FitDog Friday: #BarkWorld Expo Edition

It takes FitDog balance and focus to ride a bike like Norman the Scooter Dog did last night at BarkWorld!

Norman and mini-me, Rocco

BarkWorld Expo kicked off with an opening night reception last night, so we're bringing you today's FitDog Friday post live from BarkWorld!

Norman the Scooter Dog made a special appearance at the opening reception, sponsored by Natural Balance, showing off his amazing cycling and scooter skills. It takes some great balance and focus to master these skills and I imagine some good core strength helps too.

Later we posed for photos, which I imagine didn't burn a whole lot of calories, but it sure was fun!

Today we're actually looking forward to two great FitDog events at BarkWorld. First, we plan to do some early morning Dog Yoga with our pal Anna Bettina from Happy Healthy Pup. We've wanted to try this for a while so we're looking forward to seeing how it goes!

Then, later in the morning our FitDog Friday co-host SlimDoggy will be leading a session about learning how to read dog food labels and how to better estimate the proper serving size for your dog. Should be interesting to see how many folks are feeding their dogs too much without even knowing it.

Lots of our FitDog Friday pals are here at BarkWorld, so these Atlanta dog walk suggestions are for you! (reprinted from our Wednesday post).

The 1.2-mile Piedmont Center nature trail is closest to the BarkWorld host hotel. It's a hidden gem that meanders behind an office complex about a mile walk from the Westin. Click here for walking directions.

Chastain Park also has a nice path around the park and is about 2.8 miles from the hotel.  Click here for driving directions.

Lenox Park has some walking paths around a pond and fountain and is about 1.5 miles away. Click here for driving directions.

These are all about 3-7 miles from the Westin in Buckhead so you'll need to drive to get there.

A Walk Through Lullwater Park
Dog Walk on Freedom Parkway Trail
A Stroll Through Winn Park
A Walk Through Piedmont Park Expansion
A Walk Through Piedmont Park

This one's further out, about an 1.5 hours from Atlanta in the North Georgia mountains... perhaps a good Sunday hike if you're still here!
Hike Woody Gap with Dogs


The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With Love, SlimDoggy and Peggy's Pet Place to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!) and to help combat pet obesity. Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the Hop.

Norman Scooter Dog Rides for World Record Today!

UPDATE: Norman did it!! He's scooted his way into the Guinness Book of World Records! Read down the end of this post for details and photos!

Norman the Scooter Dog has loved scooters since he was a pup, says his owner Karen Cobb. And today he'll go for the ultimate ride -- attempting to ride his way into the Guinness Book of World Records!

It'll all happen, just up the road from us in Marietta, Ga.,  so we'll be there cheering on one of our favorite pals! The event will raise money for Road Trip Home, a Georgia-based group that rescues animals from high kill shelters. You can find out more about Road Trip Home on Norman's web site.

Norman and Karen on the set of Who Let The Dogs Out earlier this year

Norman, a three-year-old French Sheepdog, will make the record-setting attempt this morning between 7-9 a.m., at the All Tournament Players Park in Marietta, Ga.  He needs to do 30-meters in less than 30 seconds to break the record.

Norman's used to being in the spotlight,  appearing on many TV shows and in the series Who Let The Dogs Out with his pals from Natural Balance. He'll also make an appearance at BarkWorld Expo in Atlanta next month.

Will he break the record?  We think he can! Come back later and we'll let you know how he did!

Norman pushes off for his world record scoot with encouragement from his owner Karen

UPDATE: Norman SMASHED the record with a time of 20.75 seconds, securing his spot in the Guinness Book of World Records! Norman was cool as a cucumber and so was his owner Karen Cobb, as Norman easily scooted into the record books.

After the record-setting performance, Norman posed for pictures with most everyone in the crowd who turned out to witness the feat early this morning. Norman also wowed the crowd with his bicycle-riding skills. That's one fit doggie!

Check out more photos on our To Dog With Love Facebook page and then head over to Road Trip Home, the rescue group Norman designated as his charity of choice for this event!

We also heard some breaking news! Norman and the Natural Balance crew will be heading to France this fall to start filming the third season of Who Let The Dogs Out! Oooh-la-la! That episode will be something to watch!

And if you want the chance to see Norman before he heads off on his French adventure, he'll be appearing at BarkWorld Expo next month. You can register for BarkWorld here.

Petties voting is open! Please vote To Dog With Love in the Best Overall Blog category daily until July 31! 

The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With Love, SlimDoggy and Peggy's Pet Place to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!) and to help combat pet obesity. Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the Hop.

Wordless Wednesday: Photo shoot!

Rocco, left, learns to pose with his trick dog pals Preston Casanova, Norman Scooter Dog and Jasmine at BlogPaws.

Some folks thought Rocco and Norman were they same type of dog. Silly! The only thing they share is smarts... and cutes! Norman is a Briard, a French herding dog. Rocco, like Jasmine, is a Havanese, a descendent of breeds brought from Spain to Cuba where they evolved from pampered lap dogs of the aristocracy to companion dogs and herders of the family's poultry flock!

... the evolution continues as Rocco learns to be the next skateboarding dog!

DVR Alert: Who Let The Dogs Out Moves to Thursday With Two New Episodes!

This week, Tillman and friends head to New Orleans for Mardi Gras and to Galveston, Texas in two all-new episodes. Don't miss Who Let the Dogs Out on a new day, now on Thursdays (that's today!) on Hallmark Channel at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT.

Check out previews of this week's episodes!

Watch the show and follow all the fun on Twitter at hashtag #TillmanTV!

You can also check out Norman the Scooter Dog, showing off his bicycling technique, when he makes a special appearance on the Rachael Ray Show this Friday!

This post was sponsored by Who Let the Dogs Out.