valentine's Day 2012

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:19:00 -0800

My Love is Like a Cabbage

- Author Unknown

My love is like a cabbage

Divided into two,

The leaves I give to others,

The heart I give to you!

To all my friends: I wish you a fabulous day of love and laughter.

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Whatcha lookin' at? - Wordless Wednesday 1/25/2012

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:10:00 -0800

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I Want Some Sugar Too - Wordless Wednesday 1/18/2012

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:00:00 -0800

Model: Genevievie's Blog

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AmandaJane & Roscoe at Brookside Barkery & Bath

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:18:00 -0800

dog_bath_-_Large_1.m4v Watch on Posterous

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Roscoe Likes to be "Involved" in Cleaning

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 08:35:00 -0800

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Planet of the Apes, Animal Welfare at its Core

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:48:00 -0800

Rise of the Planet of the Apes, with James Franco, comes to DVD today. I've always enjoyed a good Sci - Fi especially ones that involve animals. I love seeing how different our world can be because of science, radiation or the unknown crashing into our planet. Rise was awesome! I really liked the way they built up the storyline and the ending was fantastic. My mind knew the animals were CG but I still had a hard time watching certain scenes. This movie really makes you think about what animals go through in their own private existance and how we affect them.

Rise really got me thinking about a few topics:

1. I personally have a hard time justifying animal research. I believe these animals are giving their lives for us so they deserve dignity, respect and a certain quality of life. A research animal may undergo hundreds of blood draws and countless biopsies in just a few years time. They may die from the program they are involved in or be afflicted with a lifelong illness. It's important that we don't forget their life is important to them.

2. Diseases effect animals in a similar way to humans but not the same. Animals are built with different tolerances and adaptability to outside stimuli, so the storyline which I won't ruin, is spot on for how real disaster could take place .

3. Obedience doesn't equal intelligence. Humans often think that if an animal doesn't want to do something that the animal is dumb or defiant. Many police dogs would not wait for a command to stop an offender who is attacking their handler or how many farmers have told the story of their dog disobeying only to find the dog knew of a newborn calf or lamb that was hidden.

4. That brings me to my favorite point that I've been mentally expanding on since seeing the movie. If dogs were suddenly able to have the same intelligence as us and could speak, what would this do to our world. I highly doubt they would take over the world to rule over us like the Apes. I think dogs are master manipulators without words so if they could be on the level with us it would be quite interesting. There would be an influx of people buying only the best mattresses, food and tennis balls. I can hear Roscoe now, "You don't need to go to work we can go to the park" or "I love you so much and you're so beautiful. I think you deserve the 10,000 thread count egyptian cotton sheets." Our society would become better in many ways if we could communicate. Dogs have a great way of working things out and co existing. They are loyal and dutiful when it comes to the human species. Who knows what the future of science holds for our canine companions.

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Walking Roscoe - Wordless Wednesday 11/30/2011

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:17:00 -0800

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My Sister and I - Wordless Wednesday 11/23

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 09:21:00 -0800

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Howl o ween - Wordless Wednesday #8

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:50:00 -0700

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Doggiepuncture...Good Health and Good Fun - Wordless Wednesday #7

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:30:00 -0700

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BlogPaws 2011 - My First Video to TOP 1000 views on Youtube!!

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:27:00 -0700

BlogPaws Annual conferene is an awesome experiene. Here is a clip of what I did in 2011. Enjoy and hope to see you next year!

large.m4v Watch on Posterous

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Husky Cat- Wordless Wednesday #6

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:23:00 -0700

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Dock Dogs - Wordless Wednesday #5

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:07:44 -0700

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Disney's Spooky Buddies - Halloween Barktackular!

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 13:58:00 -0700

Amanda Jane with famous actor B - Dawg.

At BlogPaws this year Disney let us have the exclusive sneak peek of Spooky Buddies. After the movie we got the inside scoop on the film form the producer, Robert Vince. His movies include: The Search for Santa Paws, Snow Buddies, and MVP: Most Valuable Primate to name a few. When you hear him talk it's obvious Vince is passionate about making animal films. I have watched and love many children's movies, especially the old hand drawn cartoons. Disney films are a common household commodity and one of my all time favorites is The Ugly Dachshund. Of course I'd heard of the Buddies collection but somehow I'd never watched one. I totally get the Buddies phenomenon now.

Amanda Jane with producer Robert Vince.

Spooky Buddies was classic Disney Halloween! Lots of silly humor including Frankendude and you cannot go wrong with Harland Williams. I didn't even recognize him as the evil warlock. The dogs in the movie are darling, dressed in costumes to fit their personality. There is an endearing owl who struggles to do the right thing. I loved the little beagle named Pip who has a very heroic scene. My fondness probably has something to do with my own dog. Roscoe is part beagle and I nicknamed him Pip several years ago. Many scenes contain close up shots of the animals that small kids will like. My son is 1 and while he doesn't get plot lines yet he does recognize and love animals, especially dogs. I can't wait to watch this movie at home with both my boys.

You can win your very own copy of Spooky Buddies through Fido Friendly Magazine: Spooky Buddies Giveaway

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