Can't we all just get along?

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Holiday and stuffed themselves! I traveled to NC and was the center of attention at the holiday family gathering. Everyone loved me and said what a great dog I was ... Heck Yeah! :)

I was exhausted after all the travel, and when I got home I was ready to just hang with my buddy Pickles. Here we are on a lazy, dreary Sunday morning. awwwwwww now why can't we all just get along like this... side by side and squishy faced!?

I hope you all are geared up for the holiday season. Please be safe if you are traveling, and enjoy your friends and family! I know I will!!

AND Don't forget to book your holiday pet care needs with Buckhead Pet Pals - the sooner you book the better! :)

Ciao for now!
Rocky

Take a Hike! :)

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween weekend! Can you believe December is almost here? I love this time of year - the leaves are falling, the temperature is dropping ... I get a new kind of energy now that I can breath better! It's the best.

One of my most favorite things to do in the fall is to go hiking and run around outside. I had so much fun in September when the whole family went up to the North Georgia mountains to celebrate mom's birthday. We stayed in a cabin, and I had a ton of fun frolicking in the woods with Mac and Liv. This year, the leaves have been especially gorgeous with the red, orange and yellow colors! The picture is from a few weeks ago, when my Catherine went up into the mountains with a couple of my buddies, Luigi and Shadow. I was disappointed I couldn't go, but I know that they had fun! I'm pretty sure there was no more room in the car for me anyway with the big Great Dane! :)

Did you know that your dog can also go for a fun hike this year? Or even a run? Buckhead Pet Pals can offer you more than just in home pet sitting!

Contact Buckhead Pet Pals and book a Hike in the Mountains where a pet sitter will pick up your dog and they will go for a minimum 2 hour hike nearby. Or you could book a 30 or 45 minute dog run to set some of that extra energy free! Trust me your dog will thank you for it!

Happy fall everyone and happy hiking!

~Rocky

I prefer black pickles to green ones :)

Ok, so let's get technical here ... I've never actually eaten a pickle before in my life as a dog. But if you asked me I'd say I love them (or him)!

It's time for me to introduce you all to the newest addition to the Centola household, Pickles the cat! Pickles was adopted by Olivia a few weeks ago from the Atlanta Humane Society and has been fitting in nicely at the casa.

At first, I was so excited to meet the new baby cat! But I was a little TOO excited so mom and Olivia kept him sequestered in Liv's room for an adjustment period. Then, mom thought - well this cat has come from the Humane Society and surrounded by tons of other animals, so she figured he could stick up for himself. Once again she was right.

Pickles is my new best friend. I have so much fun playing with him. When he is around he will play and "box" with me... and he lets me lick him! Mom says that when she comes home, she can tell that we have been playing because I have licked him so much that his hair is standing straight up! Who needs hair gel? Of course, as a little cat he can escape and take respite from me upstairs. But I love him so much and just want to play with him all the time! I've been ready for a friend and I'm thrilled to have Pickles finally in my life. Now, if we could just get Sydney girl (the other feline in the house) to lighten up it would be the perfect animal house! :)

Who else besides me is diggin' on this fall-ish weather? Woo Hoo - Finally I can breath again! I'm loving it! Peace out people.

~Rocky

That time of year...

Hey everybody! Its that time of year again to get out there and vote for your favorite local businesses! Mom's company, Buckhead Pet Pals has again been nominated for Best of Smyrna Vinings 2011 Pet Sitting. If you get the itch, please go ahead and vote for us! You can do so from this link ... http://www.smyrnavinings.com/smyrna-vinings-2011-pet-sitting-poll/ . Its very quick and painless! In fact, I just did it and I'm a dog! :) Happy Friday everybody - and stay cool out there in this scorching heat!

Peace Out ~

Rocky

Hungry anyone??

Meet my lady friend Atka!! I love a lady who wants to prepare her man a nice meal and serve it up with a smile!! I am a lucky dog!

Rocky~

First Communion

This past weekend I was so proud of my sister, Olivia, as she took her first Holy Communion. She was a beautiful angel in her white dress. I didn't get to go to mass during her service (I guess dogs don't get to go to church), but afterwards Mom threw an afternoon get together to celebrate the occasion.

It was a beautiful scene at the house... a large white tent in the cul-de-sac, tables, chairs, drinks, and best of all food! I was so excited, and ready for the festivities. But then - I got put in the back yard. Seriously? All the new people to smell, food to taste, kids to play with, snow cone shaved ice to chomp on. sigh. It was disappointing to say the least.

But then ... my Catherine came along. When she got to the house, of course she came to say hello to me first in the back yard. When she was closing the gate to join the party, I saw my opportunity and I took it. I'm good at that, I just dart out the gate when the person is not looking and least expecting it! I'm pretty fast too. :) So I headed straight for the people, and the food and the wonderfulness in the cul-de-sac. Everyone was screaming, "Rocky!" I was like, yep its me - I'm here!

I wasn't sure who to visit first - there was my mom, my brother and sister, some more of my favorite pet sitters, kids, grass, FOOD ... ahhhhhhh it was heaven. But, alas - after slipping through several hands I finally was caught. I guess I wasn't welcome just yet.

Back to the yard. About an hour later, when things had quieted a bit - Poppa Centola came for me. He might not admit it, but I think I'm growing on him. He lead me to the party and let me off the leash. And I showed everyone how good of a dog I am becoming! Mostly I laid in the grass, sniffed the kids, had some cool water, smelled around for any spare food left behind, and of course played with my dog buddy, Bear. All in all it ended well. I am starting to prove myself to the parents ... yes sir e bob I'm growing up.

Hope everyone has been enjoying the gorgeous weather and living it up!

Chilling out Maxing, Relaxing all cool

I don't know about you all, but it was a gorgeous weekend in Atlanta. Friday night we had a bad storm pass through, but Saturday and Sunday were sunny and warm. Perfect. My family was at a spring fling in Moultrie GA, but Catherine was around to take care of me. All in all it was a pretty chill, relaxing weekend.

I went on a lot of walks through the neighborhood, smelling everything and strutting about. And because it was so nice out, I got to do a lot of my second favorite thing of all time - and that was sitting on the porch chilling out. And taking note of all that was going on in the street, kids playing, dogs in the park across the street playing ... I live in a great neighborhood.

Anyway, Catherine kept saying - you are so funny Rocky, and "who loves you more than me?" LOL well I bet my family does, but after that ... I'm sure its you! Here is a picture of me with my frisbee. I kept picking it up on the porch, playing with it - hoping Catherine would get the hint. She finally did, and we went to the dog park to play. I'm not a retriever, I'm a boxer so I'll go get the frisbee when its thrown - I'll even bring it back - but then you are going to have to fight me for it. :)

So, mostly I'm just enjoying this weather and hope that all you dogs and dog owners are as well. Now that spring has arrived, pups get your humans to take you outside for something fun - it will be good for both of you! Here is a list of some fun ideas ...

*Take a Walk

*Play Fetch in the Backyard or Dog Park

*Try a hiking adventure - a personal favorite of mine

*Take a swim in a pond, lake or stream

*Try some dog agility parks, trails or training

Peace out and have some fun!

Buzzter

Michael had an invention convention at school and created an invention called the "Buzzter". This is an alarm he puts on his door so he can tell if his sister enters his room. This is a great idea for keeping his sister out of his room. However, I don't think he thought enough about me! Dogs hate high pitched sounds and I love to sleep in his room. This is going to drive me crazy and put me on edge. What should I do??? I am thinking if I can get my hands on the remote that sets his alram and chew it up, I can make it STOP! Rocky~

2011 Best of Atlanta - Buckhead Pet Pals

I just got our Jezebel Magazine and to my surprise Mom's company Buckhead Pet Pals was voted "Best Dog Walking & Sitting Company" Of course I know that Buckhead Pet Pals is the best company in Atlanta, but it was nice to see it in print! Go get your copy of Jezebel Magazine today. Rocky~

Staying Cool

SPRING! It's spring time, which is my favorite time of year. Everything is turning green, I get to hang out on the porch, I go on longer walks, I just love it! :) AND ... perhaps best of all Catherine starts to take me hiking, one of my most favorite things to do. Check out this video of me at Red Top Mtn from this past weekend. Red Top is north of Atlanta and a fun quick getaway from the city life.

While I was so excited to be out in the woods, smelling new smells - trotting along - leading the way - seeing the squirrels and deer (oh its all so wonderful) man was it hot out! It's only April and already quite hot ... is that why they call it "HOT-lanta"? I think there is a directly proportional relationship between the temperature outside and the length of my tongue! hahaha - my family calls it Long Tongue.

Anyway, I just wanted to remind everyone that while the summer is approaching and it begins to heat up, make sure you keep your beloved dogs and animals safe and cool. Here is a link for some ways to help prevent heat stroke in dogs. Yes, we are just as susceptible to heat stroke as you humans are! Did you know that we don't have sweat glands like you do, so we pant to cool off? So inefficient I know, but what can you do?

Check this out for some more information - http://dogs.about.com/od/dogandpuppyhealth/qt/heatstroke.htm

Peace Out and Stay Cool

Ladies Man

I'll bet you didn't know it, but I'm a ladies man. That's right. I've got all sorts of great women in my life to take care of me ... there's my mom (she the best), my sister Liv (she's the sweetest), my Catherine (she dotes all over me), my Olga (she walks me everyday - love it!), not to mention all the other great ones: Laurie, Mary, Carrie, Candace, sweet Anna Beth (Liv's BFF). I could go on, but who wants to brag?

In the past I've always felt like its my job to protect my girls, that's the job of a boxer, right? Well apparently this has been a little bit of an issue. My mom says that I've been difficult to walk and Catherine says she can't take me on a busy hiking trail. Well that's not right, I love to be outside. The girls say difficult, I say protective ... you say TOE.MAY.TOE, I say TOE.MAH.TOE :)

But then! Something amazing appeared in my life this past weekend. Just as mom and Liv were about to take me for a nice long walk through the neighborhood, I was sitting by the door waiting (somewhat impatiently) for the normal pinch collar routine. I was ready to get going, to enjoy the gorgeous spring weather! Well, instead of the pinch this time, mom breaks out this new thing ... she calls it the "Easy Walk Dog Harness". Oh wow - apparently this harness is amazing because I heard her use that word a lot to describe it.

This new harness fits across my chest, under my belly and then over my back. No more pinch around my neck - this is much more comfortable! And the best part, my sister Liv got to walk me instead of my mom because I was easier to handle. I love my mom and all, but I was so proud to have Liv at the other end of my leash this time! A new lady to strut around with. In fact, I feel very proud in my new harness. I no longer pull on the leash, and I'm not aggressive when I see other dogs. This harness is wonderful. It makes me feel like I'm in control, but not aggressive. If you are a dog and you are "protective" of your people, you should tell your humans about this harness. If you are a human and your beloved dog person is difficult to walk, you must try this product - my mom strongly recommends it. This is a win-win for everyone!

Have I mentioned how much I love the spring?!

Sleepy Head

I love sleeping with my brother, Mac. He's by best bud and so much fun to play with! This is Mac's bunk bed ... last night well I didn't quite make it into the bed. I was so exhausted from playing all week with mom's friends that are visiting - this happened. I had a paw up on the mattress, but was just too exhausted to make it the whole 12 inches up into bed. I landed in this spot on the floor and zonked out. Sometimes, life just happens ... this half pillow, head under the bed sleeping was well, I was tired ok?

Mom snuck this pic of me before I woke up. I'm lucky I didn't bang my head on the bed - glad no one startled me! Seems like Mac's got a lot of cool things under his bed I've never noticed before. I think I saw some granola bars, a bone, a skateboard - nice big brother! Ahhh, the life of a dog. Now, I've been for a walk with my Olga, played with the guests, written a blog, had a treat ... yaaaawwnnn. I think I'll go take a nap.

Looking for a good weather report

I am confused, I thought it was Spring?? What happened to the warm weather, the long walks with the sun beating on my face? My Mom gets up at 5:45am every day, she comes downstairs and wakes me up to watch Channel 2 news. Each morning I eagerly wait for the Karen Minton to give a good weather report but, it is a dismal report each morning. Our friends are down for spring break from Ohio and are quite disappointed with our weather too. I remind them that the weather in Ohio is even worse than it is here. It is nice having them visit, the only problem is they did not bring their dog Thunder. I would have loved to chase him around the house and stir up trouble with our cat and bunny! Rocky~

The "B" word is a good word!

Before my family was blessed with me they had another boxer named Balboa. He was my big brother (although I never met him). I often hear neighbors and yes, sometimes even my parents refer to how perfect Balboa was...Yes, he could walk off leash, come when you call him, never bump into or step on a child...blah blah blah. Recently my parents have been letting me off leash in the cul de sac late a night. This time it was different, I stayed near my parens and came when they called me. Guess what they used the "B" word they said, "Wow he is maturing, he is acting just like Balboa". This made me feel so good! Yesterday, the neighbor girl Anna Beth was over she accidentally left the door open and I bolted out the door. Mom called me and I came right back and ran into the house. Anna Beth was shocked and even told other kids in the neighborhood how good I was. I like all this positive feedback and think I can be a good boy and listen (most of the time)

Rocky~

So my Mom is changing Michael's bed and says "why does this bed smell like dog, more than the dog bed does" I look at her and think well....any have educated fool can tell you it is because I do not sleep in the dog bed! I also wonder why she acts like smelling like a dog is bad thing.

Rocky~

Professional Pet Sitter Week

It is Professional Pet Sitters Week! If you need a pet sitter check us out at www.buckheadpetpals.com.

Brrrrr

To all my Midwestern Friends/Family! Enjoy the snow and be safe!

Rocky~

Exercise and Carbs mmm

It was a great weekend first a run at Chastain Park then a hike at Kennesaw Mountain. All that exercise builds up a nice appetite! I came home and loaded up on the carbs, stared Catherine down for some Pizza and I won! Nothing better then good food and friends.

Rocky~

No more snow!

I am so glad all that ice is gone. I am a fan of the snow, but this ice thing is very different for me. When I first saw all the white stuff on the ground I thought it was that fluffy snow I experienced in North Carolina with Catherine, I soon found out it was not! I walked out on the back deck and fell through the snow, I would pick up my feet and felt like it would get stuck when I was pulling it back out of the snow. When my Mom would take me out to go to the bathroom she would hold on to my collar, I thought it was so I would not run off. It turns out she was holding herself up from sliding all over the back driveway. Boy, is she lucky she did not fall or make me fall on the ice. I have friends that did not even know where to go to the bathroom. The ice did not look like a good place to go #2 so he went in the house and felt embarrassed. Good ridden to the ice and snow! Wait a minute I am watching the news and they are expecting more on Monday and Tuesday. Please make sure it does not freeze and stop the city this time!
Rocky~

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a great holiday season! I went to North Carolina with Catherine and got snowed in for Christmas. I have never seen so much snow and loved running around in the snow like a fool! I looked like a deer running in the snow.

Rocky~