A 7-month-old puppy named Rocky scored a knockout when he saved his owner and her family from a house fire.

It all started when Nicole Kowalewski went to visit her parents in N.J. and took her puppy along.

DELRAN, N.J., June 22 (UPI) –Nicole Kowalewski, 29, said she had brought her young bulldog Rocky back to her family’s Delran home and she was awakened at 2 a.m. by the puppy’s whimpering, the Burlington County (N.J.) Times reported Monday.

“I had him in the bed with me and he started whimpering and it’s not like a bulldog. It’s in their breed to just sleep and snore and cuddle, that’s it,” she said.

Kowalewski said she took Riley outside to try to calm him down, but he started barking after she brought him inside and circled the door leading to the garage.

“Something wasn’t right so I opened the door and I saw the flames, like, shooting out of the walls. The door was fine, it was cool to the touch, but the (garage) wall was on fire,” she said. “I woke up my parents, my sister and my nephews. I called 911 and they said to get everybody out of the house.”

Kowalewski said Riley wasn’t done rescuing his family.

“The dog jetted across the street,” she said. “We all chased after him and within seconds there was a huge explosion and the window shot out, so it was almost him saying, ‘I got you out of the house. Don’t you get it? Get across the street!’”

Way to go Rocky, give that boy a bone!

* ADOPTABLE: Lady Sugar pictured above is 7 months and available for adoption in the Rock Hill, S.C. area.

Brittany, a nine-year-old bulldog, who was dying of cancer hung on long enough for one last heroic act.

On Saturday, May 23rd she saved her owner from a fire when the smoke detectors didn’t go off.

GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) - Brittany the bull dog lived long enough to alert her owner to a fire in their Grand Rapids house.

But Tuesday, three days after the fire, dog owner Scott Seymore put his pet to sleep.

Nine-year-old Brittany had cancer and he says she was suffering. He had to put her out of her misery.

“It was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do,” says Seymore.

Seymore says he almost made the difficult decision sooner but a vet developed a pain relief plan to prolong her life. That’s why Brittany was alive when the fire started early Saturday in the house Seymore rented on Seventh Avenue in Grand Rapids.

“She started barking and she wouldn’t stop,” he says. “That was unusual. She doesn’t bark. The basement was full of smoke. I grabbed my dog and a couple of things and got out quick.”

Within a few minutes, flames were shooting through roof above Seymore’s bedroom.

“The smoke detectors didn’t go off. What if she wasn’t there?” wonders Seymore. “This might have a totally different ending.”

What an amazing story, we hope Brittany is running and playing pain free at Rainbow Bridge.

*ADOPTABLE: Tank is currently in a foster home after his owner died in a car accident. Wouldn’t you like to adopt your very own barking smoke detector?

Since this is a dog blog, a couple times a month our boy Bo (woof!) thought it would be nice to get the news through a dog’s eyes. Bo invites everyone to read a chapter from his upcoming book BAD TO THE BONE at Bo Knows. Okay Bo, take it from here…

Some take their cues from the Westminster Dog Show while others take theirs from the Ugliest Dog Contest. One thing is clear, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

It’s fortunate my parents get their idea of canine beauty from the former, otherwise they would have passed right by me on the fateful day they adopted me. Not to be cocky or anything, but when I say I’m handsome I’m not sure I’m doing myself justice. Remember, it ain’t cocky if you can back it up.

But some are less fortunate than me. In Des Moines they decided to throw a self-esteem bone to some bulldogs. You know, to try to make them feel special because they don’t got a lot going on in life. I’m not trying to be mean, but have you ever seen one up close?

Let me just say that if you haven’t had the privilege of taking a female bulldog out on a date, you’re in for a treat. At dinner be prepared to watch the drool run down her face and  on onto her plate. She won’t even use a fork to eat her kibble. At the movies you won’t be able to hear over her panting. Not lustful panting, but panting like she just ran a marathon.

Not only will you drop her off before curfew, but even before you smelled her, uhmm, ear.

Anyway, here’s the info from the Des Moines contest from the AP.

DES MOINES, Iowa – For three years, Porterhouse was so close to the title he could drool on it. Now, the Beautiful Bulldog crown is his to slobber on for the rest of the year. After two runner-up finishes and one “Mr. Congeniality” title, Porterhouse finally nabbed “top dog” honors Monday when he was crowned the winner of Drake University’s annual Beautiful Bulldog Contest in downtown Des Moines.

Porterhouse, a 4-year-old brown and white bulldog from Des Moines, beat out 49 other dogs from eight states to claim the title.

The judges weren’t looking for the prettiest mutt in the mix. No, they wanted to see drool, bloodshot eyes and bowed legs – and costumes don’t hurt either. Owners slapped tutus, blonde wigs, goggles and all kinds of wacky hats on their precious pups.

“They’re not looking for pedigree,” Dolph Pulliam, the master of ceremonies for the event, said of the judging. “You use your own imagination.”

Porterhouse’s owner, Erin Bell, said her dog is a sweet, friendly guy who always makes people laugh. She and her husband, Kevin Bell, had a feeling Monday morning that, after three years of coming so close, Porterhouse would finally break through this time.

“He’s handsome – we think anyway,” Bell said.

I agree Porterhouse is handsome, almost as handsome as a Filet Mignon. Woof!

*ADOPTABLE: Munch is ready for his new family, check out his profile.

The funniest dog blog, written by a dog, on the internet. Commentary on the latest animal news stories of the day. Read a chapter from my upcoming book, BAD TO THE BONE.

Since this is a dog blog, a couple times a month our boy Bo (woof!) thought it would be nice to get the news through a dog’s eyes. When Bo decides to share his thoughts you’ll always see the tag Bo Knows. Okay Bo, take it from here…..

Let’s be honest with each other. Work sucks.

Do you know of any dogs that actually enjoy their jobs? Sure Rufus may look like he enjoys snatching a biscuit from his nose, but he ain’t having any fun. Sunshine rolling over for a treat? A blow to her self esteem.

Maybe the trick to happy employment is to do something non-traditional?

The following article explores that idea, highlighting one dog’s pursuit of a career less smelled…

These days, Dillon is working like a dog at Kimpton’s Hotel Burnham. You won’t hear him bitching about it though.

The 4-year-old bulldog is the new director of pet relations, serving as ambassador for pets at the hotel at 1 W. Washington. Stationed in the hotel’s living room, Dillon greets travelers, poses for photos with guests and helps provide treats to traveling pets. “We’re die-hard about our pets,” spokeswoman Jennifer Navarro said.

Dillon got the gig by following his owner, new general manager Duncan Clements, to the hotel from Dallas, where the bulldog served in pet relations at Kimpton’s Hotel Lumen.

Regardless of career, it all comes down to who you know rather than what you know. Woof!

* Pic courtesy Sun-Times News Group

he funniest dog blog, written by a dog, on the internet. Commentary on the latest animal news stories of the day. Read a chapter from my upcoming book, BAD TO THE BONE.

Did you ever have one of those days, or months, when you put something down and then can’t find it?  Things seem to just keep disappearing? David and Jennifer Swart from Warson Woods, MO have had that feeling a lot lately.

Every time they put down their 18-month-old daughter’s pacifier it seemed to vanish into thin air.  They just kept buying more, until they noticed something.  They noticed their Bulldog showing an unusual interest in the pacifiers and thought it was time for a trip to the vet.

After an x-ray was taken of Lulu’s stomach, showing an unusual gray area, she was headed for surgery.

The vet found 15 pacifiers, a bottle cap and a piece of a basketball in Lulu’s stomach.  The vet saved the pacifiers, some of which had turned black from Lulu’s stomach acid, to show the Swart’s the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Sunday.

Lulu’s $808 surgery cost was covered by Veterinary Pet Insurance, a California insurer that declared Lulu’s case its most unusual for December after reviewing claims for dogs who ate nails, a packaged fire log, a whole turkey and several wigs, the Post-Dispatch reported.

A dog ate a packaged fire log and pacifiers were considered to be the most unusual item?

* Tank claims to be innocent, but I’m not so sure.

A couple in Waltham, MA left their 3 year old  french bulldog in a hot car for over a half hour while they were at the shopping mall.  They called the police when they returned to their car  and found she was “limp and unconscious”.

When police arrived at the scene, the dog was taken to Watertown Animal Hospital. Doctors tried to revive her but failed.

A doctor told police that the dog’s temperature was in excess of 106 degrees Fahrenheit. Normal body temperature for dogs ranges from 100.5 to 102.5 F.

The couple told the police they took their dog with them because they were afraid she would pee in the house if left home alone.  If you’re not intelligent enough to know to buy your dog a crate rather than putting her in an unattended hot car you should not be allowed to own animals.  Let’s just hope these people don’t have children.

Animal Control Officer Karen O’Reilly said causing an animal to be subjected to unnecessary cruelty or suffering is a felony in Massachusetts, and is punishable by imprisonment for up to two and a half years and a fine of $2,500.

With any luck, this couple will have the next 912 days behind bars to think about that fateful decision.

One of our Dogster members just brought this, make you  want to say “awww,” story to my attention.  It appears that an English Bulldog, Napoleon,  risked life and paw to save a bag of drowning kittens.

Because of the breeds history of poor swimming ability, this morning’s news came as a bit of a shock to me! Napoleon, an obedient and well behaved two year old white English Bulldog in Michigan abruptly left his master’s side yesterday and raced out across a road and into a nearby lake.

Napoleon’s owner saw him coming back from the lake and pulling, what appeared to be, a burlack sack that he had retrieved.

It was then that Napoleon’s owner heard the meowing and realized that there were abandoned kittens inside the bag! Six kittens in total, although two of them didn’t survive and the remaining four were in bad shape. Napoleon’s mom cared for the survivor’s for the next two weeks until they could be taken in to the city pet adoption center and found new homes.

Don’t think that Napolean wasn’t rewarded for this heroic act of bravery.  At the adoption center, where the kittens were brought, crowds gathered to praise the brave bulldog and cuddle the rescued kittens.  While I’m sure Napoleon appreciated all the praise he was no doubt thinking “I hope there’s a huge steak waiting for me at home”.

A special thanks to Roxanne and her pal Maddy for bringing this story to my attention.

While researching the history and traits of hundreds of breeds to write our comprehensive dog breed profiles, we learned the innermost secrets of popular pooches, some of which we’re sure they wish we didn’t know!

Don’t tell them we’re sharing, but we’ve compiled a list of the dogs known for emitting smelly odors. Meet the five most flatulent breeds here!

1. Bulldog
2. German Shepherd
3. Mastiff
4. Boxer
5. Labrador Retriever

Get tips on how to solve “exhaust problems” in our Dog Owner’s Manual.

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