A year ago. Picrazy began.

Well well well.  Exactly one year ago year ago today, my human met a special guy.  It was actually the result of some on-line “dating”.  She  remembers the instant she saw him. She had driven for hours and hours to meet him with her good friend, Glenda and it was a beautiful day. 

He had dark eyes and sandy colored hair.  And the most enticing expression.  He won her over within nanoseconds of their meeting.  And life in our house would never be the same. Yup. A year ago today my human met Elroy for the first time. 

Anyone who has ever been owned by a dog can remember that first meeting.  And the special day when they went to pick up their “bundle of joy.”  With sharp teeth.  My human and Glenda spent the afternoon talking with Elroy’s treasurer.  ( Remember - I don’t like the word litter to describe a group of puppies – I prefer a treasury.  So the person who “ creates “ that treasury is of course a treasurer!) . And my human learned more about Picards and got to meet Elroy’s lovely mother AND his half-brother – both of whom were friendly and energetic.  

After their visit, when it was time to go – it was a sad parting.  My human has never been a treasurer herself, but she can appreciate how hard it must be to say good-bye to puppies who have been with you for weeks.  They said their farewells – and with Glenda driving and Elroy siting cozily on my human’s lap, they set out.  Now before you start shaking your head about a puppy sitting on a human’s lap, I have to let you know, it didn’t last more than a few minutes.  Elroy (who at that point was renamed Jaws) decided that he would rather chew.  The seat belt, my human’s shirt, her fingers, her nose – so they pulled over and put him safely in a crate.  And he became THE best little traveler.  That night they stayed in a hotel.  The hotel had an outdoor patio for dining.  And so my human and Glenda THOUGHT they could bring Elroy because pets were allowed on the patio.   They got as far as deciding what they wanted from  the menu, when Elroy explained that outdoor dining was really not his idea of a good time.  They ended up having a pizza delivered to their room. 

And the next day he arrived in Nova Scotia...

Einstein immediately fell in love with him. 

Me – not so much.  But I must say, he has grown on me.   

I quite enjoy his skills at bird watching.  And I also like to watch him run – I honestly think he could give a gazelle a run for his money.  And he is great at training humans.  He has learned how to have my human add Parmesan to his food AND how to be fed by hand.  He still likes to chew on the leash – a skill he clearly started early in life.  

We watched his ears go up.

  And down.  

And finally stay up.

A whole year has passed since that fateful day.  When another perfect match was made. And I'm thinking it is better than most dating websites matches...

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Boof vs woowoowoo vs rowf

So did you know that as early as the 17th century, humans began to describe the barking sounds that we dogs make?  Back then, our barking sound was described as "waff".  By the 19th century, it appears that our barking changed to "woof".

And of course, there are other sounds to describe the sounds we dogs make.  Like yip and yap and arf, and bow wow and grrrrrr...

And here's a site to tell you how to woof in a variety of languages:
http://stories.barkpost.com/woof-other-languages/

This whole topic began because yesterday I described the FG's boof.  Now in our house,  a boof is not a bark - or a "woowoowoo".  It is not a full out "get the heck off my property" kind of sound.  And it's not a "rowf" which means hurry up and get my supper- that's Einstein favorite.  And then we have the "mmmmmmm" with a melodic tone that rises and falls when we are bored or want a treat.  And then we have Einstein's rarawwwwww when he yawns in the morning.  No a boof is none of these.  A boof is quieter than a woowoowoo.  And one makes a single boof at a time.  It's not done in sequence.  It's a "I'm bold but scared" kind of sound.  It's a boof.

Now you may be reading this and thinking that my human has lost her mind since her vacation started.  But there are scientists who actually study the acoustic properties of dog barks in response to different situations. And they have found that we dogs interpret the sounds of other dogs and humans can also tell the differences in our sounds as well.  And like humans, if we have a high-pitched bark in response to something, it usually signifies something happy.  Whereas a low-pitched bark signifies warning, or that we are not happy.  Just like humans!  And did you know the longest recorded barks (for a Cocker Spaniel) in a 10 minute period was 907 - or more than 90 a minute.  That's even more annoying than Einstein.  Clearly that dog had a LOT to say.  Now HE could have run for politics...

So no new critter sightings when we got my human up at 5:30 yesterday.  I got her up - I wanted her to make THE most of her first day off.  She was not impressed.  She took me out, waited for me to pee - and then pretended she was going to get dressed to take us for our walks.  So she went in the bedroom and closed the door.  But she TRICKED us - she went back to bed.  We actually let her sleep until 6.  And then Einstein began to rowf.  He had enough sleep.

Have a super Sunday!  Peace and paws up!  May all your rowfs today be happy - and rewarded with good treats!

Close encounter...

So yesterday morning, I knew it was my human's last day at work so I was sure to get her up early. At 4:30. She was not overly impressed, but got dressed and took Einstein and I out for our morning walk.  In the dark.  Really dark.  My human was sporting her headlamp as she trudged up the driveway.  With us in the lead.  And luckily, despite the fact that she was still half asleep, she had a good hold of our leashes.  And suddenly, SOMETHING ran across the driveway.  It was bigger than a squirrel.  And bigger than a bunny.  And bigger than a cat.  And bigger and faster than a porcupine. And we went BONKERS.  We pulled and barked and screamed. THANK GOODNESS my human was able to hold on.  Who knows WHAT it was?!  IF it was a bear, it was a small bear.  But I honestly can't think of what else it could have been.  Wait – maybe a raccoon!  Nah – it was bigger than that.  One thing for sure, whoever it was, he wasn't interested in a close encounter with two crazy PONs.  He disappeared in the woods.  After we came home, my human took the FG out for his walk.  Now keep in mind that he was in the house when he ( and everyone in a 5km radius) heard the PONdemonium when we saw the strange critter, so he was anxious to see what all the fuss was about. So he stepped out the door but promptly jumped backward growling.  He spotted the empty garbage can.  And he growled.  And boofed.  You know what a boof is.  It’s not a bark, and it’s not a play sound.  It’s a “I’m not so sure about this thing” sound.  It’s a boof.  And he can make a big boof.  Anyway, my human had to DRAG him up the driveway past the ominous garbage can that is ALWAYS there. While he boofed away.

So my human officially got her work done yesterday – and she reportedly walked out of her office singing “See you in September…” Mind you, she did say something about one of the things on her agenda involves dogs and baths.  Surely she can’t mean me…

Have a happy Saturday!  Peace and paws up!

Montreal. Sheep. And Beatrix Potter.

Ok.  So who do I complain to in the sheepdog union? We don't HAVE a union?  Well I guess we need one...

There was an article in the paper yesterday about an eco-friendly lawn mowing service in the city of Montreal.  The service included sheep - 6 ewes and 4 lambs who were mowing the grass in several city parks.  Seems like a great idea.  With one obvious flaw that I saw.  To move the sheep along city streets and from park to park, they used volunteers .  Human volunteers.  And I guess a shepherd or two.  But excuse me - what was missing?! Sheepdogs!  No PON or Picard or Old English or Bouvier or Sheltie or Border Collie or Australian shepherd or German Shepherd or or or.....ANY herding dog!!!! Those humans looked pretty silly holding up orange barricades to move the sheep along. I'm telling you, they just needed a sheepdog.  Now mind you, not me or Einstein. Personally, I would prefer to eat the grass with the sheep, rather than herd them.  Einstein was a BIT of a herder in his younger days,  but not so sure he would move them along city streets.  And heaven knows WHAT the FG would do- can't wait to see him with sheep some day.  Anyway, I still think those sheep in Montreal need a DOG.

And speaking of sheep – today is the birthday of Beatrix Potter – the British writer, illustrator and conservationist – famous in part for her children’s books – like Peter Rabbit.  But did you know that Beatrix was a sheep breeder and farmer AND she had an affection for sheepdogs?!  Yes – she had a number of “working collies.”  Kep was her first working dog – and he was later featured in one of her books the Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck.  Although the story was about a duck, the hero of the story was Kep.  Kep was Beatrix’s “heart dog” and after he was gone she had a dog by the name of Fleet who was a “bobtail.” After Fleet came another collie by the name of Nip.  There were others after that – and Beatrix truly appreciated the skills of a good working dog.  Bet HER dogs could have moved those sheep around Montreal!

Anyway it's official- it's Friday and IF my human finishes all her work today - PARTEEEEEEE.  She will be OFFFFFFF. And we will be SURE that she is never bored!! For even a second. So we'll be sure to wake her up early every day and we'll play fetch at least 10 times a day.  Make that 15 times. How do you spell H-A-P-P-Y?!

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!

Bad news. And good news.

Holy moly.  You humans are sure interesting.  I learned something yesterday - if you want to get 'hits" to your blog - put the word "cannabis" in the blog title for the day.   Whoa. 

Well -  my human isn't feeling so great.  She took Einstein to the Vet yesterday.  Remember how I said she would soon be on vacation?  Well she'll probably be looking for another job during that time - to pay for Einstein's dental bill.  Looks like old snaggletooth has ANOTHER cracked tooth as well. And it looks like they BOTH have to come out. And the projected bill?  Just under $2000.  She is NOT a happy camper.  Plus I'm thinking that the deer antlers that we LOVE so much may be disappearing.  They must be the culprits.  She immediately came home and examined my teeth.  And the FG's.  But they look fine.  Completely fine.  Poor old snaggle.  The date isn't booked yet - probably some time next week when my human is off. My human was so depressed.  I suggested she take a swig from my cannabis stuff.  I THOUGHT I saw her put some in her coffee - but I'm not sure....

In much more pleasant news - it seems the FG really IS growing up.  Are you ready for this?  He played fetch in the yard - AND DIDN'T RUN AWAY.  Usually his brain explodes during fetch and he suddenly takes off into the woods - dropping the fetch toy.  Somewhere.  But he played the other night and never ran off ONCE.  Now he WAS wearing a long line - but he was loose - and my human wasn't holding on to it.  Mind you,  he did not always come BACK with the toy.  BUT he never disappeared.  You may not think this is a big deal, but trust me - this is progress. MAJOR progress.

Today is Thursday - and if all goes well at my human's work and she finishes ALL her reports, tomorrow will be her LAST day until September.  Paws crossed.  Mind you she will be searching for that second job... Clearly it won't be in the field of dog training....

Have a good one! Peace and paws up.

Cannabis. From PONhead to POThead.

So here's the third part of the blue day....

I haven't written about my health in the last little bit - but unfortunately, I have continued to have seizures.  Like every two weeks.  Last Friday I had one and then on Sunday night (post blueberries) I actually had another one.  The seizure lasts about a minute or two- and I don't remember much about it.  It's the "after seizure" part that is particularly challenging. I go into a bit of a disoriented frenzy and I become completely RAVENOUS.  I mean REALLY ravenous.  More than typical PON hungry.  I squeak, moan and bark at the garage door.  Where the dog food is stored.  Take me outside for a walk and I could strangle myself trying to get back home because I want to EAT.  I am in a real frenzy.  And even after I am fed - I want MORE.  The frenzy lasts anywhere from 1-2 hours.  Sometimes my human will put me in a crate, just to help me settle down.  But it doesn't always work - as I just bark to be let out.  My medications have been adjusted numerous times - and while that seems frustrating, the adjustment process is apparently very common for some dogs.  It's finding the RIGHT medication and dose.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago after yet another seizure and frenzy, my human started surfing the net.  And she started reading about the use of medical marijuana and pets.  And there is some evidence that it CAN be helpful in controlling seizures.  So my human sent away for some cannabis for me.  On-line.  But WAIT.  Before you have visions of me sitting around on a beanbag chair, wearing a psychedelic t-shirt and smoking a joint - you need to understand something.  What I am taking is actually hemp terpenes oil - which contains little to none of the THC mind-bending properties of cannabis .  Think of what I am taking as non-alcoholic beer - with health benefits. 

So my human bought the "stuff" and it arrived in a plain brown box.  But THEN she chickened out about giving it to me - because she didn't know if it would interact with my medications.  Perhaps she SHOULD have thought of that BEFORE she bought the stuff.  Anyway, she decided to e-mail one of my Vets.  Now the Vets in the practice are quite used to my human.  Heaven help them.  I can picture the discussion in the Vet office:  "check out the latest e-mail from Linda! You answer this one!"  Anyway, the Vet e-mailed her back and said, "go ahead" - there was no evidence it would interact with my meds.  So I tried the first dose Monday night.  Now I have no idea IF this stuff will work - but I can tell you I sure slept well Monday night - and never bugged my human even ONCE.

Please note -you need to keep in mind that REAL marijuana can be harmful to pets - which is no laughing matter.  So don't try THAT with your dog.

If you want to see what I am using - it's the hemp terpene oils:
https://www.apawthecarypets.com/

Anyway, we'll see what happens.  I have officially gone from being a PONhead to being a POThead.  

Excuse me now - I have this desire to go and watch some YouTube videos about Woodstock.  And I'm feeling like I need a snack.  But then - I always have the munchies.  Peace brothers and sisters!

Have a good one!
 

Feeling blue. Part 2.

OK.  So yesterday, I shared the "good part" of the blue day.   Well - good for Einstein and me - but not so good for my human with the blueberry cravings. But then there was the not-so-good parts of that day...

In the morning, before the grocery shopping hunt, my human went to take Einstein and I out for our morning walk.  And she thought the FG would be happy in his run outside while we went.  Guess what?  He wasn't.  He started squeaking and barking and moaning - like he was being tortured.  And this was OF COURSE at like 6 AM.  So she raced back down the driveway and gave him one of those Yak chew things.  Your remember them?  The things that Einstein and I tried to devour - and we ended up with the poops.  Well the FG is a much more careful chewer - so they were not a problem for him.  So my human took one outside, gave it to the FG  and attempted again to take Einstein and I for our constitutional.  The FG dropped it and proceeded to let out his mournful tune again.  So my human took him back in the house.   She grabbed the Yak thing on the way in.  She noted that it was shorter - clearly the end broke off when he dropped it.  But she didn't search for it and took him (and the longer piece back in the house).  By now you are no doubt wondering why the long discussion of Yak treats.  Trust me there is a reason I am yakking on about this.  So with the FG now in the house, with the windows closed and his Yak treat IN his crate,  off  we went for our walks.   Then the FG went for his.  All was right with the world.

After getting the groceries, and after the blueberry frenzy, my human started doing some much overdue housecleaning.  She claimed you could "grow tomatoes" on our kitchen floor.  Talk about dramatic.  Anyway while she was cleaning, she decided to put ALL of us in the run outside.  So off we went.  But yours truly doesn't really like it out there - so I started barking.  AND barking.  She decided to let us back in so she opened the door to the garage and we ran through and into the house.  And she noted that Einstein was unusually quiet...and he raced under the dining room table.

And that's when she heard a crack and some chewing.  "WHAT do you have?" my human asked Einstein.  And her often slow brain quickly made the connection - he found that piece of Yak treat and was trying desperately to chew it up.  She got a hold of him and pulled the thing out of his mouth.  Phew.  Poop problem averted.

It wasn't until later in the day that she noticed Einstein pawing at his face.  She wondered if he had been stung by something.  She looked his face over, but couldn't see anything.  He stopped the pawing and she forgot about it.  But later in the day, he was at it again.  So she whisked him onto the grooming/operating table.  She looked all over his face.  His ears.  And then decided to look at his teeth.  Well GUESS what?!  If one tries really hard to chew a Yak treat, one can BREAK OFF his canine tooth.  Well, not the WHOLE tooth.  Just 2/3.  "AAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" my human shouted.  Einstein just looked at her.  No more beauty pageants for old snaggletooth.

He has an appointment with the Vet on Thursday.  He doesn't seem to be in major discomfort - and it certainly hasn't changed his appetite.  Never a dull moment.  We figured our Vet hasn't gone on a nice vacation lately - so we should help with paying for the holiday.

And if THAT wasn't enough of a blue story - stay tuned tomorrow for the REST of the story...and my new journey into the world of cannabis....

A blue day....

So yesterday was a blue day.  Literally...

My human went grocery shopping in the morning.  And she bought a LOAD of stuff.  She has been pretty busy lately and so she hasn't really had time to get the BIG grocery order for awhile.  Yet it seems we never run out of OUR food.  And I have to admit - most days lately, we were eating better than her.  I really should learn how to cook - now THAT would be a good dog trick.  Mind you - I think cooking food is a waste of time.  Throw it raw in a bowl, and we canines are happy.  No special bearnaise sauce required.

Anyway, my human brought the grocery bags in and we demonstrated typical canine "curiocery" - that curious desire to know what is in the bags when our human comes home from the hunt. She put the bags on the counter and started to unload the contents.  The FG was in his kennel and Einstein and I were watching.  She looked at the array of bags on the counter and realized one was missing.  So she went back into the garage to get it.  And she wasn't gone more than a minute.  48 seconds to be exact.  But when she returned, she found two PONs racing frantically around the kitchen and vacuuming up a sea of blueberries that had mysteriously ended up on the kitchen floor.  She shouted "stop" as IF we would.  So she calmly tried to grab as many as she could - knowing that her desire to now eat this particular batch was now diminished.  And you know, I THOUGHT she had forgotten about Big Brother.  And she did, initially.  She didn't check the tape immediately.  But when she did, several hours later - who do you think was the culprit? Yup - you're looking at him.  To pose for this photo was sheer agony - I wanted to polish off the last of those tasty morsels.  But I figured I had better behave and take the shot.  Besides, my human gave me one for being cooperative.  And despite the fact that she was NOT impressed with my counter surfing - she was just very thankful it wasn't the chicken for dinner.  Always look at the bright side - no point in being blue.  Sorry I couldn't resist.

Have a good one!

Hot Enough for Ya?

Today is July 23 and according to the crazy calendar, it is Hot Enough for Ya Day.  And in a word, YES.  OK, OK – I know people around the world experience REAL heat – like in the triple digits in Fahrenheit- and that is HOT.  But we refrigerator dogs here in Nova Scotia, find it HOT when it reaches 28 degrees Celsius or 82 Fahrenheit.  We melt.  And we pant.  And because temperatures like this don't last all that long here (not months on end), lots of homes don't have air conditioning. Like ours.  That’s not to say we don't have a half dozen fans going at any given time.   To beat the heat, we quite enjoy chewing on bone shaped ice cubes.  Well the FG and I do.  Einstein is not so crazy about them.  Because when they melt- they get his feet wet.  And we KNOW how he feels about getting wet feet.

Despite the heat, we still want to play fetch – which my human will not allow – because she doesn't want us to get overheated. And as for our walks – we go EARLY in the morning -even before sunrise – because it's nice and cool. And then we go just after sundown.  This is just like the winter – we never get to see the light of day!

Apparently the temperatures will be in the mid-70’s Fahrenheit this week coming.  Which we think is a perfect score.  And speaking of perfect scores, my human happened to watch TV the other night – for the first time in probably 3 months.  She was flipping through the channels and caught that talent show – America’s Got Talent. And what did she see but a DOG who is competing.  His name is Hero and his human is Sarah. Apparently they didn’t wow ALL the judges in the first round – but they DID this time – so they are continuing in the competition.  Check him out:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ-i5mE0G58

Now there are some pretty incredibly talented humans in this competition – who sing and do magic and all kinds of things. And I don’t know how far Hero and Sarah will go – but one thing for sure – they DO show people the cool things you can do with your dog – with the right training.  They are a testament to positive training.  I hate to admit this – but I didn’t know that a dog actually WON the title in Britain’s Got Talent in 2012.  His name was Pudsey – and he was a border collie, bichon frise and Chinese crested cross.  Sadly, just this past week, Pudsey went to the Rainbow Bridge at age 11.  Maybe it’s time to pass the torch to another canine – this time in the US.  Go Hero!  We’ll be watching.  And oh – we are NOT attempting many of HIS tricks.  We would without a doubt, put my human in the hospital.  At least the FG would! 

Anyway, have a good one – and stay cool!

Happy birthday Alex

It's July 22 and the birthday of my favorite Canadian game show host - Alex Trebek!  Alex is the host of Jeopardy.  Alex appears to be a pretty smart guy - but then again, he is the one who reads the questions - I don 't think he makes them up.  He once owned a dog who was taken away by a coyote.  Yowza.  BIG bummer.  On a lighter note, geography is his favorite category.  He is a philanthropist and has traveled to many countries with World Vision.  So there is some Alex trivia for you - if Alex himself is ever a category.

So while we are on the Jeopardy topic - try the following link to see what you know about dog breeds. Just press start to try it out.

https://jeopardylabs.com/play/enter-title54311

How much money did you win?  Or lose?

And the following question was the final Jeopardy question on May 24, 2017.  Do you know the answer?

This popular small dog breed is named for the man who was the Vicar of Swimbridge for almost 50 years, beginning in 1832.

And the answer is........






What is a Jack Russell terrier?

 And here's a final Jeopardy question from April 6, 2017.
Old circuses like “Gentry’s Equine & Canine Paradox” gave rise to this idiom referring to any elaborate presentation.

And the answer is......... 






What is a dog and pony show?

My human says if she was on the show and they asked those  questions, she would have gotten them correct.  But with her luck, the question would have been about quantum physics.  Not her forte.  

Anyway - Happy Birthday Alex.  And hey - do you know Liam Neeson?  Any idea when he is moving in?

Have a good one.

World records

OK.  I have NO idea how I missed this news item last fall.  LAST FALL.  But I JUST became aware of this video - so I thought I should share it.  And it gives the dogs in this house something to aspire to.  Bwhahahahahahhaha.

It seems last fall that a Parson Rusell terrier by the name of Smurf made his way into the Guinness Book of World records.  Not for the smallest dog, or the fastest dog - but for the dog who could do the most tricks in one minute.  Check him out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx3mwsZmEvw

So of COURSE you know my human wants to see how many WE can do. Sure we can do some of them - but it's more like a trick a minute.  Not ALL of them in a minute.  And lots of treats are required.  Too much work to break this record - I vote that we try for something we are REALLY good at.  Like the dog who can eat the food in his bowl the fastest.  I've got that one.  Or the dog who can most quickly steal food off a counter.  Or the dining  room table.   I have a good shot at that record.  Or the dog who can bark incessantly when my human takes another dog out for a walk.  Einstein would get the trophy for that.  I'm not quite sure what the FG's talent is - oh wait - the dog who can most quickly slobber my human's clothing before she leaves for work.  Bingo.  And speaking of that talent - here's another reason why I question that humans are said to be the smarter beings.  White pants.  Seriously.  What a RIDICULOUS form of attire - ESPECIALLY for humans owned by dogs.  Come ON.  WHAT is the point in even attempting to wear white pants?  You know the pristine look will never last.  Yet you keep trying.  Hey - there's a record!  The human owned by dogs who can keep his/her white pants clean the longest.  Now THAT would be a challenge!!

It's Friday and today my human ends a special program at work.  Then it's just paperwork next week - and after THAT she is FREE.  For August!!!!!!!!  Let the fetching begin!!!

Have a good one!

Battle of the Poles

OK.  We have an all WAR going on in our house.  I'm calling it the battle of the Poles.  It's not between me and Einstein.  It's between Einstein and MY HUMAN.

Let's set the background for this particular war.  Since the beginning of May, my human has been working long hours at work.  It's her busy time - and tomorrow it comes to an end.  Not that she doesn't still have to go to work to get money for our treats, but the hours will be MUCH more manageable.  Basically back to a normal work week.  I should add that there are "other things" happening on top of work - so she has been going flat out.  Beginning at 5 AM when she takes us out on our long, daily  morning walk and often ending around midnight.

Anyway, all this to say that in the last week, Einstein has had ENOUGH of my human's work.  He continues his morning chorus and is as loud as ever - even with the 3,396 pieces of kibble we search for while my human is walking the FG.  Einstein is FAST - so he can begin the chorus. 

And to further demonstrate his protest, he has "forgotten" how to sit and wait while our food is being prepared.  And THAT put my human over the edge Monday night - and the official war began.

My human gets our bowls prepared - and while she is doing so, we are asked to sit and stay.  And honestly, the preparation takes like .907  minutes.  Or even less.  Now Elroy just lies down - he needs more obedience work - but my human excuses his behavior - because she needs to train him more.  I sit and wait fairly patiently.  But Einstein?  The GOOD dog?  The one with the CD obedience title?  And several Rally titles?  As SOON as my human turns her back to get our bowls ready - he stands up.  Or lies down.  My human returns to him and instructs him to "sit".  Which he does.  And as SOON as she is 15 feet away, he either lies down or stands up.  Again.  The other night my human hit the "non-dog-stay-breaking-point."  She looked at him after he broke his sit stay for like the 4th time - and she decided to go ahead and feed me and the FG.  THANK goodness.  She told Einstein to "sit" and she set a timer on the microwave for 2 minutes.  She meant business.  As soon as she set the timer, he went down.  Oooooooo---eeeeeeeeeeeee.  These two ARE stubborn.  She told him to "sit and stay" again, and set the timer AGAIN.  This time he didn't move a muscle.  She quickly fed him when the timer went off. 

Now for those who don't know Einstein, you MAY think my human was being tough on him.  Trust me - he KNOWS about sit-stays.  He has done them for 5 minutes or even LONGER in training sessions - and has done FINE.  But honestly, we dogs are pretty darn smart.  We will attempt to get  attention even by doing bad things.  Which my human TOTALLY understands - the last couple of months have been a challenge.  For everyone.  But Einstein really does need to give her a break - and simply WAIT until SATURDAY - when life will return to our regular level of craziness.  

By the way - Einstein  DID "stay" last night - so I think he does understand that he NEEDS to behave right now. Oh yeah - but he still IS barking....

Have a good one!

Bigfoot

First off - thank you for the all the wonderful blog congratulations!  Your support is so greatly appreciated!  You have NO idea!

And now onto our mystery for the week....so Monday morning, my human got up EXTRA early.  Probably because I was breathing in her face. She was dressed and ready to take the FG out by 4:45.  Yes, 4:45 AM.  Since it was just before sunup,  she wore her headlamp.  And it was foggy.    She and the FG went up to the golf course - even before any of the workers were there.  They walked the cart paths, and despite the calm, rather spooky atmosphere, it was actually rather relaxing.  In the meantime, Einstein and I were madly vacuuming kibble from room to room.  We are getting faster and faster at scooping up the stuff.  So that by the time my human and the FG returned, Einstein was barking.  My human  raced down the driveway, making loud footsteps - in the chance that Einstein would hear her and will stop barking.  Nah.  He waited until she OPENED the door - and he fell silent.  The war continues.

So my human put the FG in his pony-sized crate, while she went to take Einstein and I out for our walk.  She opened the door.  It was now starting to get light out.  And within .00056 seconds, Einstein spotted "it" on the lawn.  And in that .00056 seconds, before my human's still sleeping brain could fully register what he was looking at, she actually braced herself and held on tightly to my leash - but let Einstein go.  And he RACED over to "it." "It" was our large, heavy squirrel-proof bird feeder - you know - the one that the squirrel got caught inside.   The one that hangs on a tree branch not far from the front door.  Einstein barked madly at the offending object.  The tree branch was broken, and the feeder, which had been pretty much empty, was lying on the ground with the cover off.  I pulled my human over to the feeder and inspected it.  We wondered what caused the branch to break and the feeder to fall.... Maybe the bear!  Well he probably wouldn't have been tall enough to reach it from the ground and if he tried to go out on the branch, I'm sure it would have broken closer to the trunk of the tree.  Maybe it was a raccoon.  We haven't seen any - but there are no doubt some around.  Then again - maybe it was Bigfoot.  Sure it was.

After we fully examined the downed feeder, we continued on our walk up the road - to go on the trail.  And JUST before we turned off the road and onto the trail, my human heard a noise in the woods.  Bigger than a bird.  She looked down the trail - and not 50 yards away was a beautiful deer.  We couldn't see him, because of the angle where we were standing.  Humans do have the height advantage thing.  My human waited until Bambi raced away and we followed on the trail.  We knew SOMETHING had been there just before us - but we never got to see the deer.

So that's the mystery for now.  But get THIS.  So the feeder went down Monday.  The FG went by the downed feeder at least THREE times on Monday (not counting his first walk in the morning).  It wasn't until Tuesday morning that HE noticed "it".  And boy oh boy - you should have heard the big dog bark that came out of him.  He cautiously leaped around the mysterious object, barking and growling.  Einstein and I watched from in the house, rolling our eyes.  He's not exactly got this "observant guard dog thing" down just yet.  But I have to hand it to him - he does have a great bark.

So what do YOU think?   What caused the branch to break?  Hey - maybe a really heavy squirrel!  Nah.  I still like the Bigfoot idea.

Anyway, it's hump day.  Have a good one!  And don't go out on a limb. At least not a skinny one.

BIG blog news!!!!!!!!

Well today is a special day.  For me anyway. Today marks my... are you ready... my 1000th blog posting.  Seriously!  1000 postings about historical dog trivia, dog product reviews, commentaries about world dog news and most importantly - the sharing of our personal stories about the day to day life of three canines and the human they own.  In Nova Scotia, Canada, of all places.  We have shared our triumphs - like if we get a 25 cent  ribbon at a dog show or we manage to steal something without being caught (although this is much more difficult since Big Brother arrived) and we have shared our tragedies - like the loss of Paxton or my battle with seizures.  It's pretty hard to believe we have hit the 1000 entries mark - seems we should be getting some kind of 75 cent ribbon for this!!!

Some days we find it hard to come up with a topic - and we think it's time to hang up the iPawd.  But we carry on - and are reinforced by your comments - and by you sharing your own dog stories!  Or ideas that you think we would enjoy.  My human is also grateful for the many friends she has made around the world - who she would probably never had connected with had it not been for this crazy blog.  It's nice to know there are other bad dogs out there too - misery loves company!   One thing we do know about this blog thing - we do love to make you laugh.  And while some may think we embellish our stories for that purpose - I assure you - this stuff is real.  Really real.  We are REALLY that bad.  No doubt some readers shake their heads about our disobedient nature, and may even become annoyed with the fact that we create such havoc. But seriously - what kind of blog would one write if the dogs were always well behaved?  How boring would THAT be?  "Today I walked obediently  at my human's side.  I came when called.  I waited patiently and silently while my meal was being prepared.  I only chewed on my bones.  I loved being groomed.  I slept obediently on my dog bed."  The end.   Do dogs like that even exist?!  OK.  Don't answer that.  I know they do.  And that's OK.  We won't hold it against them.  Good for them.  But we DO have our OWN talents - hey not every dog is cut out to be a comedian.  Or a storyteller,  Or an escape artist.  Or a full-time singer.  Or a vacuum cleaner.  Or an aquamaniac.  That's my new title for the FG with this whole water bowl thing.

For those who may have read 100 of these postings - we thank you very much!  For those who have read 500, we truly admire your resilience!  And for those who have read almost ALL of these postings - the check is in the mail.  Along with a bag of dog treats.  If one of us doesn't steal them first.

Have a fabulous day and remember to smile.  And wag.  It always makes others feel better - and it will make you feel better too!

Thank you for reading - and have a good one!

Vik-advisor Review

So every now and then, my human comes across some dog related product on the internet, she'll purchase it, and I'll do a Vik-advisor review.  Like those educational puzzles.  That we tried to eat.  Or the cool rubber eggs.  That made the most obnoxious sounds.  Until we pushed the squeakers inside them.  So they are now soundless - and now we don't want to play with them.  Or all the dog beds we have destroyed.  So far those fetch toys are still holding up.  Mind you - we are not left alone with them.  You KNOW we would destroy them too.

Anyway, my human saw the following video, and started thinking what it would be like if the dogs in this household tried this invention...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8RyWF8vo5s&feature=youtu.be

CAN YOU IMAGINE what this would be like?! Keep in mind that we PONs do not LOVE the rain - so perhaps we would be happy with this.  OK - Einstein would be happy.  But me?  Not so much.  And the FG?  Picture a Picard racing down the driveway trying to attack the thing over his head.  Plus my human would no doubt end up with some kind of elbow injury trying to keep the thing steady.  Not to mention his darting back and forth while walking.  Yes, indeed - this could be very entertaining.  VERY entertaining. 

My human also saw a device that you attach to the garden hose.  And your dog can step on a pedal to shoot water up - like a drinking fountain.  Picture the FG with THIS device.  Knowing his enjoyment at splashing in water bowls - well... I think we have THE perfect Christmas gift for him.  I'll put it on his list.

http://odditymall.com/pawcet-a-drinking-fountain-for-your-dog

Tomorrow is a VERY special day. A LANDMARK day.  Check in to see why I will be celebrating!

Have a good one!

Food

Well I think we are experiencing the “picky Picard” phenomenon.  I mentioned how the FG has trained my human to feed him by hand.  NOW he gets her to top his food off with Parmesan cheese.   Seriously.  I'm going to refuse my supper.  As IF that would EVER happen.  He DOES eventually eat his meal – he’s just pokey about it. And of course, his food can't be left out as you know it wouldn't last more than .008 seconds with us PONs around.

And speaking of food, my human has a new strategy for keeping us quiet while she walks the FG in the morning.  Well – not me.  I'm not the barker.  It’s to keep Einstein quiet but I also reap the benefits.  What she has started doing is putting kibble all over the house when she goes to take the FG out.  Really.  So Einstein and I search like mad for the food.  We’re not talking a dozen kibbles.  We’re talking three fistfuls.  Probably almost equivalent to our regular meal size.  And it works.  For a while.  On Friday it was still quiet as she came back with the FG from his walk.   Because we were so busy looking for the food.  But yesterday  – well we are becoming REALLY good at finding the food.  So Einstein’s chorus was ringing out when she came back down the driveway.  But she also shuts the windows – so his song doesn't carry quite so far.  So it’s not a foolproof method – but I certainly don't want her to stop. 

Well it's 5 AM – time to get my human moving.  Rest on the weekend is a foreign concept in this house.  But hey – enjoy those daylight hours – just think how much you humans complain about the long winter nights.  Carpe diem!

Lions and Tigers and...

Well we have a new neighbor.  It's the talk of the neighborhood.  And the new neighbor was actually spotted in Jackson's backyard.  Others had seen evidence of the newcomer - including tipped over green organics bins.  Yup - we are not talking bunnies.  We have a BEAR.

We haven't seen the bruin yet - but we were madly smelling something on the trail the other morning.  No doubt he heard us wild canines coming - and headed for his den. It's a black bear - so they are generally not too dangerous.  Unless of course you run across a mother bear with cubs.  Now THAT could be dicey.   But for the MOST part, black bears don't look to go out and attack people.  Unlike grizzlies or polar bears - who are MUCH more dangerous.  But we have no grizzlies here and no polar bears - unless one happens to swim around 1000 km from northern Newfoundland. Not likely.   

One neighbor claimed they saw bear poop on the road.  So of COURSE, my human HAD to go and see if she could find it in the place where it was spotted.  All she found was dog poop - and to be clear - that poop does not belong to any of the dogs in this house - we are scoopers.  Maybe it was from a coyote.  But we didn't find the bear poop.  Mind you, my human is not EXACTLY a poopologist.  She once got all excited because she found "moose poop" in the backyard.  It turned out to be mushrooms.  Thank goodness she didn't report the sighting to Lands and Forests...

The FG spotted some wildlife the other day and for a change, became QUITE interested in it.  A bunny.  One of the MANY bunnies running around here.  It's actually kind of crazy.  They run up and down the driveway and are not the least bit afraid of my human or the FG.  That's because he is on a leash.  On the other hand, the bunnies ARE quite afraid if I happen to be loose. Anyway, the FG has not generally been interested in four-legged creatures - he's more into birds.  He watches ALL the birds and is especially enamored with crows.  He loves to listen to them - and watch them fly.  But our resident ornithologist became QUITE interested in Mr. Bunny the other morning.  And my human KNEW that if she didn't hold on tightly to his leash, that he would be off and running.  I told him that bunny chasing is fun - so he decided he would like to give it a try.  My human did NOT want that to happen.

And heaven KNOWS what will happen if he (or any of us) sees the bear.  That's one story my human does NOT want to help me write.

Anyway, we'll keep a look out for Paddington.  That's what I will call him.  It's either that or Ted.E.

Oh the joys of living in the boonies.  As IF there isn't enough WILDlife in our house. Have a good one!

Call me. Whatever.

So every year,  a shelter in Cuyahoga County Ohio, compiles a list of the all the licensed dogs in the county - and publishes the most popular names.  And here was their list for 2016:

 1. Bella
 2. Buddy
 3. Max
 4. Molly
 5. Bailey
 6. Daisy
 7. Lucy
 8. Charlie
 9. Maggie
 10. Sadie

There, of course, were other names as well - but these are the most popular.  For example, two dogs were named Grover Cleveland after the 22nd US President.  I've never met a dog named Grover Cleveland before.   I didn't see Donald Trump mentioned...

In addition to this list, the AKC published the top names in pairs - male and female.  And here they are:

1.  Max and Molly
2.  Jake and Bella
3.  Buddy and Daisy
4.  Jack and Maggie
5.  Cody and Lucy
6.  Charlie and Ginger
7.  Bailey and Bonnie
8.  Rocky and Sadie
9.  Sam and Sophie
10. Buster and Lady

Looks like consistency with the dogs in Ohio...

I've talked before about the variety of names we have in this household - so it is no wonder we don't come when called.  I'm Viktor, Viktorino, Baby V, Trino, and sometimes some other names which cannot be printed here.  Einstein is of course, Frodo, Doe-dee-oh-doe, and Doe.  And now the FG has a variety as well.  He is, of course, Elroy, but he is also called Baby Schmaby (heaven KNOWS how she came up with THAT one), Elmo, El, and Elmer Fudd. 

When I look at the list of popular names, I don't see any Viktor, Frodo or Elroy....  Mind you - we ARE very unique...And if anyone reads this blog, they will never name their dog after us - for fear that they may get a dog with the same behavior.  None of us has "Angel" as a middle name.  

Anyway, as they say - you can call me whatever you want - just don't call me late for dinner!  Happy Friday!!!

Smile....

Well those who know my human, know that she LOVES to take photos of us canines.  It is an ODD day if she doesn't take a photo of ONE of us doing SOMETHING.  If she wants a POSED photo, Einstein and I are the two to take.  Well.. if the truth be told, EINSTEIN is the best subject.  Tell him to sit, lie down, stand, stay put his head up, put his head down and he does it.   It's like he is stuffed.  I'm PRETTY good - depends on the surroundings.  Sometimes I just cant resist the temptation to sniff the ground.  Or I simply exhibit picnore - the obvious ignoring of my human while she tries in earnest to get a shot.  But if you put Einstein and I together, I DO like to compete - so I WILL GENERALLY cooperate.  And as for the FG.  It's total LUCK if you get a good shot of him.  Yes - my human DOES manage to get some photos - but he is NOT usually big on looking at the camera.  And my human has run out of unusual humanly possible strange and wonderful noises to get his attention.  Everything from whistling to snorting to screeching - he is used to everything now. IF he decides to look at her she had better snap the shot QUICKLY.  

And of course, I need not tell you how challenging it is to get ALL three of us in a shot.  It requires patience, a handful of THE best treats ever, and lots of luck.  LOTS of luck.

So my human really appreciates good dog photography.  She's often happy with our photos - but then she saw THESE shots - and REALLY LIKES some of these.   Check them out.

https://petapixel.com/2017/06/24/best-dog-photos-2017/

The only problem with her looking at these photos - is that now she wants to take even MORE pictures of us.... 

Oh well.    Bring on the treats.  And smile. 

And have a good one.

Simplicity. Not.

So according to the crazy calendar, today is called Simplicity Day.  A day to keep things simple - and not sweat the small stuff.  WHAT an anomaly in THIS house!  NOTHING is EVER simple here!  For example, "simply" letting us out for a pee after my human gets home from a VERY long day - is not so simple -and all heck breaks loose...

We have a routine.  She gets home, puts the FG in the fenced side run, while she lets Einstein and I out front to pee.  And we race around barking like mad, make a dash around to the back of the house, have a HUGE pee and race back in to get supper.  Then the FG goes out again - but on a leash.  Simple right?  Nah.  On Monday my human was STARVING - she had no lunch - so she let us out and went to quickly take something out of the freezer - to start defrosting it.  She was inside 34 more seconds than usual - so when she came out, we were G-O-N-E.  Yup - up at the new neighbors, who aren't so new anymore but we still call them new.  The nice tolerant-of-crazy-dogs new neighbors.  Who own a Lab called Hudson.  THANKFULLY, Hudson is a low key dog and doesn't attack us when we invade his yard and we promptly pee on every plant we can.  Oh and of course by the time my human raced up to get us (in less than a minute), BOTH of us had also pooped on their property as well.  My human was REPEATEDLY calling us and while Einstein came over to her, I was running like in a trance.  Even the neighbor remarked "It's kind of like he's deaf."  It's called selective deafness.  My human FINALLY caught me, while I had stopped to pee on yet another garden flower and promptly put on my leash.  In the meantime, Hudson had disappeared.  No doubt he didn't want to have anything to do with the maniacs who had invaded his home.  Smart dog.  As my human was dragging us home and apologizing for the multiple poops deposited in their yard (because she hadn't grabbed any poop bags in her haste to find us), Hudson reappeared from the woods.  I think I saw him look at his human and roll his eyes.

Ah yes.  Another simple day in Nova Scotia. Ya gotta love us....

Hope your day is carefree AND simple!  Have a good one.