I want to let everyone know that this is the last month Lisa and I will be the bloggers on For The Love Of Dog. I can’t tell you how much we have enjoyed working on the blog over the last year and a half, and we hope that our postings helped make a difference in the dog community.

The blog is going to be going in a bit of a different direction, a little lighter. This is great and I have no doubt it will be fantastic, but while working on the blog over the last 15 months Lisa and I have discovered we have a true passion when it comes to dog rescue. We want to continue working on the issues that have become so important to us, get the word out about all those dogs in need, let people know how they can help.

We will still be on Dogster everyday, and continue to be very active, just not blogging. You can always reach me via pmail, Facebook, or Twitter. You can stop by Bo’s site, BoKnowsOnline, or his new author page at BAD TO THE BONE MEMOIR. And you can always order Bo’s book online at Amazon, or your favorite retailer. We will continue to write freelance and are looking into working with Anna Nirva on Sunbear Squad, will update when I have more details.

Our time on the blog is coming to an end so let’s make the most of it and have a great November.

Rosie was found wandering through a field, starving and infested with fleas, before arriving at her furever home nearly 10 years ago.

Here’s Rosie’s rescue story from her diary.

I was looking for food in a big empty field in the cold winter rain. A Pick up was coming down the road and it suddenly stopped. A very tall lady jumped out and ran over to me and said are you lost? I was never ever as happy as this! I jumped up as high as I could , she caught me and wrapped me up in her coat and took me to her house.

She bathed me,I had fleas so bad that the bath water was blood red, my skin stretched tightly over my bones, you could county them all. She fixed me some food, then she introduced me to Chewey a 19- year- old Boston Terrier she had just rescued from a pound about 3 or 4 months earlier. We liked each other from the start.

Mom and Dad looked for my owner thinking I may have been lost, but nobody ever put up a flier or anything. No ads, nothing. Then after about 4 months when I was getting fat and happy a lady gave a man a ride to our house so he could get Dad to come fix his truck. That lady looked at me and said I know her, and I am really happy that you have her now. Mom asked where I came from She would not tell her, just that they had teenagers who tied fireworks to my legs. and lots of other stuff they didn’t hardly feed me and threw me out. They were really mean to me according to that lady. She said do not ever let her go back. At that time Dad said noway will they get her back now! I been with them every sense and I always will be till death do us part.

Rosie has a very unusual way of communicating, when she wants something, she smiles and stomps her feet instead of barking.

What a cutie, we’re so glad she found such a wonderful home.

I received a very sad email yesterday from Dogster member Minika Hall.  She wanted to share her recent tragedy at the dog park, which resulted in the loss of her beloved dog Miles’, as a warning to other dog owners.

Miles’ was an adorable Yorkie who loved the dog park, and Hall enjoyed taking him there on a daily basis.  On Sunday they went for a visit but this time Minika did something she had never done before, brought him into the big dog side of the park.

Here are the details from The Buffalo News.

Miles, an eight-month-old Yorkie who frequented the park with his owner several times a week during the warmer weather, was enjoying a late-October romp.

But Hall made a decision she will always regret. She let her five-pound pooch make his first visit to a separate running area that generally accommodates larger dogs. Until Sunday, Miles had always frolicked in an adjacent area reserved for dogs that weigh less than 30 pounds. On this evening, the special area was empty, and she wanted Miles to have company.

“Miles wasn’t afraid of big dogs,” said Hall, her voice shaking. “He loved to play with the bigger dogs.”

The Yorkie was playing with several other dogs, none of them very large or aggressive, according to Hall. She said what happened next is a blur, but she recalls Miles being stepped on and instantly falling to the ground.

At first, she thought he just had the wind knocked out of him or — in a worst-case scenario — was paralyzed. But after she and another Barkyard patron rushed the dog to an emergency clinic, reality set in. Miles’ tiny neck had likely been crushed as the dogs played, she said.

“People need to see my dumb mistake,” the distraught owner said. “They need to understand that when their dogs are playing, they have to consider the size of other dogs. I knew it, but I never recognized the importance of that until now.”

On the side reserved for small dogs there is a warning that it is only for pups 30 lbs. and under, there is no size specifications on the larger side.  Lisa and I bring the ‘kids’ over to our local dog park and we see many dog owners bringing their smaller dogs into the large side, and for the exact reason Minika did, there was no one in the smaller dog area to play with.  I’m sure just like Hall the owners don’t give a second thought to it being dangerous, why would they?

I know Minika feels guilty over her decision but this tragedy could have happened to anyone. If she had seen an article like this I have no doubt she would never have taken Miles’ into the large dog side, and that’s why she contacted me, to get the word out.  Keep in mind, the dogs in the park were just playing with Miles’, no one was vicious, but when you have a bunch of big dogs engaging in rough play it only takes a second for a tragedy to occur.

I want to extend our heartfelt condolences to Minika over the loss of Miles’.  Thank you for sharing your very painful story to keep other dog owners from experiencing the grief you are now going through, I know it wasn’t easy.

Harleydog is our Dog Of The Week,  sadly he earned his wings on November 4rh, 2009.  He was one of the first Dogsters that Bo became friends with, over the last two years he’s become a good buddy. We were so sad to hear the news that he, like so many other pups, was lost due to cancer. He was a very special boy and it was an honor being friends with him.

Harleydog has been a very active member of the Dogster community, a very popular pup who will be greatly missed. Extending our heartfelt condolences to Harleydog’s family, our thoughts are with you.

Harleydog made a big impact on so many pups, he will never be forgotten in the Dogster community.

Dogster member Rosie has gone missing, here are the details from her good friend, Daisy.

Rosie escaped the morning of 11-5-09 from her pet sitter’s fenced backyard. She actually managed to unlatch the gate and presumably is headed for home. Her owner is one of my best friends and was scheduled to go out of town today hence the need for a pet sitter.

Rosie is an adult, female, German Shepherd with a very black colored face. AC saw her at North Star and Northwest Blvd. at 10:00 AM this morning but couldn’t catch her. If you find her or think you’ve seen her please call 614-297-8380 or 614-787-1405. She is normally a friendly dog but was very scared when she was last sighted and took off running. Please let us know if you see her.

Rosie was wearing a pink gingham collar, she has all her tags on.

Please help me spread the word to anyone you know who lives in the Columbus area. Share this message on Facebook and retweet on Twitter.

We are worried sick for Rosie’s safety.

Thank you for any help!

The blog is going to be going in a bit of a different direction, a little lighter.  This is great and I have no doubt it will be fantastic, but while working on the blog over the last 15 months Lisa and I have discovered we have a true passion when it comes to dog rescue. We want to continue working on the issues that have become so important to us, get the word out about all those dogs in need, let people know how they can help.

We will still be on Dogster everyday, and continue to be very active,  just not blogging. You can always reach me via pmail, Facebook, or Twitter.  You can stop by Bo’s site, BoKnowsOnline, or his new author page at BAD TO THE BONE MEMOIR.  And you can always order Bo’s book online at Amazon, or your favorite retailer.  We will continue to write freelance and are looking into working with Anna Nirva on Sunbear Squad, will update when I have more details.

Our time on the blog is coming to an end  so let’s make the most of it and have a great November.

Petey  is a 10 year-old Jack Russell Terrier. He’s been on Dogster more than two years. He loves to go camping and take long walks to the park. He is not fond of baths but usually needs one when he comes home from camping.

He lives in Philadelphia and is no longer an Eagles fan. Obviously he is also a very smart boy.

I just want to remind everyone that our ‘Win A Memorial For Your Pup’ contests ends on Monday.

If you have lost a beloved member of the family now is your chance to win a beautiful handcrafted heart which has a small portion of your pet’s cremains infused into the glass as it is being made. Thanks to Peternity for offering up this lovely memorial, I have no doubt it will be cherished by whoever wins.

To find out all the details and to enter go to the original post, click here.

They need to fill their quota for reservations at the KOA campground in order to get the use of the Rec Hall and the large picnic areas for the meet and greet. The deadline is December 1st, so we’re trying to get the word out.

The following is from the Group’s creator, Bonzer:

Always wanted to meet your friends and visit HQ to meet the folks behind this great web site at the same time? You’re invited to the Dogster/Catster Meet And Greet In California and picnic in San Francisco/Petaluma area Saturday, April 24th 2010! Join the group fur more information, pawticipate in the planning, and prepare yourself fur the Meet and Greet of the Year! Don’t furget to book your reservations early at the KOA campsite if you’re planning to stay overnight and be sure to mention it’s for the D/C MAGIC Group when you do.

We have reserved a few sites at the KOA Campground in Petaluma for our event, click here for site map.

The reservations are for April 23 and 24 for those of us who will be arriving the night before.

For those of you just coming for the day of the picnic and will not be staying the night at the campground, there is a KOA guest fee of $10 (sorry, I know it was $7 but KOA went up on all their prices for 2010) for adults, $5 kids 4-17. Kids 3 and under are free.

This is what we have reserved right now. We can add to or subtract from this list as needed before September ‘09;

17 cabins in block “G”. Each sleeps up to 4 (dogs are allowed) and is $59 per night. The cabins do not have a bathroom but there are some nearby. If you were to share the cabin with a friend that would just be $28.50 (killer deal!)

The cabins have a dbl bed and bunk beds but do not come with bedding (blankets etc)

2 lodges- sleeps 4-6 each has a bathroom but does not allow pets- $160 each

8 full hook up RV sites- $42

10 tent sites- $30 (personally, mom would rather pay twice as much and sleep in a cabin! laugh out loud )

We also will have exclusive use of the Rec Hall and large tent as well as the areas called the “Grove” and “Orchard” for our contests and games.

To reserve a cabin, lodge or other site please call KOA @ (800) 562-1233 and be sure to mention it is for the D/C MAGIC group April 23 and 24.

Please post here which accommodation you will be choosing.

If we get fewer than 10 reservations we will lose the use of the Rec Hall and possibly the tent also.

You could hold off calling KOA and putting the charge on your credit card for a few months but please post here asap so we can tell them how many we expect to reserve.

We have until September before they will stop holding all of these reserved sites for us and all reservations must be paid for by December 1 2009

We hope many of you will be staying a night and help us to turn the KOA Campground into “Dogster/Catster town” for a few days!

Interested in finding out more about the event, visit the Dogster Get Together or DC/Magic forums. You can also check out the DC/Magic Group .

* Bo’s buddies Biscotte & Tippy, camping in style. When I was pulling up Tippy’s pic had no idea this was their photo, thanks guys! Want your own copy of BAD TO THE BONE, click here.