
And this is fun.... see how my Mom was smart enough to figure out how to put this in here so it entertains us? It takes my Mom a long, long time to learn stuff, but afterward she gets things straight.
Not long after Malcolm was diagnosed with osteosarcoma I spent months trying to understand canine cancer. I met two pivotal people at Tufts, Shelly Rodman and Dr. John Berg who not only provided me with the latest research articles, they gave me insight into how I could one day help.

Does this not look like a wonderful place to visit and spend a lot of time doing it?

It seems like ages and ages since I have been allowed Blogging Privileges. Not that I have been BAD, you understand. I try never to be bad because it just isn't worth it. But sometimes when we are coming up on a busy time of the year - and all the Family Holidays are important when you are us, Everything & The Dog........... and then my Mom gets caught up in working like a crazy woman and I get shoved to the back of the burning stove. Or burners on the back. Or whatever it is called when you are not the most important thing in the world.
I try and try to explain to my Mom that I have important work to do. I am a very important Reporting PitBull Extra Ordinary and Boy Bloginator and I have people waiting to hear important things that come from my brain. I work very, very hard at thinking up things to Blog about that are not silliness and I have a lot of friends. So it doesn't seem fair, does it, when I am trying so hard to do a good job and no one cares to help me with my working.
It would be very nice if you sent some comments so that my Mom and my Sister would understand a little better that I am a critical cog in the wheel around here. Thanks.
So.
Today is Father's Day, and I want to wish all of my 2-leg friends who are FATHERS a happy, happy day. And of course, to all of my 4-legged friends who are Father's too. I may have told you that our WillowBee is the daughter of our neighbor, Willie, The Black Lab, and so since Willie is right next door, she wandered down the road this morning and took her Dad a very nice Chewie and a card too. It is doubtful that Willie will be able to read the card without help from his own 2-legged Dad, but I am certain he has absolutely no doubt as to what to do with the Chewie.
Here is the Bee, with her own chew toy...... no Dad could be prouder of a daughter who looked like this, now could they?

You will remember that on Mother's Day, I had my Mouse Person take me out to my friends at Wikipedia and found out some interesting facts about Mom's Day. Therefore, it seems only fair that I enlighten all of us about Dad's Day.
Per Wikipedia, this is what I learned:
Father's Day is a day honoring fathers, celebrated on the third Sunday of June in 52 of the world's countries and on other days elsewhere. It complements Mother's Day, the celebration honoring mothers.
Fortunately for all of us, there was much more, because if this was all that Wikipedia had to say about Father's Day, I would be terribly disappointed, since all of those facts, I could have figured out on my own. HA. But there is more.
Father's Day is a celebration inaugurated in the early twentieth century to complement Mother's Day in celebrating fatherhood and male parenting, and to honour and commemorate fathers and forefathers. Father's Day is celebrated on a variety of dates worldwide and typically involves gift-giving, special dinners to fathers, and family-oriented activities.
The first observance of Father's Day is believed to have been held on July 5, 1908 in a church located in Fairmont, West Virginia, by Dr. Robert Webb of West Virginia at the Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South of Fairmont.[1] [2] The church still exists under the name of Central United Methodist Church.
Isn't it interesting about West Virginia? I think I remember that West Virginia had something to do with Mother's Day observing too, so I guess that means that being a parent in West Virginia is an important thing. But here is something interesting that I think is really unfair:
It took many years to make the holiday official. In spite of support from the YWCA, the YMCA and churches, it ran the risk of disappearing from the calendar.[4] Where Mother's Day was met with enthusiasm, Father's Day was met with laughter.[4] The holiday was gathering attention slowly, but for the wrong reasons. It was the target of much satire, parody and derision, including jokes from the local newspaper Spokesman-Review.[4] Many people saw it as just the first step in filling the calendar with mindless promotions like "Grandparents' Day", "Professional Secretaries' Day", etc., all the way down to "National Clean Your Desk Day."[4]
A bill was introduced in 1913,[5] US President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea in 1924,and a national committee was formed in the 1930s by trade groups in order to legitimize the holiday.[6] It was made a federal holiday when President Lyndon Johnson issued a proclamation in 1966.




Tomorrow is Saturday. But I bet you knew that already, did you not? And the next day is Sunday. As everyone knows those two days are called The Week-End because it is the end of the week. I think it should be called the Fun-Start, because a lot of people get to take those days off from their working and do some fun stuff.
And that is what I have found for you for tomorrow and for Sunday.
It's FAMILY FUN DAY, with the Proceeds bennefit the LOUDOUN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER.
SATURDAY, (TOMORROW) JUNE 13 FROM 10AM (that would be in the morning) until 2pm
AND GUESS WHAT? There will be Hamburgers & Hot Dogs from Big Mike's Bar-B-Que.... oh yummmmmmmmm
That's even better than Fractured Prune Donuts --- well almost.
This is a free event as TLC celebrates their SECOND ANNIVERSARY and there will be a MOON BOUNCE (whatever in the heck that is....... can someone explain that one to me, please?) and Pet Vendors and Kid Games and you can visit with Mid-Atlantic D.O.G.S (Search and Rescue)
AND..... get this - pet drawing by local artist Anthony Barham --- Quick! Wake up your MousePerson and have him take you to check Mr. Anthony out in his studio
AND, AND, AND so much more.
So this is how you will be spending your Saturday afternoon, correct?
Now for Sunday! Let's go to THE SECOND ANNUAL POOCH PARADE sponsored by The Ashburn Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department. This is what the wonderful organizers of the event have to say for us:
"This day is dedicated to celebrating the special relationship between humans and their furry best friends ---- dogs (of course). The event is sure to offer fun fo anyone who loves dogs. There will be door prizes, ambulance and fire truck tours and FOOD AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE (oh, yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm again) This is the second year of this great event. Last year was a HUGE success with many, many wonderful pooches, large and small. We hope to see you back again this year.
When: June 14, 2009
Registration Deadline: June 14, 2009
Schedule:
Registration: 10:45 am – 11:45 am
Pooch Parade: Noon
Judging and Awards: 12:15 pm – 2:00 pm
Working Dog Demonstrations: 2:15pm
Ambulance and Fire truck tours: Noon – 4:00 pm
Food Sales: 11:30 – 3:00 pm
Cost: $10.00 1st category and $2.00 for each additional category.
Categories: Best Trick, Best Costume, Best in Show.
Spectator Fee: No Charge
Parade Registration: Download and complete the registration form by June 14, 2009 and mail to:
AVFRD
Attn: Pooch Parade Committee
20688 Ashburn Road
Ashburn, VA 20147

AND THIS IS THE PART I WANT TO SEE. I'm wanting to take a ride in a fire truck! I need to be a FireHouse Dog, perhaps? But do you think it would be a dangerous job? I'm not really into danger. After all, I am afraid of the lawn mowing tractor, but please don't tell anyone.
so............... I have worked out your entire week-end of fun-ness for you. Isn't that convenient.
Please be sure to stop at our Booth at both events, cause we will be donating some very wonderful GIFT CERTIFICATES worth a LOT of cash-o-la.
Love and Licks,
Bob
............... waiting to check out the firetruck
........................ wanting to show the fireman my jumping trick


Daisy lost her battle on August 18, 2008. But she never lost her spirit and this photo (by Bev Hollis) shows exactly how she felt about Cancer. Humor was Daisy's way of life and she taught us all that without love and laughter neither people nor dogs would be able to fight the brave fight. We miss her every single day.
SO NOW IT WILL BE TIME TO ELECT THE DOGS FOR THE 2010 CALENDAR! We are so excited, and here is what our friend Erich tells us:
2010 "Cancer Can't Keep A Good Dog Down" Calendar Submissions Begin – After the great response and success of last year's FIRST EVER 2Dogs "Cancer Can't Keep A Good Dog Down" Calendar, we're doing it again! Submissions for the 2010 calendar begin NOW and continue through July 15th.
So, what is this calendar and how do you get involved? Last year we put together a beautiful calendar full of pictures of our dogs (and our delightful token cat-dog) who have either passed from cancer or are still fighting the disease. The response was overwhelming, and we were flooded with photos and stories of amazing animals and their heroic battles. After all photos and stories were submitted, they were posted to our web site and people voted for their favorite K9 Heroes. After the votes* were tallied, winners were announced and 13 dogs were selected through the number of votes* they gathered, and their photos and stories were featured on our first calendar.
But – and this is the really cool part (well, I think so anyway) … every photo that was submitted was printed in the calendar. Everyone was a winner! Every beautiful face was there! The dogs who didn't win a month still won a place on the calendar and in our hearts.
So, how does this work? Well, here are the instructions below. (For those of you who were with us for last year's calendar, the instructions are basically the same. Only the dates have been changed and I've clarified the requirements for the digital photo submissions.
If you or someone you know has had or currently has a dog with cancer, you are invited to submit your dog's photo and brief story to 2 Dogs. We ask you to please limit your submission to one digital picture per dog, and limit your story to 1 to 2 paragraphs per dog. So, if you currently have or have had a dog with cancer, here is your opportunity to honor him or her in the calendar. If you have had more than one dog with cancer, yes, you may definitely submit EACH dog's photo and brief story. Please submit your dog's photo and story to: calendar@2dogs2000m
When does this start? Right now. The deadline for photo and story submission is July 15, 2009 which gives you plenty of time to get those photos and stories submitted. You will receive an email notification of receipt of your photo and story. All photos and stories will be available for viewing and voting on at our web site sometime after the July 15th deadline. After then voting will begin.
How will we decide which dog represents each month? Well, here's where you come in again. EVERYONE gets to decide -- whether or not you've had a dog with cancer. Everyone gets to vote, so please pass the word to friends, family, and co-workers.
Here's how voting will work. Sometime after the last dog's photo and story have been submitted and all photos are up on our web site, voting begins. With a small donation of $1.00 per vote*, everyone gets to vote for his or her favorite dog(s). For example, if you want to vote 10 times for your best friend Speckles, you would donate $10.00 for Speckles and he would then get 10 votes. Or you can split your votes. If you like several dogs, you would donate X number of dollars for each dog you like and each dog would get that number of votes. Even better -- you can vote as many times as you want. This means you can vote multiple times for one dog, or one time for many dogs, or any variation thereof, and come back throughout the voting period to keep your pick in the running by casting more $1.00 votes. Voting will be open until the deadline. It's really very simple: $1.00 per vote and you can vote as many times as you want for as many dogs as you want.
OK, here's a summary:
(1) Submit one photo and one story (1 to 2 paragraphs) per canine cancer patient – submission of photos and stories is FREE and should be sent to: calendar@2dogs2000m
(2) If you have sadly had more than one dog stricken with cancer, you may submit each dog's photo and story. Photos may be of dogs who have passed or dogs who are still here fighting their cancer.
(3) Please be sure to submit a story with your one photo. 1 to 2 paragraph limit, please. We limit this because there is only so much room on the calendar for the stories. (For those of you who would like to post more photos and longer stories about your dogs, please remember we have the puppy up! blog for just such submissions. Check out the puppy up! blog here: http://puppyup.
(4) Submissions begin immediately and continue through July 15th, ending at midnight EDT.
(5) Photos of all dogs will be posted on our web site shortly after the July 15th deadline, and voting begins at our web site as soon as the last photo is put up. (I will announce when voting begins.)
(6) Each $1.00 donation = 1 vote. You may vote (and thus donate) multiple times! Please do! Please invite family and friends to vote as well! Votes will be cast at our website.
Remember, each calendar will spread the important news about canine cancer, so please consider giving them as gifts to vet clinics, colleagues, groomers, your own favorite vet, as well as family and friends.
ALL photos will be published in the calendar. While only thirteen dogs will be chosen (to represent the 12 months of the year and the cover), based on the number of $1.00 votes each dog receives, EVERY photo submitted will be published in the calendar. Pictures not included in the body of the calendar will be published in the back pages, so every dog's picture will appear.
This calendar will not only help get the word out about the seriousness and prevalence of canine cancer, but will also be a lasting tribute to those beautiful dogs who struggled with and are still struggling against this disease.
We hope you will be part of this effort. Send in your photos and stories to calendar@2dogs2000m
Just wanted to tell you that our Princess Daisy raised over $2000 from her voting friends and we want everyone to try to exceed that amount of votes this year. It can be done. Every single dog or kitty who has this awful disease or lost their battle needs to "REPRESENT" as I understand is said in some circles. I like that! REPRESENT! it's almost as good as PUPPY UP!
And BTW (another thing I love is those initial thingies)........ LUKE AND HUDSON AND MURPHY ARE COMING TO LEESBURG, VIRIGINA (our town) in September. Around the first of that month. We are so excited. We could just pee. (outside, please WillowBee!). I'll be BLOGGING a LOT MORE about that soon. We are having a BIG EVENT that will no doubt include a evening CandleLight Memorial so we can all remember all of our lost ones.
So get those photos and stories submitted. Do it Now. Don't Wait. Now.
Love and LIcks,
Bob
.........small brother of the most amazing BullDog Princess the World has ever known and loved
..................... taught me all I know about Blogging and life
........................... and I forgive her for saying I was dumb as a stump



If you have not yet met Ms. Phoebe or seen her wonderful toys, then you must make sure that you go to see her tomorrow and tell her that your friend BOB, the World's Only (perhaps) Blogging PitBull, Post Card Collector and Reporter Extra Ordinary, has sent you to see her and told you all about how wonderful the Squeaky Ball is and how he loves his own Squeaky Ball so much that he cannot go to sleep at night unless he gets to squeak it for at least 30 minutes before he nods off. Whew! But don't worry, tell your Mom and Dad that the squeaks are not annoying.
This is my friend, Moose, with some of his collection in his mouth. I could as many balls as Moose does, but I prefer to concentrate my Squeaking on only the one that is my personal favorite at this time. It's turquoise blue and brown and very, very, very soft. I love it. Next to Isaboo Ray, I can't think of anything I would rather sleep next to.
AND GUESS WHAT ELSE. Fractured Prune DoNuts will be there! Oh, my, oh, my. You KNOW how I love Fractured Prune and my Mom better for darn sure bring me home a piece of one or she will be in big trouble. Mom says you probably have to run a whole 26 mile Marathon to work off all the calories that are in Fractured Prunes, but who cares. I think I can eat then run, eat then run, eat, etc. etc. Jumping is always good too, and you know how high I can jump! Right?
I bet I can go 5K straight up in the air.
So there will be so much to do and see and fun to be had tomorrow and Misunderstood Pit Bull Rescue People may be there, and of course, you know I support them, 100%, and our friends at Top Dog Salon, and TLC The LifeCentre, and Pony & Pooch (therapeutic massage) and Chase Your Tail Bakery and BAZILLIONS OF OTHER PLACES who are helping with money, or support, or having an exhibit.
Needless to say. Everyone who is anyone will be there. Don't miss it. Be sure to come. Don't oversleep. If there is rain, wear a jacket. If it is sunny, wear a sun hat and shades! HA.
AND GET THIS.......... DO YOU KNOW WHO WILL BE GIVING A DEMONSTRATION?
Yea if you recognized her. It's "Jimmy" The Arson Detective K-9 from the Fire Marshall's Office. Jimmy began her young career with Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a New York-based nonprofit guide dog school. From there she went to Puppies Behind Bars, a program in which prison inmates in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are assigned to raise puppies that will later work for law enforcement agencies or as service dogs for people with disabilities.
Then she was acquired by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which, in turn, offered her to Loudoun.
I'm excited to hear all about Jimmy because this is obviously a skill I could learn and then in addition to everything else I already do, maybe I can be a FireMan Dog too.
So --- have fun tomorrow and send me lots of e-mails and comments and tell me all about your day.
Love and Licks,
Bob
......... PitBull Reporter Extra Ordinary
.................... lover of Fractured Prune Donuts
............................ working on being a fire-dog