Dogs, Cats And New Year's Resolutions!

We're still working on our resolutions for 2017...But at the very least, we think will resolve to nap in sunspots as often as possible!

Here's to a Happy and Healthy New Year for all of our blogging friends! May 2017 bring all you desire, along with much serendipity!

Meanwhile here's our list from a couple of years ago. We done good, don't you think? What about your New Year's resolutions for 2017, either for you, you pets or both—we'd love to hear all about them!

Have you dogs and cats out there made your New Year's resolutions yet? How about you humans? Parental Unit is going to take this coming week to stake claim to her vows for the year, but me, I'm gonna stick with the basics: more food, more treats, more exercise and more napping. As you can see, I'm not into denying myself anything! Check out last year's New Year's Day post for a few more resolutions and a bit more elaboration.

Meanwhile, the New York Daily News posted these  excellent resolutions that pet parents should make for their pets...and really themselves, too. If you stick with the basics, like high quality food and water, regular exercise (and lots of it!) and periodic vet visits, you'll be in good shape. And above all, carve out time to spend with your pets, whether it's playing, grooming or just veggin' on the couch—that togetherness time adds immeasurably to the quality of life for both humans and their furry companions.

                          But most of all, have some fun!

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You And Your Dog Can Exercise Together...At The Gym!

We've all heard (and made) those New Year's resolutions to "get in shape" by doing those tough gym workouts, but wouldn't it be more fun to work out with your dog? And we're not just talking long walks—we mean exercise classes that combine both fitness training for human and canine, plus obedience training for your four-legged friend.

It sounds like the perfect, everyone is slender, fit and well-behaved world, and it might just be. Although "K9 fitness clubs" have been around for at least a few years, we just came across this recent article from one of our favorite holistic veterinarians, Dr. Karen Becker, that discusses the concept in detail. What we particularly love about this discussion is the myriad of ways you can exercise with your dog—it's not your grandmother's "walk your dog around the block" scenario: Take "Bark 'N" Burn", based in Michigan, for example. Here, both human and canine get quite a full body workout!

                      Did someone say "full-body workout"?

Let us know if you've ever been to the gym or formal exercise class with your dog and whether you liked it. We'd love to know!

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New Year's Resolutions For You And Your Pet

Here's to a Happy and Healthy New Year for all of our blogging friends! May 2015 bring all you desire, along with much serendipity!

Have you dogs and cats out there made your New Year's resolutions yet? How about you humans? Parental Unit is going to take this coming week to stake claim to her vows for the year, but me, I'm gonna stick with the basics: more food, more treats, more exercise and more napping. As you can see, I'm not into denying myself anything! Check out last year's New Year's Day post for a few more resolutions and a bit more elaboration.

Meanwhile, the New York Daily News posted these  excellent resolutions that pet parents should make for their pets...and really themselves, too. If you stick with the basics, like high quality food and water, regular exercise (and lots of it!) and periodic vet visits, you'll be in good shape. And above all, carve out time to spend with your pets, whether it's playing, grooming or just veggin' on the couch—that togetherness time adds immeasurably to the quality of life for both humans and their furry companions.

                          But most of all, have some fun!

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Do Pets Make New Year's Resolutions?

Well, at least my feline housemate, Bella, and I made some resolutions for 2014 that we thought were worth sharing...

Both of us resolve to continue hogging both the couch and blankets so Parental Unit has no choice but to sit on the cold, hard floor to watch TV.

       We both hope to spend more time playing with our toys...

                 And resting in sunspots, winter or summer.

            Preferably head to head, not paws and butt to head!

                       I plan to dig in the yard a LOT more!

         And watch squirrels while hogging the other couch...

         Bella says she wants to play even more "hide and seek".

And of course, I'd like to somehow nab even more treats...even if it means stealing!

Can you think of any resolutions we might have missed? And what are your resolutions for 2014? Let us know!

     A Happy and Healthy New Year to all of our blogging friends!

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BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Pet Blogger Hop!

Today's Wordless Wednesday Pet Blogger Hop theme over at BlogPaws is New Year's Resolutions.

Here's mine...that all humans, like these little ones, bow down to me and my greatness! Let them (and me) eat cake!

P.S. This is an Umbra frame that comes complete with little bowing humans. Parental Unit's sister gave it to her for Christmas with my photo in the frame. Is this some sort of a joke?

Anyway, hook up with the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Hop while you're here and start the new year right!

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New Year's Resolutions For Dogs

O.K., maybe they're just my New Year's resolutions, but I bet most of my four-legged friends will agree that these are the top "must-do's" for 2012.

1. More play time: This is a serious matter, folks. I plan to start with an extra five minutes a day (a proven tactic to reach your ultimate goal faster is to take "baby steps"), and work up to a full one additional hour of play time each day by no later than March 1, 2012. (I've added extra time to accommodate any set-backs I might encounter along the way, like Parental Unit not always being available for a rousing game of fetch.) By March 1, though, I should be playing a full eight hours a day, every day.

2. More nap time: With all that extra playing, it stands to reason that I'll need to rest a bit more, say an extra hour per day, to total no less than 15 hours of sleeping/dozing/resting in each 24 hour period. No need to work up to that extra hour-I'll just add it on immediately and in its entirety.

3. Milking Asking Parental Unit for more treats: Again, this one shouldn't take too much extra effort. She's a complete sucker really easygoing, reasonable person, and knows I need to keep up my stamina with extra calories. Besides, most times I just have to sit and hand her my paw, whether she asks me to or not, and I get a little something.

4. Continuing to keep my backyard free of those glorified rats squirrels: As we all know, this is not as easy as it sounds... I did actually catch one this fall (true!), but Parental Unit screamed so loud that I temporarily lost my composure and the little devil slipped out of my paws and up the fence.

Goal: My yard a squirrel-free zone!

Do you think these are worthy resolutions for 2012, and more importantly, do you think I can actually achieve them? And we all need partners to reach our goals-are you in?

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Pet Parents And Their New Year's Resolutions

Speaking of New Year's Resolutions (and who isn't), "Halo Purely for Pets" surveyed more than 1000 pet parents to find out their New Years Resolutions, and we have the fascinating results right here.

The overall largest response was that pet parents would just love to spend more time with their pets and love them even more than they did in 2011-who doesn't have that topping their list! But the fun is in the details...and some of these resolutions sound suspiciously familiar: more exercise, weight loss, healthier eating and more fun times top the list. Here's how it all breaks down:

Exercise....
88.7% of pet parents plan to help their pets get more exercise. Here's how:
62.4% - more walks
68.3% - play with them more
30.3% - find a new game to play
2.9% - take a "Doga" class
1.9% - get into extreme sports
20.2% - go to the dog park more often
15.8% - run my cat up and down stairs

Weight loss....
45.9% plan to help their pets lose weight in 2012. Here's how:
44.8% - feed better quality food
35.1% - feed less food
34% - give fewer treats
33% - give more nutritious treats
68.7% - get more exercise
10.9% - plan a program with their vet

New tricks...
48.1% plan to teach their pets new tricks this coming year

Healthy Eating..... 
69.4% plan to feed their pets higher quality food

Grooming....
86.8% plan to groom their pets more regularly. Here's how:
68.1% will trim nails more regularly
52.7% plan to bathe their pets more regularly
80.3% are going to brush their pets more regularly
35.5% will start giving their pets supplements for their coat and skin
50.1% plan to brush their pet's teeth more often
33.2% are going to start using natural grooming products

Philanthropy..... 
94.1% plan to help pets in need. Here's how:
11.5% - adopt a new pet
11.5% - foster a pet
69.8% - donate to a rescue or shelter
45.5% - play Freekibble.com or Freekibblekat.com
65.6% - continue what I've been doing!

(Other open-ended answers include helping feral cats, joining "unchain dogs" organizations and others)

Other Resolutions....
-Take them to the beach
-Hand making toys and cushions for them
-More rides in the car
-Buy a new scratching post
-Visit hospitals and retirement homes to make people happy
-Make sure he drinks more water
-Build new cat tress
-Train dog to ride to the dog park in his Harley side car
-Bring them with me more places
-Open her own savings account for vet emergencies 

Our New Year's Resolution here at Bocci's Beefs is to help you follow through with these resolutions and your own, by bringing you tons of fascinating and important information about your pets-sound good? A Happy and Healthy New Year to you all! 

So what are your New Year's Resolutions? We'd love to know!

P.S. I'll be sharing some of my own resolutions tomorrow...I'm still working on them!

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My New Year's Resolutions

I figured if Parental Unit and all the other humans could say (and even write down) silly things that they know they'll never do, I could do the same!
So here we go with...

Bocci's (First Annual) New Year's Resolutions
1. I will not chase squirrels. This one needs some explanation..I overheard Parental Unit talking with her sister last night, you know, Mugsy's Mom, and she recounted a new year's day story from her local dog park in West Seattle. Here's what happened: When my Aunt Renee and Mugsy arrived, they saw a crowd of humans standing around, staring at the ground under a tree. What were they so intently looking at, you ask? A squirrel with a disabled tail! It seems that this squirrel had somehow gotten its' tail injured and was so disoriented it wasn't moving. (You know, squirrels use their tail to balance and orient themselves, swat away anything that gets too close, etc.) Eventually, a few members of the concerned crowd trapped the squirrel in a box and rushed it off to the 24 hour emergency veterinarian. And if that wasn't enough, other members of the crowd donated money for it's vet care!
Now, what they should have done is left it to me-I'd have taken care of that squirrel...hehehe. Oops, sorry.

Here I am just today trying to keep those varmints (I mean delicate creatures worth saving) outa my yard!
           Can you believe it looks like this on January 2nd?

So no more chasing those sweet little glorified rats beloved by humans (paws crossed).


2. I will loose one pound. That's how much I've put around my middle this last year and it doesn't look pretty. So which crazy diet do you suggest? South Beach, Adtkins, Stillman, Roizen/Oz...?
P.S. Parental Unit's goal is 15 big ones...hehehe, yeah right!

3. I will post on my blog more often. What's that ya say-I'm drivin' you all crazy as it is?

4. I will work harder to promote companion animal adoption and rescue and spay/neuter campaigns. There are still almost 4 million dogs and cats being needlessly euthanized in the U.S. each year! (paws uncrossed!)

5. I will .... Oops, I'm being told to wrap it up. But we'd love to hear your resolutions for 2011!

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