Poor Bruno.

All he wanted to do today was play with this tire.




But from the moment he picked it up, The Fun Police ensued a hot pursuit!







They insisted that Bruno pull over and immediately drop the tire.







Gino threatened to deliver bodily harm if Bruno did not comply.






Luckily, Bruno laughed it all off.

Once a week, The Mafiosos receive what are called "recreational bones." These are bones that are too large and dense to consume. They are instead raw bones that provide chewing pleasure. These bones help keep their teeth and gums clean and provide a much needed workout to the jaw and neck muscles.

Besides the benefit of a teeth cleaning and muscle workout, chewing on these bones help keep The Mafiosos stress free. I've read a few articles that indicate chewing causes a chemical release of endorphins in dogs which in turn have a calming effect on a dog. This explains why after gnawing on these bones, The Mafiosos immediately take long naps.

These bones only stay around for one day. Anything left after that I toss out. If left out, these bones do get hard and brittle.

If you're thinking of perhaps trying this out with your dog, make sure to do so in moderation. For some dogs, the marrow of a bone can be too rich and cause a trip to Squirtsville, U.S.A. I'd suggest letting your dog have the bone for a half an hour to start with and then gradually increasing the amount of time you let your dog chew on the bone. Please take note that these are RAW bones. Please don't ever give your dog cooked bones! Cooked bones can splinter and cause fractured teeth. Additionally, there is the possibility of perforationing of the intestines or blockage if a cooked bone is consumed whole.


Okay, enough talk about raw recreational bones. Let's get to the meat of things!

Parker started it. :p
http://parkermalone.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/oh-bruno/

Bruno's received much flack lately about his list of things he considers scary. If you have ever met Bruno in person, you would laugh a huge belly laugh once you realized that he is enormous. I'm not sure if this was a cosmic deal of the cards, but whatever the reason, it adds comedic value for a 115lbs dog to be scared of certain items.






And so, in order of scariness, here commences Bruno's top ten items considered to be avoided at all costs.



Now this fear I understand his foundation! When Bruno was a puppy, he made a mad tear into the living room and managed to topple a floor lamp in the process. The lamp fell on him and thereby instilled the terror of lampshades that he has today.







Now this is a new fear. We've been bringing this fan out every since he was a puppy and just recently he decided that is scary. It must play a part in the distribution of the alien beacons (a.k.a. "Feathers") and I just haven't become aware of it yet.

She is very talented!

I'm not sure how I feel about Bruno smoking (wait...is it at least a Cuban cigar?!), but he is after all a teenager now and lord knows I picked up that nasty habit when I was young. As long as he smokes outside!

Gino has an affinity for Tommy Guns, so I better go check that he has all the necessary permits for owning a gun.

My good boy Vinnie is all nothing but smiles. That's my boy!

Thanks, Jaci! You are an awesome artist! Jaci has a website: http://www.jacisaurusrex.com Go check it out!

One more item added to list of Things Bruno is Scared Of.






Apparently, they are evil. He obviously knows something about it that we don't know. And he is wise to avoid the death object otherwise known as a box fan. Avoid interaction with them at all cost!

Today is an average day. Nothing special planned except a routine trip to the park. Nothing special about the activities of The Mafiosos.


Bruno did his usual of gathering large sticks.




Oh, wait, he did do one civic duty today. He decied to take down a large tree limb that he deemed a dangerous hazard to park dwellers. He didn't want this large limb falling down on anyone while walking through the park, so he took it upon himself to clear the area of this limb.




The Pugs did their usual: sat around and waited for me to recall them so that they can get a treat. Um, Pugs, it really doesn't work if you don't go more than one foot away from me. You have to be far away in order for me to call you. The game doesn't work that way!













All in all, today was just your average day in the life and times of The Mafiosos. Until next time!

The Canine Mafia was bestowed with an exceptionally generous gift today. A good friend of the Canine Mafia, Alex, gave us a painting of the three knuckleheads. We proudly hang it above our fireplace to proclaim to all that we are indeed crazy dog people!






Alex has a tremendous gift for painting. We cannot get over the exquisite details this painting contains.



Vinnie's wrinkles and infamous tongue are replicated down to a science. Even the little grey in his chin is contained with exceptional detail.







Alex also did a tremendous job in capturing Gino's eyes. Gino thinks he has perfected hypnotizing you with his eyes and Alex captured this look perfectly.





Alex did the most amazing job at capturing Bruno's Freakishly Large Head (or FLH as Parker likes to call it). When we shared this painting with Parker, he proclaimed that Bruno's head is really bigger. Wait until your Momma gets a painting done of you Poo-Man! There won't be a canvas big enough to contain your pointy nose! :-p









Alex is available for commissioned paintings if anyone is interested in having a portrait painted. He can be reached at alxjz@comcast.net.

Today we paid a visit to our friends Gabby and Flirt. They are not only our friends in real life, but also our good Blog friends. Check out their blog at http://gabbyslitter2.blogspot.com/!


Flirt is a riot. She is nonstop action and so unaware of her clumsiness. I want to steal her. She lives less than 5 minutes away from me, so perhaps my plans of capturing her and integrating her into The Canine Mafia might occur sooner than I thought. Just kidding...I think!






Gabby has the best smile in the entire world. She just oozes happiness.


Our friend Marianna brought her baby Morgan. Remember Morgan? Well, she's not so tiny anymore! She's growing like a weed! Morgan was the hit of the party. All the dogs wanted to kiss her. I'm sure it has nothing to due with the fact that she probably smelled of food.


First Gabby gave her some loving...


Then Gino...


And finally Flirt...




However, Flirt was the smartest of the bunch. She figured out to how con Morgan into also giving her some loving back. See, Flirtie's very smart! That's why I want to steal her!



After she was done getting some loving from Morgan, Flirt decided to so some impersonations.






Flirt then decided it was time for action. She decided to play Catch-The-Pug.


Go Flirt, go!





Overall, today was a fun day! Thank you Colleen for having us over!

First off, let me start off by saying that the props used in this post are all Parker's Mom fault. I would have never bought these props had she not goaded and egged me to do so. It's also her fault that I spent money on this stuff with the intention to torture my dogs. There...I feel better blaming someone else. :-p

Sundays I get to sleep in and not wake up so early. However, my version of sleeping in means not waking up until noon. This of course causes me much trouble as I manage to get nothing done and The Mafiosos get really pissed at me for cutting into their fun time.

I came up with a compromise...if I let them sleep in with me, they don't complain too much about what time I awake. They normally sleep in crates and I figured to be on the bed is a privilege no dog can complain about.

The bad part about this is that I usually wake up to a view of canine butts.








And I end up paying the price in the form of bruises, as the Pugs like to start the day with a wrestling match.





Poor Bruno tries to curl up into the smallest shape possible in order to avoid any random Pug acts of violence. Quite a feat for his huge butt!




At least Bruno feels my pain. The Pugs usually manage to have their wrestling matches on top of Bruno. Anyone want to nominate Bruno for saint hood?




But alas, I gladly pay this price. After all, who could say no to The Mafiosos?

Sometimes, The Mafiosos drive me nuts. They really do. They wrestle non-stop and like to use me and the couch as a launching pad. No matter how many times I seem to say "Knock if off you knuckleheads!" they seem to continue their mêlée.

It is in times like this that I leave the house and escape The Mafiosos for a few hours. Yesterday, I took a trip down to 4 Paws University (where The Mafiosos claim they received their education) and decided to see if there were other dogs I could see myself living with.

Today started off like any other day. Ryan got home from work and Gino started to lay on the charm like thick honey.








So off to the river we went. Things were normal until Gino came running fro m the shoreline screaming...








That's when I looked in the direction Gino had come from and saw this:





Nice to know The Mafiosos can moon in style!



It was too hot to stay outside for long, so we quickly made the trek back to the car. Something kept nagging me to put The Mafiosos back on leash, so I put all three boys back on their leashes. Not too long after that, we ran into a lurker.







I think Mr. Wile E. Coyote was contemplating the Pugs making a delicious dinner, but as soon as he saw Bruno, he made a run for it.

We called Bruno a hero for the day. Gino wasn't too happy about that. Gino came home and make sure Bruno did not get a big head (although some might dispute that his already freakishly large head cannot possibly get any bigger!) by making sure he knew the facts.

I know, I know. It sucks donkey balls. I tried changing the lay out of the blog and in essence, I screwed it up. I am so not creative when it comes to these things. Instead of punching out my computer monitor (I was this close!), I decided to give up. Sorry! I will try working on it and come up with something more pleasing to the eyes.

Besides, you're here to see The Mafiosos, right? Regardless of the lay out, I can provide The Mafiosos for your entertainment...and that's all that matters!


First we start off with some toys...






Get yer mind out of the gutter! I know what your thinking about the toy in the middle! I seriously think that the makers of the Galileo bone are closet freaks.

I use these three toys to play a game that Parker's Mom taught me. I begin by choosing one toy out of three silently in my head. I stand back and wait for the dog to touch one of the objects. If the dog touches the correct item I've chosen, I praise and reward. If he touches the wrong one, I don't say anything. I do not give the dog any hints...I just sit back and wait. I let the dog figure out which is the "hot" item. This is a great brain game to play at home during rainy days!








Nope! Try again!












Ding Ding! Winner, winner, chicken dinner!






See Bruno in the background in the above picture? He hates this game.

The 4th of July is just around the corner!





Take this moment to remember your dog...loud, rocket explosion noises aren't usually something dogs experience on a daily basis and most dogs are not comfortable with these sounds. Additionally, a dog's hearing is on average ten times sensitive than a human's. Helping your dog stay comfortable while fireworks are set off is the responsible thing to do.

If you have a dog that is noise-phobic, please take a moment to read this article on fireworks written by 4 Paws University.

http://4pawsu.com/fireworks.htm

Have a safe and happy Independence Day!