Mr. Phelps

I’ve talked before about the fact that we PONs are not particularly fond of the water.  And then we have the FG who loves it.  In fact loves it so much. He started to scare my human.

Sunday night we were feeling pretty hot.  So after hanging out on the deck for a while, my human decided to take all of us on the trail to the lake.  She let us PONs run free and let the FG run free but on a long line.   He got down to the lake and in he went without giving it a second thought.  My human tossed him a stick which of course he refused to bring back.  Well he would start back with it and then drop it 3 feet from shore. She tossed a few more- with the same results.  Meanwhile the Polish Lowland grazing dogs were munching on grass and watching the entertainment. 

Now usually the FG wades in the water and sometimes goes out to get a stick and has to swim.  So he doesn’t swim for long.  But the other night, something happened.  He started swimming.  Just to swim.  And the next thing my human knew, he was headed away from the shore.  Toward the wide open seas.  OK.  Not the seas.  But toward the middle of the lake.  Which is not close. So my human - who was wearing rubber boots, started calling him.  And he kept swimming.  Away.  So she got in the water with her rubber boots.  I’m not sure why she was even WEARING rubber boots and why she didn’t just take them off and wade in - but she was concentrating on the swimming Picard and wasn’t thinking straight.  Anyway, she called in her sweet, fake “Oh come here little puppy”voice and it worked.  Mr. Phelps-wannabe turned around and headed back to shore.  She cautiously approached him in the water - and grabbed his collar - because the not-so-helpful long line had sunk and was ho longer visible!  She breathed a sigh of relief and he just looked at her as if to say “seriously woman - can’t a guy just go for a swim.  It’s not like we have sharks in our lake.”

Meanwhile, the grazing PONs were suitably full - so we got to race back to the house, watching the wet Picard repeatedly stop to wipe his face in a tree trunk. He is a never ending source of amazement.

Well, I THINK my human is finished with work now until September.  Although she mumbled about some ethics reviews she forgot to do - so she MAY have to do a bit of work today. But at least she’ll be home.  Let the staycation begin!!!

Have a good one!  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 70!!!!!

Friendship

July 30.  Today, accord the crazy calendar is International Day of Friendship.  And my goodness- the internet has certainly opened up a whole new world of international friends.  On Facebook, for example, when people have common interests like PONs or Picards or antiques or ferrets or sports or cars or porcupines- they can “meet” like-minded individuals from around the world - and can become “friends.” There is no shortage of pet related sites where you can meet “friends” who are interested in training dogs, people who want to talk about dog food,  people who want to talk about showing dogs and people who want to talk about dog health conditions.

There are of course lots of personal dog pages, like mine- and we have made all kinds of “friends “ through my site and my blog.  My human has had the opportunity to actually meet some of these virtual friends from the US, and across England,  the Channel Islands, Scotland, Wales , the Netherlands, and France, (when she went to Crufts).  We will be meeting a virtual Picard buddy in a few weeks who will be visiting Nova Scotia from the US.  We are looking forward to that!!!

I looked at my blog readership the other day, and I see that in addition to the folks listed above, people in the following countries read about our crazy adventures:  Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, South Africa, Poland, Philippines, Peru, Malaysia, Japan, Germany,Australia, Italy and Austria. Some of these are our “friends “ and some are silent lurkers.

If humans are lucky, they have a couple of real, true friends, who can be counted on through thick and thin. It’s important to treasure those individuals.  

And then of course, you humans know who your very best friends are -  us canines!! We are there for you when you are happy, when you are sad, when you are tired, when you take us for a walk, when you come out of the bathroom and when you get up in the morning and look downright scary.  But we don’t care how you look - or what we do- we just like being with you. Because that’s what’s friends are for!!

Happy day to all my international friends- whether or not we have ever even met!  Have a good one!  Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days:  69

Cool old dog stuff

My human got a gift the other day.  Just because.  No special occasion.  But because she has some good friends who know about her passion for old dog “stuff.” So her friends happened to come upon a yard sale and spotted some things they thought my human might like.  And one of them was this framed photo,

We don’t know who this girl is.  Or exactly how old the photo is - but I am willing to guess it is a few years older than my human.  Which means it is really old.

The girl sure looks like she loves her dog.  And he looks pretty serious about his role as protector.  I’m not sure if the stuff on the floor is dog toys or child toys.  It kind of reminds  me of what our house looks like - so I think they are dog toys. If anyone knows who she is, let me know....

Just think.  Some day a hundred years from now, somebody will find 25,000 photos of two PONs and a Picard, and will wonder who they were. And why the human took SO many photos!  That’s probably an underestimation.  It will probably be closer to 100,000 photos. 

My human also got this cool statue to add to her collection - also from the same friends.  Another girl and her dog. 

Aren’t they cute?!

On a different note, while we are happy for summertime, I must confess we are a bit bored. It is currently so hot and muggy during the day that we don’t even go out. My human doesn’t even want to play fetch with us, for fear we will get overheated. We get our walks in the morning at 5:30 and our evening walks - but that’s about it.  We lounge around, pant and drink water.  Lots of water. I know I shouldn’t be complaining - we aren’t looking forward to the luge run driveway - but just a TINY break in the heat would be nice.  I NEED to fetch.  Heck.  With this heat, I almost feel like swimming.  Sure I do....

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up,

Seizure free days: 68

Water safety

It’s July 28 and it’s National Drowning Prevention day. Now while the PONs in this house are not huge fans of the water- many PONs do like it - and do like to swim.  We certainly can swim - and have been in our lake, but it’s not something we love to do.  Unlike the FG. Who QUITE enjoys the water.  

But contrary to popular belief, not all dogs CAN swim.  That includes dogs who are Brachycephalic.  That’s your word for the day.  It refers to dogs who have short muzzles and faces that are squashed in - or flat-faced.  It includes breeds like Bulldogs, Pugs, Pekingese and even some Boxers.  These breeds may have a hard time keeping their faces out of the water to swim.  So they are not proportioned in a way to make swimming easy.

As well, dogs with short legs may also be unable to swim easily - like Basset hounds or Dachshunds. 

When those breeds are near water, they should probably wear a life jacket. Better safe than sorry.

While on the topic of dogs and water, there is a cool sport that has developed since the late 1990’s, for dogs who like the water- and who like to go after a toy.  It’s called Dock Diving.  Basically, a dog waits on a dock-like structure in front of water.   A toy is thrown into the water,and they measure how far the dog can jump into the water.  There are actually competitions for distance and for height.  As I understand it, there are even organizations that run dock jumping in a different countries.  

I have seen that there are Picards who participate in this sport.  But I haven’t seen any PONs.  I’m not sure why.  It seems that the breeds that are considered to be “naturals”for this sport include Goldens, Labs, and even Border Collies.    It appears the record for longest jump is just over 31 feet.  I vote that the FG try it.  We’ll cheer him on.  Better him than me.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand.  Water safety.  If you’re out boating this summer, and you’re not a great swimmer, don’t forget your life jacket.  Personally, I think I should wear one at bath time.  Like I said before, better safe than sorry.  Or better yet...skip the bath.  Safety first.  That’s my new motto....

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 67

We passed!!!!

Well.  We passed.  The new dog sitter came and interviewed us yesterday, and we behaved.  Well as much as we behave.  She was introduced to the incessant greeting barking of Einstein, the leaping of the FG and his compulsory kisses and my obsession with getting into the garage to get into the dog food bin. She witnessed our mealtime routine, with the vacuum PONs and the Picky Picard. She got the tour of the house, stepping over dog toys and bones and learned to close doors behind her especially for rooms that contain toilet paper rolls.  She saw my medication routine and most importantly, learned where the treat jar is.

And after all was said and done, she agreed to stay with us!!!!  And my human was THRILLED - because she is VERY nice.  She’s a trained veterinary technician - so she knows all about animals - AND about behavior and health.  Plus did I mention she is very nice?  She will be staying with us for a couple of nights in a few weeks.   My human isn’t letting us know just when that will be.  Honestly, it doesn’t really matter - we thought she was pretty cool - so we know we’ll be in good hands.  

Today is Friday - and my human is ALMOST done with work!  She is apparently going to the office on Monday - and that’s IT until September!  I have to start working on her agenda for the month.  Walking.  Playing.   Giving treats.  Playing.  Walking.  It is going to be a MARVELOUS month.  Excuse me while I go and work out her schedule...

Happy Friday!  Have a good one!  Peace and paws up !

Seizure free days: 66

The interview...

We are doing an interview today.  Or really... it’s probably the other way around.  Rumor has it that a NEW DOG SITTER is coming to meet us tonight.  Rumor also has it that my human is going to be going away for a few days - SO we will be having a sitter some time in August.

The last time my human went away was last November to something called a conference.  SUUUUUUUURE it was hard work.  Anyway, we had a super sitter from our Vet clinic come to stay with us. She and her partner stayed with us - they fed us, walked us and played with us.  We really liked them.  BUT - they recently got their own canine kid, so are no longer doing the dog sitting gig.  At least that's what they SAY.  My human says we push dog sitters into retirement.

It’s not easy to find a sitter - especially if the person reads my blog.  I'm not sure if this new sitter does.  Probably not.  I do know that my human sent her pages of instructions to look over before we meet her today.   Poor woman.  If she shows up, that will be a good sign. 

We have been instructed to be on our BEST behavior.  Whatever that is.   I'm betting my human will have pockets LOADED with goodies. You KNOW what we are like when we have visitors.  Total PONdemonium.  AND the leaping Picard.  No doubt my human will give us a quick brushing before the woman arrives.  That way at least we will LOOK presentable.

Stay tuned.  I'll let you know if we pass...or if she suddenly looks at her calendar and realizes she is "double booked..."

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!
Seizure free days: 65

The christening

Less than a minute.  That’s all the time it took for the newly painted deck to be christened.

My human has been waiting to let us out on the deck for over a week.  I’m not sure why - it was dry within hours.  I guess I know the reason.  She didn’t want us peeing on it.

She cleaned the BBQ, a favorite target and even went out and bought a new cover - so there would not be the pee smell from the old cover.  She debated whether she should ever let us out there - but that seemed silly.  So the other night she gathered us up- with her squirt gun in hand.  First she took us outside and made sure each of us had a big pee.  Then she brought us in, stood by the deck door and gave us the speech: “OK.  The deck is newly painted.  It took a lot of work.  It is fresh and clean.  I don’t want anyone peeing on it.  I have my squirt gun - so if any of you squirt, I will squirt.”  We all looked at each other and rolled our eyes. And then she opened the door.  And like cows being released from the barn after a long winter, we raced out.  And she followed, repeating “No peeing. No peeing.” 

Einstein raced to the BBQ with the new cover and inspected it.  My human threatened him with the gun.  He ran off.  I just walked around checking out the paint job.  She watched me and was trying to keep an eye on all three of us- like a goal tender at a soccer match.  And then , before she could blink she watched as the FG raced to the wall and lifted his leg.  She shouted “nooooooooooo”.  Too late.  The deck had now been christened.

She went inside to get a pan of soapy water to douse the offending puddle.  I should note that she looks at me and Einstein as she went in the get the water and said, “don’t even THINK about it.”  We kept our pee to ourselves.  For now.

Of course we then needed the obligatory new deck photo shoot.  We cooperated because the treats were good.

Next week the painting indoors will begin.  I can hardly WAIT for THAT adventure...

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 64

Who is smarter?

So here is evidence that food outweighs intelligence in us PONs.

We PONs are smart.  Super smart.  We can figure out puzzles, plan and execute escapes and we learn tricks in lightning speed - if treats are involved.  And they say we never forget.  But every day I watch Einstein and he does something that doesn’t appear he has learned something. Or that he is very bright.  Every day, every meal, we are fed the SAME way.  We each have our own meal location- and because the picky Picard is slower than us vacuum-PONs, he is fed in the front hall, with the door closed.  But we can see him because it’s a glass door.  And every single meal, my human looks to see if he has finished his meal, or if there are leftovers.  If there are leftovers, she holds back Einstein who is drooling at the door, she goes in and picks up the bowl.  We are never allowed his leftovers.  Ever.  So - if my human just opens the door, the bowl is empty.  Completely, totally empty.  I mean I’m talking not a crumb. And you would think Mr. Intelligentsia would KNOW the difference.  Door open equals no food.  Nope.  Einstein bursts through like there is a huge sirloin steak just sitting right there in the open.  EVERY time.  Now I confess, he is a bit smarter than me - but seriously- I don’t throw myself into that hall like I haven’t eaten in 3 weeks.  I know there is nothing there.  Sure - I’ll look around to see if he dropped a kibble, but I sure as heck don’t bolt into the room like I have been told there will be no more food for a week.  It’s crazy!

So I’m thinking...I have a blog.  I run away but always come back.  I don’t burst into a hallway for an empty bowl.  Maybe I’M the smarter one!!! Mind you, I DO eat dryer lint...

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days: 63

Dog news

Let’s see what is new in the world of dogs.  Let’s start with a couple of trending videos.

First off we have this story about the Golden gathering.   361 Golden retrievers gathered in Scotland to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the breed.  :

https://youtu.be/cuGmCd-Mjns

I wonder what would happen if you yelled “Goldie” or “Midas”.  Total pup-emonium.

I’m sure many of you have seen these cute videos- but even if you have, they are worth seeing again.  Seems old little boy has a great playmate:

https://youtu.be/QfDeKZQuZl8

https://youtu.be/NVvafcGAw_8

In other news,  we all know the dangers of leaving us canines in a hot car.  I can’t believe humans still need to be reminded of this. But some still do.  Meanwhile in Victoria, British Columbia, a couple came across a car with a dog lying on the seat very still.  They knocked on the windows.  No response. So they did what any intelligent person would do - they broke the car window.  Only problem?  Fluffy still didn’t move.  Turns out fluffy was a stuffed toy.  Oopsie.  Obviously a very real looking stuffed toy.  Stuffie’s owners now put labels on him indicating he is not real.  I suggest leaving Stuffie at home - he probably doesn’t REALLY need to go for a car ride.

That’s the latest.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days: 62

Space dogs

July 22. On this day in 1951, two dogs by the names of Dezik and Tysgan, made history as the first dogs to make a sub-orbital space flight.  They flew to a maximum altitude of 110 km. and they survived the flight. These two led the way for many other dogs from the USSR to fly in space.  Although these two were lucky on their maiden voyage, poor Dezik wasn’t so lucky on another flight just a week later with a dog named Lisa.  They sadly both died when their parachute didn’t open.  Tsygan was adopted by a scientist.

Some interesting facts about the flying canines....female dogs were used because of the design of the spacesuits and the way that they collected pee and poop. They had some kind of device that worked with females.  They usually used stray dogs because they felt they could tolerate the stresses of being on their own. They ate some kind of jelly-like protein and unfortunately, lots of dogs were constipated when they returned home.

I read that a dog named  Bobik ran away just days before his flight in September 1951.  Smart dog.  Must have been a PON. And note I said HIS. Mind you he wasn’t the only one to take off - a female by the name of Smelaya also took off the day before her flight.  But they found her - and off she went. Luckily, her flight was successful.

Let me tell you - nothing about this gig sounds the least bit appealing to me. It’s dangerous, you are in a confined space, you eat jelly AND you have to wear attire.  What part of this sounds like fun?  I guess in knowing that you contributed to science...Personally, I would rather be in an experiment testing different dog foods. Now that sounds like fun.

I think I’ll just keep my job as a household guardian.  And comedian.  I’m happy just to LOOK at the heavens!

My human was what some would call a blob yesterday.  She took us for long walks, and then did something she never does. She watched a video and took a nap.  On top of that it was a rainy day - so she had an excuse not to take us for more walks. Given how busy she has been lately with work, we let her have the day to be a human sloth.  But today is a NEW day. 

Time to get her moving!

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days: 61

Could have. Should have.

Today according to the Crazy Calendar is “Toss Away the Could Haves and Should Haves Day.”  This is 100% a day that is a purely human holiday.  Humans play the “could have” and “should have” game ALL the time.  They ponder the past.  They berate themselves for something they could have done, but didn’t.  They probably spend more time thinking about things they can’t change than they do thinking about living in the moment.  And enjoying that moment.

Unlike us dogs.  We are pretty much here and now kinds of creatures.  Sure - we do have memories that are imprinted in our brains. And we DO remember people and places and smells.  AND routines.  

But trust me.  Although I DO discuss my occasional lapse in manners and my odd bad behavior,  I REALLY don’t spend time thinking about could haves and should haves.  None of us dogs do.  And that’s probably why you don’t hear about lots of dogs having high blood pressure.  Or ulcers.  

It’s not to say one shouldn’t learn from past experiences- but as they say, once the front door is left open and the PON runs out,  no point in grumbling about it.  Just go and get the PON and take him for a walk!  Get over it!  Enjoy the sunshine.  Get some exercise. No point spending a half hour moaning that you  should have latched the front door.  Besides, Einstein would have probably opened it anyway!

So today all you past minded humans- give your mind a rest.  Enjoy every now moment.  Basically...act like a dog.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days:  60!!!!!

Naps

So according to the Crazy Calendar, today is Nap Day.  Really.  Hello?  EVERY day is Nap Day for us canines.  Did you know the average dog sleeps 12-14 hours each day?  That includes the time our human is sleeping and then all the naps we take during the day.  Here is a very cool Infographic that explains dog sleep:
https://barkpost.com/good/infographic-dog-sleeping-too-much/

You see that 45% of dogs sleep in their human's bed.  My human only recently left her sleeping post on the couch and returned to her bed.  Where she is joined by one or more of us throughout the night.  Actually, it has been a bit warm lately - so all of us have actually preferred to sleep on the floor.  She can only leave the pillows she is using on the bed - for fear one of us (namely me) will chew on any extra pillows.  It's a bit tricky to chew on pillows  while she is actually using them.

My human LOVES to nap - although she rarely does - she seems to always be busy, lately.  But really, she can pretty much fall asleep anywhere.  He colleagues at work often remarked that they don't enjoy her company while flying, because as SOON as her flight rolls away from the gate, she is sound asleep.

The dogs in this house are creatures of habit who wake my human up pretty much at the same time every day.  We know the drill.  And don't care if it is the weekend.  Surprisingly, the FG is not really a morning dog.  He's the last to get moving.  Mind you, when he starts, he never stops.

The ONLY time we PONs are slow to get up is when the weather is bad.  Like the other morning.  We heard the torrential downpour so when my human got up, NOBODY moved.  Usually we are doing the morning happy dance.  Nope.  Like statues we all pretended to be asleep.

Today my human ends what she calls a rewarding time at work.  A program comes to an end and while she will be sad to see it over, she IS looking forward to a break.  One more week and come August 1st, she will have time to actually take a nap!!!!!

If we let her....

Happy Friday!  Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!
Seizure free days: 59

Take a licking

 

July 19.  And according to the Crazy Calendar, it is Stick Out Your Tongue Day.  Which is strange, because once upon a time, it was not considered really polite to do so.   But today, it seems like people think it's a cool thing to do.  Go figure.

I know that we dogs LOVE to stick out our tongues when my human is doing a photo shoot.  It drives her crazy when, in a photo of the three of us, two are looking great and one of us is sticking out his tongue.

Anyway, to mark this day - let's look at some dog tongue facts.   Did you know that if a dog's tongue is blue - it could be a sign of lung or heart problem?  EXCEPT in  Chow Chows and Shar-Peis - who have blue or dark colored tongues all the time!

Contrary to popular belief, dog tongues are NOT cleaner than human tongues.  And the idea that we should lick our (or your)wounds to clean them is NOT a good plan.  Like humans we have lots of bacteria in our mouths - so licking does not promote healing.

When we stick our tongues out and are panting, it is a way that we use to cool ourselves off.  They say that when we pant, air is moved through our mouths and into our respiratory tract, bringing in moisture to cool us down.  

We actually have fewer taste buds in our tongues than humans - although we reportedly can taste sweet, sour, bitter and salty.  But we have less than 1/6 the number of taste buds than humans have.   Perhaps that explains my affinity for dryer lint....

We use our tongues to lick and convey emotions. We lick people (and other dogs) when we are happy and to show affection.  I LOVE to lick Einstein's face.  And do so whenever my human is not paying attention.  I REALLY like to do it right after she grooms him.  I have actually begun to lick the FG, but since I have always been a bit aloof with him, he isn't quite sure what to do if I lick him. His hair doesn't mess up as well as Einstein's hair - his always looks crazy - so it's not really as much fun to do.

They say that the size of a dog's tongue can affect his bark.   If size affects the AMOUNT of barking one does, Einstein must have a GIANT tongue.

So those are my crazy facts for today.  Gotta go -time to go lick Einstein.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 58

Toilet paper caper

So you all know that we have Big Brother in our house.  One of those webcam things that allows my human to check in on us throughout the day.  It actually sends her notifications if we even MOVE so we can't get away with much.  Mind you - she doesn't look at EVERY notification she gets - because she wouldn't get anything done at work!  But it is handy to check in - and if heaven forbid,  I have a seizure, she can check on me later in the day to see how things are going.

We also know that Big Brother can also reveal the culprit in home crimes.  Like tevealing the guy who stole the bananas and ate them, peel and all.  That would be me.  Or the guy who stole the oven mitt.  And shrededed it.  That was also me.  Hey.  I get bored.  What else can I say?

Now the only problem with Big Brother (from my human's point of view) is that it can't see everywhere.  Like the laundry room.  Which has the garbage can that holds the delectable dryer lint.  Usually the door is closed - but as we all know, sometimes it isn't latched all the way, lending easy access to dryer lint treats.  My favorite.  Again.  Hey.  I'm starting to look like the bad dog in this house.  Mind you, it WAS because of MY antics that this whole blog thing started...

Anyway,  the other day, the door just happened to have been left unlatched.  BUT - there was no dryer lint in the garbage can.  It was empty.   SO.  SOMEONE decided to attempt to remove the toilet paper from the roll.  The roll was pretty full, and in fact, it didn't even roll off that easyily.  Not that I'm saying it was ME who did it, but that was my observation.  And because there is no Big Brother to point the finger, my human couldn't accuse anyone.  Score.  Off the hook.  For that one anyway.

In the meantime, I did get busted for not one but TWO runaway episodes in the past week.  My human got home from work and let us out to pee.  And not once, but TWICE did I start heading back in the house, when the call of wild occurred.  The first time, my human put Einstein and the FG in the house and went to the neighbor's house to find me.  No luck.  She went to another neighbor's - lurking through yards trying to remain inconspicuous.  Good luck with that.  When she didn't find me - she went to get the car.  She drove up the road - but no sightings.  So she headed home.  And guess who had doubled back and was waiting at the door?!  Don't I LOVE doing that?!  Because I have her over a barrel - she can't get mad beacuse I have returned.

I did it again the other night - but this time, I met the neighbor.  He had just pulled down his driveway and here was my human coming from his backyard.  Oopsie.  I was put on leash and taken home.  

I think I'm being bad because I'm getting excited for her summer vacation.  Who am I kidding?  I'm just bad.  No.  Let's call it adventurous and entertaining.  Yeah.  Let's call it that...

Have a good one.Peace   and paws up.
Seizure free days: 57

Brain fart

What was she thinking?  Sometimes my human has what she refers to as a brain fart and she does something that clearly does not involve much thought...

Since the deck is pretty well finished, she is now on an “interior” decorating campaign.  She has decided she wants to paint the kitchen, dining room and hall.  It was just done a few years ago, but she never loved the color.  After it was done, she didn’t want to change it - because it was a big job.  One thing she learned was  that just holding a 2x2 inch color swatch up to a wall doesn’t REALLY give you the full idea about how the color will look on all the walls.  No kidding.

Anyway, this time she went to several paint places and brought home loads of little swatches.  But this time, when she picked her favorite, she decided to test the color first.  She bought a “sample can” to paint some on the walls to get a better idea about what it would look like.  Good idea.  Until the brain fart.

She brought the paint home and then took us out to pee- so she could concentrate on the task at hand.  We went out and came back in quickly because it was drizzling rain.  We all settled down to watch what she was about to do.  She got her brush, can opener and some newspaper to put under the can.  She picked a spot on the wall and painted about a one foot square.  Hmmmm.  She thought she liked it, but figured she should do more.  So she put more on and painted an area down to about three feet from the floor.  And of course, it was exactly at that point that the FG, fashion and decorating consultant, HAD to come over and put his nose right up to the wall- just as my human had stepped back to look at her work. “Aggghhh” she shouted.  Serious brain fart.  Did she honestly think he wouldn’t inspect it? He turned around with a newly decorated nose. 

After she quickly wiped the paint - which thankfully came off with water, from his nose, she THEN sequestered us for the 15 minutes it took the paint to dry.  I like the color.  It’s called PON gray.  Well that’s what I call it.

My human has a good friend who is going to help with the painting.  He offered to do it while she is working but she didn’t think it fair to subject him to dog wrangling while painting. She will soon be on vacation- so they’ll do it then.  I can hardly wait for the furniture moving.  I BET we will find some dog kibble under the sideboard from when she throws kibble to keep Einstein quiet in the mornings.  I’ll be right there when they move that thing.

Well it’s Tuesday and the last crazy busy Tuesday for my human at work.  Then she has an easier week - and as of August 1 - she is ON VACATION!!!  And we can’t WAIT!!!

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 56

Congratulations France!

Well the World Cup is over. And while we PONs were devastated because Poland was out of the running pretty early, the FG was pretty smug from the beginning.  And not only did France do well from the start - but they went on to WIN the World Cup!  The FG was pretty excited, so although we were disappointed for our national team, we were happy that someone in this house got to celebrate!

So in honor of France and their victory, let’s take a minute to pay tribute to French canines. Time for some trivia...

1.  This French breed is the Butterfly dog.

2.  This French breed is a large powerful breed that is also known as the French Mastiff.  There was one featured in the movie Turner and Hooch with Tom Hanks.

3.  According to the AKC, these three French Breeds must be shown with their double dewclaws. 

4. This bat-earred breed was developed by breeding bulldogs to French ratting dogs.

5. This active guy dog is a spaniel, although is said to perform in the field somewhat like a pointer or setter.

6. This large, floppy-earred breed has great scent detection abilities and can be used by police departments as a tracking dog.

7.  This short-legged scenthound also has long floppy ears and likes to hunt rabbits.

8.  This cute shaggy water retrieving breed is still relatively rare but is said to make a great family pet.

9. The initials for these shaggy hunting hounds are PBGV and GBGV.

10.  This is a small herding breed from a mountainous area of France.

11. This comical herding breed is a source of never ending entertainment in our house!

I’ve included 14  breeds here. There is also the French Spaniel which is said to be rare outside of France. Did you know that there were so many French breeds?  Let’s see how you did...

1.  Papillon 

2.  Ddogue de Bordeaux 

3.  Briard, Beauceron, and Great Pyrenees

4.  French bulldog

5.  Brittany

6.  Bloodhound

7.  Basset Hound

8.  Barbet

9.  Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen and Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen

10. Pyrenean Shepherd

11. Berger Picard

Congratulations to France.  Now if I can just convince my human that we should have some boeuf bourguigon to celebrate...

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 55

Herman. The snake.

Well we are moving to a highrise condo in the heart of the city.  The wilds of country living have finally become too much for my human.  With the bears, the deer, the crazy bunnies, the field mice, the black flies, and the porcupines, she has decided that city life would be much less adventurous.  And why the decision?  What drove her over the edge?  A snake.  Who is now residing somewhere in our garage.  

She got home from work the other night and instead of pulling into the garage, she parked the car outside -but opened the garage door.  As she went to go in, she immediately noticed a snake right at the entrance to the garage.  She raced in front of him to shoo him away, but he ducked just inside the door and went to hide under a bunch of stuff. Stuff being gardening tools, recycling bags and boards stored in the garage...just because.   She screamed because she couldn’t tell where he went.  But the good news - he was probably only 8-10inches long - and he was a harmless garter snake.  We have no poisonous snakes in Nova Scotia.  She chose to put him out of her mind because she knew that finding him would be like finding a needle in a haystack.  And she had dogs to walk, so searching for a snake was a low priority.  

The next morning as she was getting ready to head to work, she spotted him.  But by the time she grabbed a broom to shoo him out the door, he had disappeared.  We have not been allowed in the garage since the snake made himself at home.  I’m not sure why - as I said, he is not venomous.  I guess, though, that he could  become a lifeless shoelace if one of us got ahold of him.

Someone at my human’s work joked that maybe the snake was looking for a place to nest.  Needless to say, my human was no imprsssed with that idea.  She did bring in a search party of a few friends to look for Herman (that’s what I have named him.).But they didn’t find him.  

I wonder what life in a highrise wil be like.  Running down the halls.  Racing into elevators.  Jumping of the balcony.  JUST KIDDING.  We are not going anywhere.  But we DO have a snake - so you should see the loud dance that my human does each time she enters the garage.  We need to get a video of it.  I’m sure she will be Googling Snake Charmers any time now....

Never a dull moment.  I’m ok with Herman.  As long as he doesn’t get into my dog food bin....

Have a good one.   Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 54

Pandemonium Day. I am not kidding.

Today is July 14 and according to the crazy calendar, it is Pandemonium Day.  It is supposed to be a day to celebrate being unstuffy, to living in an unorganized, unplanned, uproarious way - for the day, anyway. To bascially "engage your inner child" and feel FREE.  That's what the website said.

My human laughed HYSTERICALLY when she read this.  Our entire LIFE is Pandemonium  - or what she refers to as PONdemonium.  No two days are EVER the same.  Or calm.  Beginning with someone counter surfing, or Einstein barking out orders, or someone sneaking into the garbage and eating dryer lint, or me standing at the garage door staring at it and willing it to open so I can race in to look for dog food.... Or then we have the FG licking Einsteins' private parts - while Einstein is at the water bowl sloshing it everywhere - and my human is racing for the squirt gun to stop him.   We have the alarm going off to remind her to give me my pills.  And the staring threesome who drool while waiting for her to share her banana.  After which the FG rubs his face along every cupboard and  wall.  He's even knocked over chairs while rubbing his face.  And then we have the three of us rolling on the new, clean carpet.  So far the edges have remained intact.  So far.

And all of this has happened BEFORE 7 AM.

And somebody invented a DAY to celebrate being spontaneous?   Let them spend a week with us.  Make that a day.  They'll be proclaiming the Need for Rest and Silence Day.

Anyway - if you DO live a sedate, organized, calm life - go out and be crazy today.  And if you're not sure how to do it - give us a call.

Have a good one.  Peace and pawsup!
Seizure free days: 53

"Un" bearable....

More neighborhood excitement.  It was Wednesday morning.  It was cool and foggy when we went out for our morning walk at 5:15.  In fact, the street lights were still on because the skies were overcast too.  We trotted up our driveway and that's when we first spotted the carnage.

Wednesday is garbage day.  And in addition to regular garbage, it is also green bin organics collection day.  As soon as we got 3/4 way up the driveway and we had a clear view of the road, we noticed that our neighbor's green bin had been knocked over.  And someone had been rummaging through - resulting in a stinky mess on the road.  Obviously Mr. Bear was back.  Across the road, another green bin was also knocked over.  With similar messy results.  My human kept us on SHORT leashes - after all, what could be more irresistible to a PON than stinky garbage.  As we wandered up the road, it was evident that only two out of seven cans were left standing.  We had not put out our green bin - that had been emptied a few nights before.  It was evident by the carnage that Mr. Bear had thoroughly enjoyed his buffet.  And now the crows were shouting out the news about leftovers and helping themselves to the treats.

My human texted the neighbors to give them the heads up - although she felt a bit guilty about being the bearer (no pun intended) of the bad news so early in the morning.  Happy breakfast.

When the FG went for his walk, my human had to again steer clear of the crow smorgasbord.

It looks like green bins will have to stay in garages until Paddington moves on.  I honestly thought that he was gone after we saw him the first time, but evidently he is enjoying the neighborhood soup kitchen too much.   And imagine his delight when the bins were all conveniently lined up for him!! I would have liked to have been riding down the road to see him during the feast.  Note I said riding - IN the car.

I'll keep you updated about any sitings.  Now.  We just need to see a moose...

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure fee days: 52

Thoreau

July 12.  And today is the birthday of Henry David Thoreau.  He was an American writer, naturalist, and historian who believed in simple living but also was a political activist who wrote about Civil Disobedience.  The term refers to nonviolent resistance to government policies. Seems like a term well asssociated with the canines in this house.  So we had to salute him.

I don’t know if Thoreau ever owned a dog.  But he had a few dog quotes (according to the internet...) and also many other thought provoking quotes.  Thought I would just share a few today. Hope you enjoy them!

Have a good one! Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days: 51

Pet Photo Day

It’s Wednesday, July 11 and according to the crazy calendar, it’s All American Pet Photo Day. OK.  So we live in Canada.  But really, EVERY day in this house is Pet Photo Day. My human has taken literally thousands of photos of us.  And her friends on Facebook are subjected to them - all the time. And NOW we have an Instagram account.  Which is yet another way to inundate the public with yet another shot of one, two or in a miracle moment, all three of us.  My human is not a photographer.  She has friends and family members who have REAL cameras and take serious photos- and they are professionals .  My human uses her iPhone.  For ALL the photos she posts. Once upon a time she had a camera.  That used something called film.  I thought that film was the scuzzy olfactory art we dogs leave on windows. Anyway, she now uses her phone for all photos.  It’s light.  It’s easy to carry. And she can whip it out in a second, while we are innocently minding our own business.  Sure she DOES try to set us up for shots, but it’s like herding a pack of toddlers who just ate too much sugar at grandma’s house.  Besides the challenge of getting us to remain stationary, you THEN have the challenge of getting all three of us to look at you.  For every cute photo that is posted, 439 others were also taken that didn’t turn out so cute.  But trust me, these photo shoots do not go on for long- we are unionized and when one of us quits for the day, we’ll we pretty much all quit. Despite the challenge, she loves it.  And she started thinking if she had to pick her top 10 photos to date- what would she pick.  Well here they are.  Many are not technically fancy, and may even be a bit blurry.  But there is something about these shots that she really loves.  And trust me, this was NOT easy to do...and they are in no particular order...

The photo at the start of this blog is me saying “Seriously- you don’t have enough photos of us yet?!”  And I fear she doesn’t.  But hey - the treats are good for the photo shoots....

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 50 

Oh.  And if you haven’t seen ENOUGH pictures of us, you can follow us on Instagram @frodopon.  Yes, there are photos on there that don’t always appear on Facebook.  Great.  Now she needs photos for BOTH sites.  Better stock up on those treats!!!!!

He's baaaaaaaaack

Sunday night my human was getting ready for bed.  In fact, she was IN bed - but checking owl sounds on her iPad.  Yes - you read that correctly.  Owl sounds.  Why?  Because she was just dozing off - and could hear an owl outside.  It's not the first night she has heard him - but she wanted to figure out what kind of owl it was.  Is it any wonder we dogs have attention deficit problems - look at our human.  Anyway, she was playing a bunch of owl calls and determined that it was a Barred owl.  Maybe.  She's no ornithologist.

As she was playing the calls on her iPad, the FG suddenly sprang up, raced to the kitchen and gave out THE most fierce big dog bark I have EVER heard him do. We all know that Einstein aka the Canine Crier is the one who intiates barking in this house.  For EVERYTHING.  But it was the FG who started this, quickly followed by Einstein - who ran after him into the kitchen.  I stayed in the bedroom with my human - no point in all of us doing guard duty.

 My human figured that were just reacting to her playing the owl sounds on the iPad.  So she told them to settle down - and after a few more woofs, they slowly came back to bed.  And it was a peaceful night.

HOWEVER, we found out the next morning that the FG and Einstein DID hear something besides the owl sounds.  And there was clear evidence about what they heard.   Our garbage cans and green organics bin were all knocked over.  It appears Mr. Bear may be back in the neighborhood.  We thought he had moved on - but clearly he has come back.  So we have to be on alert again.

The weather forecast is a BIT ominous for Thursday.  It could be a Tropical Storm.  It could be a hurricane.  Or it could be a few showers.  Surprisingly the weatherman didn't throw in blizzard and sunny skies just to cover all bases.  All I know is that if it involves rain, we PONs will NOT be impressed.

Today the forecast is beautiful - so we'll take it.
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 49

Canine Crier

It’s Monday, July 9 and it’s International Town Criers Day.  Town Criers have been around since Ancient Greece - announcing everything from proclamations of war, to truces to later announcements about local news and events.  They were eventually replaced by newspapers- and today they serve primarily in a ceremonial role.

I have to share news about the recently appointed Town Crier for Halifax Olde Town .  He is a young man by the name of Will Brewer.  And Will has made history in Canada being the first Town Crier who happens to have Down Syndrome.  He is excited about his new role - and it’s great to see special individuals being recognized for their skills.  Oyez Will - well done.

Now they just need a canine designate for a Town Crier, too.  And we ALL know who would win.  Hands down.  Einstein.  My human has just begun to realize how vocally demanding he is.  Sometimes I think when you live with it all the time, you don’t even notice it any more. I’ve told you before how he barks out meal preparation instructions- AND he barks almost incessantly when my human takes the FG for his morning walk.  My human tries to sneak up on him while he is barking so she can sternly tell him “no,” but he always stops when he hears her coming.  She even tied the FG to a tree halfway up the driveway one day so she could sneak up on Einstein.  She waited silently outside the door,  but he heard her.  So he was quiet... she started to go back up the driveway to get the FG, untied him and the canine Crier again started his proclamation. She raced back down the driveway. And he stopped.  Someone should video those two.

Well I am happy to announce that the deck is DONE.  Thanks to two great friends, who seem to enjoy painting - my human is happy once again.  The deck has a new coat of solid stain and looks marvelous.  And no paws prints through wet stain.  Now we get to see who will be the first to pee on it...

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 48

Yard sale

Yesterday we were up and out at our usual 5AM.  We are creatures of habit-,and we don’t care that it’s Saturday. We just know it’s a new day - and we are happy to get rolling .  Like we dogs do every day. Humans should follow our lead on this.

After our morning constitutionals, we ate and my human did too.  Then she invited me to come into the garage.  Einstein shouted “no - don’t go.  It’s a trap!!” But did I listen?  Nope.  And the next thing I knew-I was on the grooming table. An hour later we emerged -with one much nicer looking PON and a tired human. She didn’t plan to do Einstein, but looked at him and knew she had to do it.  She lured him into the garage they they emerged 90 minutes later with a new dog.  Elroy was next, but his time was much shorter.

When we all fluffified, and she had finally taken a shower (grooming is hard work) she took me and Einstein out.  Again.  

We didn’t know where we were going , but it wasn’t long before we noticed a bunch of cars parked at Jackson’s house.  The neighborhood yard sale.  Where humans try to sell things from home and then end up buying more stuff from other people.  Another brilliant human idea.

My human wasn’t organized enough to take things to sell.  Heaven knows we could probably sell one of the many sizes of dog crates we own.  But she couldn’t get her act together to take things up there at the crack of dawn for the sale.  BUT she decided, with some trepidation to take us up there.  She told us she was going to put “FREE” signs on us. Funny. 

 I think she figured that after all that grooming, someone ought to see her efforts. She was a little nervous that Einstein might scare away prospective buyers with his “welcome” bark- but he surprised her by remaining silent.  He even allowed a few shoppers and neighbors to pet him- although he was more interested in checking the contents of the tables for possible food items.  We were kept on short leashes for fear we  might pee on a table. But we actually settled in quite well and stayed for about a half hour without any problems at all.  Then it was the FG’s turn to head over...

He was kept on a VERY short leash.  Although he is more sociable than a politician seeking election- he has this vice called “jumping.”  He has to be reminded to keep all four paws on the ground.  While my human envisioned yard sale items flying, he was also very well behaved.  Several people asked what he was.  A “Coyote- wolfhound a doodle” my human answered.  Just kidding.

So we all enjoyed socializing with the neighbors and were well behaved.  I did note, though, that she didn’t take us back to the BBQ in the evening.  Now THAT would have been chaos.  Then again, maybe we would have behaved....Who am I kidding?  Hamburgers and snacks readily available?  Yup.  It would have been chaos...

Maybe next year...

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days: 47

Ordinary days

For all my loyal blog followers, you know that I share our stories daily.  And let’s face it - we three canines provide plenty of material to write about.  And when we aren’t being bad (rarely) we share history and crazy events that all include some connection to dogs.  But every now and then we have an ordinary day - and the world news is either too dismal to share, or nothing overly cool has occurred in canine circles.

And today is one of those ordinary days. No bears.  No chewed carpets (so far...).  No  counter surfing escapades.   No grooming torture.  Pretty ordinary stuff.  

Although there IS something to celebrate- and something that I was actually nervous about writing- for fear of jinxing things.  It’s my counter.  Several of you have noticed that we are up to 46 seizure-free days.  Which is a record - given that the longest stretch in quite a few months had been 42 days.  It seems we have found the right combination of drugs for me - including my CBD oil.   The difficult thing about epilepsy is the “right” combination can vary from dog to dog.  And we all know that things can change in an instant - so we are happy about each and every seizure-free day.

A kind list member on a Facebook page for PONs,  sent us some info about research that is being done on canine epilepsy in Switzerland.  My humaand now has a contact there - and will be contacting them to find out more info.

So today maybe nothing crazy exciting will happen to you.  But that also means that nothing bad happened either!  Sometimes we forget to be grateful for “ordinary” days.   And when you think about it - ordinary can actually be quite extraordinary!!

Have a good, ordinary day. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 46

A birthday

July 6.  And today is the birthday of Tenzin Gyatso.  Don’t know who that is?  It’s the Dalai Lama - the spiritual leader of Tibetans and monk from the School of Tibetan Buddhism.  He turns 83 today - and is a popular guy.  He won the Nobel Peace prize in 1989.  He is a peace loving charismatic man, who happens to have  his own pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

And did you know that when he was forced to flee Tibet in 1959, he took his dog with him?  And the breed? A Tibetan Terrier, by the name of Senge.  I read that when he lived in Tibet he also had eight Tibetan Mastiffs that served as guard dogs.  That’s 

 a lot of dogs - especially when you see that even ONE Tibetan Mastuff is a lot of dog! Clearly he’s a dog lover...mind you - I think he loves ALL animals.  But still- I didn’t read that he took his cat with him when he fled.  If he owned a cat....

The Dalai Lama has many wonderful words of wisdom and loads of quotes.  But I’ll just share two with you today.  Enjoy.

Wise words from a wise man.  Who, of course, happens to like dogs...

Have a good one. Peace and paws up! 

Seizure free days: 45

In the doghouse

Here is a BRILLIANT idea.  Wish I had thought of it....

We all know that dogs should NOT be left in cars during the hot sumer weather.  For even a few minutes.  And yet sometimes, you want to take Fido along with you while you go to run errands.  Well.  A woman and man in the US came up with an idea.  It's called DogSpot and it is basically air conditioned little dog houses that are popping up in cities across America.  For $19.99/month or .30 a minute, you can leave Fido safe and secure in one of the dog houses, while you run in to grab a bite or to do some shopping.  You operate the dog house from an app on your phone - and you can see what Fido is doing while you leave him.  The dog houses self-clean using UV light after each use and apparently are also manually cleaned daily. In the winter they are heated.

https://dogparker.com/

I think it's a good idea for a quick little stay.  Mind you, we would probably be barking the whole time.  And knowing my neurotic human, she would still be in a panic that the system would break down and we would be trapped.   Did I mention that she is neurotic?  Still, it does provide a place to keep a dog safe, secure and cool for a short time.

We have found the weather this week VERY hot- although I KNOW there are places with temperatures way above ours.  But it has definitely limited our activities outdoors.  That being said,  the FG has a great new habit.  While walking around the yard (on a long line) he will suddenly dive headfirst into the grass and ROLL.  And ROLL.  And then when my human tries to get him to move - he SPRINGS up, puts his tail between his legs and BOLTS.  So far she has managed to hold onto the leash - but you KNOW it is just a matter of time before he is free.  And I'm thinking he will head for the lake....

I think we need to see if we can get those air conditioned dog houses for inside our house.  I can see three of those in the dining room...Why not?  We have pretty much taken over the house anyway. Our house IS a dog house.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 44