Treat courier

Yesterday I was a treat courier.  And I didn't even know it.

In the morning, after we had been out and we had our breakfasts, my human was eating hers and reading the morning paper.  The day had started off brilliantly by human standards - no rain and three good poops.  Heaven.  Anyway, as my human was drinking her much needed coffee,  she looked over at Einstein.  Who was acting quite odd. 

We usually have our routine.  After we share licks of her yogurt container, and we we get pieces of her banana (sometimes she thinks we get more of the banana than she does), we let her have her breakfast.  I almost always lie down and start chewing on a bone, Einstein starts licking himself and the FG watches both of us.  But yesterday, Einstein could not settle down.  He was pacing.  And he would lie down and get back up.  And he paced again.  With his nose in the air.  And his pacing was taking place around me. 

My human looked at him and told him to "settle down."  That worked as well as saying "Be Quiet” when he is having a bark-a-thon.  He just kept his nose in the air and kept walking.  Around me.  Around me again. She finally got up to look around to see what he could be sniffing.  All the time he was still circling me, I was just lying there, watching the two of them. 

She looked on the floor.  Nothing to see.  She looked under a side table.  Nothing to see.   But finally, she discovered what old "Mr Scenting" was smelling.

While she takes the FG out each morning on his walk, to keep Einstein and me occupied (and really, to keep Einstein quiet) she tosses kibble around the floor under the dining room table.  We rush around to scoff it up and things are quiet - until we find all the kibble and then Einstein still starts barking to demand their return.  Well yesterday, as she was tossing kibble like a farmer haphazardly sowing seeds, she threw some and a few pieces landed on my back.  They were quickly camouflaged in my coat- so she didn't see them when she came back in. 

But Einstein could smell them.  He KNEW there was food in the vicinity - and he was determined to find it. 

My human removed the pieces from my coat and gave one to Einstein and one to yours truly. She was surprised I didn't shake them off.  Little did she know, I had been SAVING them for later!

Now she's thinking she REALLY should enroll him in some scent classes.  Here we go again - some NEW training idea.  That lasts all of two weeks. 

Yes - retirement is going to be VERY interesting.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 3

Stats

We found some interesting statistics this week about us canines- so I would thought I would share them with you.

Recent estimates suggest that there are over 900 million dogs in the world. That’s more dogs than there are people in Canada - which has a population of 36 million.  Heck it’s even more than the population of the United States - which is around 327 million people!

Interestingly, 75-85% of that 900 million is made up of  “free range” dogs - or dogs that have no comfy sofa to sleep on each night. That’s over 675 million little hobos.  Wow.  Who knew?!  Statistics say that 200 million of that 675 million are strays - dogs that were socialized before becoming free range.  That’s different from the other free range dogs who are feral - and never had human contact.

The following is a ranking that I found in the World Atlas, about the number of dogs by country.  The country with the most dogs is the US - with over 75 million.  Next comes Brazil with about 36 million.   Next is China with over 27 million and Russia with 15 million.  In the fifth spot is Japan with 12 million.

When we look at the population of Mammals on earth - the top 4 spots are filled by Squirrels, Bats, Mice and rats.  They don't have a number for them - but they know they are the top 4.  Ewwww.   Humans come next with 7.6 billion followed by....are ya ready...cows at 1.5 billion, sheep at 1.1 billion and pigs at 1 billion.  And of course, next we have us canines at 900 million.   We beat out cats at a mere 600 million.   Given all those cows and sheep - we herding breeds will never be out of work.  And given all the vermin in the top 4 spots, there is plenty to keep those terriers busy.

While poking around for these statistics, I found this cool map.  Check it out:
https://www.doggiedrawings.net/map

I had to make sure it included PONs and Picards.   Of course, we were there.

Given the HUGE population of us canines,  it's no wonder we have so much power over you humans.  Admittedly, many dogs do not live the life of those of us in the "canine elite."  They have to fend for food and find shelter.  I guess the next time I think about running off - I should consider the consequences.  But many of us have it pretty good. I mean think about it...you feed us, groom us (which is the ONE thing I would be happy to do without), you take us to the vet, you pick up our poop.   Seriously - we DO have it pretty good. 

Remind me to be nice to my human today.  Our should I say, my servant...

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 2

WHOA!

Did you ever have one of those moments when you say - "WHOA - THAT was close!"   Like when your car slides on ice - and you JUST miss hitting that guardrail.  Or your dog grabs a toy - narrowly missing your finger.  Or you drop your phone - and gingerly turn it over to see that the screen has NOT cracked.  Or a dog suddenly lunges at your dog while on leash - and your dog is JUST out of reach.  Or you open the front door and there is a bunny on the lawn and your dogs are off leash, but the bunny runs away before your dogs see him.  Or you think you are out of dog food - and the store is closed - BUT - there is still another small bag in the cupboard.  (That's a HUGE "Whoa.").  Well yesterday my human had one of the BIGGEST "Whoa" moments ever.

As you know, my human is back to work this week.  She very much enjoys her work - but she knows - as do we, that it is time to retire.  And she has this sneaking feeling that I keep telling her that.  Notice that every time she goes back to work, I have a seizure?  Or so it feels like it...

Anyway, we got up at 4:30 yesterday and went for our walks as usual. The typical routine.   We had breakfast.  She had breakfast.  She had her shower.  And as she was getting ready to leave, she handed me one of the pill pockets containing 3 of my 4 pills.  And who knows why, but I missed taking it from her hand and it dropped to the floor.  Einstein was standing next to me.  And being the ever-ready vacuum that he is, Einstein picked it up.... In all my life, I have never, ever, EVER seen my human react so quickly. She grabbed his mouth, tilted his head down, shouted "DROP IT" - and ploop - out dropped the pill pocket.  I honestly don't think Einstein even knew what happened or had a chance to even TASTE the pill pocket. My human scooped it up and gave it to me.  All of this happened in probably 2.3 seconds.  "WHOA!" she said as she let out a huge breath.  THAT could have been disastrous.

Typically, my human is not that quick in the morning.  But THAT got her blood running. Talk about luck.  I suggested she get a lottery ticket.

It's hump day!!!!  Let’s hope for limited “Whoa” moments all around today!!!

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 1

VW

May 28. And on this day in 1937, the German car manufacturer, Volkswagen was founded. 

We have a VW - and his name is Ludwig.  He is a Golf.  And everyone said he would be too small to hold all of us.  Well - everyone was wrong.  We can put a crate to hold the FG in the back, and then we PONs can easily fit behind the crate.  IF we choose to stay there.  I would MUCH prefer to be in the passenger seat and I DO try desperately to worm my way to the front - resulting in barricades created by my human.  You would be surprised how I am able to make my way through even the smallest gap.  If we are not going for a really long drive, she will, on occasion leave the crate at home - and just let us all stay loose in the back.  She actually did that on Sunday.  It was raining and we were all bored.  She needed to meet someone for a drug deal - and decided to take us with her.  OK.  Lower your eyebrows.  The drug deal was kind of sad.

A friend had her lovely female Doberman go to the Rainbow Bridge rather suddenly a few weeks ago.  Her dog had been taking some medication like I take  - and she kindly offered it to my human.  So we went to meet in a parking lot to pick it up.  It was very much appreciated...

We have PLENTY of room in Ludwig.  It is a bit of a gong show though.  I am always looking at a way to get in the front seat, Einstein is snorting and making olfactory art on the window which is only open 2 inches, and the FG squeaks, and occasionally screams to be let out.  Good times.  By the time we were headed home, we had all settled down.  And then didn't want to get out.

So now for some fun.  Who KNEW that Volkswagen liked dogs?  Well - at least they have dogs in many commercials.  They know what sells.

Here are a few fun examples that I found:

The first two are for Star Wars fans:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL3V7wSnUFI

https://vimeo.com/91011657

Then we have this crazy dog - advertising parts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXlj4wO2_jY

This crazy dog wants to BE a VW:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK3TS4gDHyI

These guys prefer to ride rather than run:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCHpgOxDqTc


And here we have my favorite - a breed for every make of VW:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-jVlQK6eJk

Now.  They need to make one featuring PONs and Picards.  Maybe they could use Ludwig.  But first they would have to clean the olfactory art off the windows....

Have a good one!  Peace and paws up!
Seizure free days: 0 My human went back to work yesterday.....

One more bark

My human and Einstein have this ongoing battle. I call it the bark off.  He barks at her. And she barks at him.  Well - her “barking” consists of “Enough.  Frodo STOP.  Frodo QUIET.  ENOUGH.”  He looks right at her and barks right back.  

But lest you think he doesn’t understand her, she tried a couple of little experiments this week.

While she goes into the garage to get our food, Einstein stands at the closed door, urging her to “Hurry up.”  If she throws open the door, he stops.  So this week while he was shouting out orders- instead of saying any of the things listed above, she said in a calm voice (from inside the garage) “Ok Frodo.  ONE more bark and I am NOT coming out.  You know there is a door in here.  I will either leave or stay in here the rest of the day.”  Like she REALLY would. Anyway, dead silence.  He just stood and stared at the closed door.  HE UNDERSTOOD her.  And he wasn’t taking any chances.  Now as soon as she opened the door, he told her “hurry up,”. But while she was getting our bowls prepared, it was silence. For several minutes.

The next day, after she emerged with our bowls, she took them to the counter to put in one of my medications.  He started up his loud instructions.  She said “One more bark.  Just ONE more.  And no breakfast for you. I MEAN it.”   Dead silence.  DEAD silence.  You really have no idea how remarkable that is. 

He CLEARLY understands the concept of “one more bark.”  He also knows the line “I’m getting the gun.”  Now before anyone reports her to the police or animal control, it’s a SQUIRT gun. Just lifting it up stops any barking.  You know Einstein and me when it comes to water.

He’s a pretty smart guy.  He CLEARLY understands what she is saying - I’m not sure why she was surprised with the results of these experiments.  When it comes to food, we PONs listen.  We dogs listen to EVERYTHING you say and ask.  But how we choose to respond - well that’s another story.  

I should also note that we understand and employ the method of intermittent reinforcement.  We do something, and you humans THINK you have trained us.  You THINK that by talking to us, we will behave a certain way.  And sure- we do it for a bit- just to reinforce you.  But trust me - we ARE in control.  We are in TOTAL control.  Don’t ever forget that....I can’t WAIT to see what we train her to do next!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 13

Stuff

Today on this day in 1907, a man by the name of Marion Mitchell Morrison was born. Don’t recognize the name?  You may be more familiar with his acting name - John Wayne.  My human just started thinking, though, that young people may not remember John Wayne - because he died in 1979 - which somehow is 40 years ago.  She really IS old - because she can remember going to John Wayne movies as a kid. She had a good friend whose father LOVED John Wayne movies- so he would take my human and her friend in their family station wagon to the drive-in to watch John riding horseback in the old west, or battling enemies in wartime films. Now besides the fact that John Wayne was not his REAL name, he also went by a famous nickname. Anybody remember?  It was “the Duke.”  But do you know HOW he got that name? Finally a dog connection.  When he was a kid, his family had an Airedale Terrier.  And the dog’s name was Duke.  He and the dog were referred to as Big Duke and Little Duke.  And the nickname stuck. So there is your useless John Wayne trivia on his birthday. Yipee Ki Yay. Whatever that means.

My human had “one of those mornings” yesterday when you want to go back to bed.  But don’t worry- we didn’t let her. It started with my blog...One of my loyal readers contacted my human to ask where my ads went.  They disappeared.  Well.  While the internet is a wonderful tool, and somebody makes it run, I’m here to tell you that you can’t ever talk to those people in cyberspace. They don’t REALLY exist.  Anyway, after much moaning and groaning,  it doesn’t look like we were the only ones to lose our ads - and who knows if it will be fixed.  They never did fix that Pageview problem that we had last year...

Meanwhile, after she battles the computer, the FG decides it will be a day of fasting.  This is after his walk.  He does that every now and then- and then the next day he eats everything in his bowl.  My human just looks at him with exasperation.

While he was out for his walk, SOMEBODY went downstairs and pooped on the carpet.  Not an easy task as it required knocking down a gate and then avoiding the MOSTLY tiled floor, and picking a spot on the small area carpet. Oh joy oh happiness.

Then as she was dashing out the door to get a psychological haircut (that’s when she doesn’t really NEED a haircut, but it makes her feel better) she couldn’t find her car keys.  Trust me - I didn’t take them.  

Anyway, despite the rocky start to the day with these HUGE annoyances (I must admit I’m smirking), I’m happy to report that she came home feeling better.  And ta da - no new tick discoveries!   The Italian restaurant approach seems to be working!!!

Today we will relax as we know she heads back to WORK tomorrow.  But this is IT.  Her last week. And I have a strange feeling that once this week is over, some of these HUGE annoyances won’t seem nearly as big....

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 12

Flying high

So today is the birthday of Igor Sikorsky.  You know Igor.  He’s the guy who built the world’s first mass-produced helicopter. He reportedly pioneered the rotor mechanism used by most helicopters today.  So the name Sikorsky is pretty much synonymous with helicopters.

So how can I connect dogs and helicopters? Well. I found this story about a quirky bulldog named Bentley.  When I started watching this video, I was VERY sad for Bentley.  You’ll see what I mean - he has major “issues.”   I started wondering why he does what he does, and wondered if maybe it was a visual problem.  He behaves very oddly.  But then as the video goes on, you see that despite his “quirks”- he is leading a pretty awesome life.  Check him out:

https://youtu.be/61YY8emngPU

Then we have those canines who ride in helicopters for work purposes.  The first is a Search and Rescue video and the second is a Police Department video: 

https://youtu.be/A1oKwu0ViT0

https://youtu.be/MRpmLbMk344

Personally, I’m quite happy to keep all 4 paws on the ground. 

Have a happy Saturday!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 11

Bits and pieces

So today we have some bits and pieces...

First off, if you happen to be in our neck of the woods and you think you are smelling an Italian restaurant in the air- it’s really us.  We have started eating our garlic tablets again- so we smell like a Caesar salad or a plate of aglio olio pasta, and our tick spray makes us smell a bit like a shot of Limoncello.  Yup.  We smell yummy. Let’s hope none of the ticks are Italian...  

Next, we had a visitor the night before last. A visitor who knocked over our garbage can, our green bin AND the can with all the dog poop bags. I’m thinking it was not a rabbit. What a disappointment for him when he opened that dog poop can. I think he pulled out some of the bags just to show his displeasure.  We never heard a thing...

And lastly, remember my human’s good friend Joanie?  The one who has gone with ALL THREE OF US to the baseball field.  The one who had a bloody nose from the FG.  The one who is an EXTREMELY good and patient friend.  Well Joanie has a dog named Jaxon.  He is a rescue - and he bears a striking resemblance to a PON. 

Well.  Guess who Jaxon met the other night?  Spike.  Yup.  Jaxon had a run in with a porcupine.  Of course it happened on a weekend. At bedtime.   But luckily, Jaxon has a good vet who agreed to meet them at the vet clinic.  Poor Jaxon had over 80 quills removed.  He had to be knocked out to have it done - some were imbedded pretty badly- I won’t get into the graphic description.   Suffice to say, he was feeling pretty poorly the next day, but was fine the day after that.  Been there - so I feel his pain.  It’s obviously “that time of the year” for wildlife.  Bunnies...porcupines...bears....ticks...black flies... makes a guy want to stay indoors. Suuuure it does...

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 10

Good luck

According to the crazy calendar, today is something called Lucky Penny Day.  Except in Canada.  Because we no longer HAVE pennies.  And do you know WHY we no longer have pennies?  Because Canada was SO concerned about us canines - and the fact that IF we eat pennies it can result in something called coin toxicity - that they stopped making pennies.  OK.  That's not entirely true.  Yes - eating pennies CAN be dangerous to dogs.  But Canada didn't really stop minting them for that reason.  They just got tired of counting small digits. And they decided to "round things up."  Or down.  And Canadians got tired of carrying around the extra weight in pockets and purses.   It had nothing to do with dogs.  But we COULD start an urban legend...

But back to pennies, and coins in general.  Because many coins are made of zinc, swallowing them can result in toxicity.  Here is a great website that talks all about coins and what happens when they are swallowed:
https://wagwalking.com/condition/coins-poisoning

When writing this blog, I found this story about a terrier who ate 111 pennies.  Yes -111.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1e81eZY1MI

It's an old story and I don't know if any dog since then has been foolish enough to eat more.  It is NOT a record I advocate that ANYONE attempt to break.

We had a lucky day yesterday.  Kind of.   Well - we THOUGHT we were lucky.  But my human kind of tricked us.

She got up early (well, WE got her up early at 5AM) and we had our walks and breakfast.  We noticed that SHE wasn't preparing HER breakfast, so we knew something was up.  Turns out she was meeting an old friend for breakfast.  That's where we dogs differ from you humans.  You can totally enjoy sharing a meal with a friend and catching up on news. A meal can last for HOURS.  If we dogs were to get together with our friends for a meal, the encounter would be over in 45.8 seconds.  At least if it was two PONs getting together.  Two Picards?   That could last longer.  While they look at one another and decide if they WANT to eat.

Anyway, when she got home, we were raring to go.  So she took us out for pees and then, much to our surprise, loaded us into Ludwig.  SCORE!  Road trip.  But she totally fooled us.  To "entertain us" she just drove us down the road to the MAILBOX. Seriously.  BIG deal.  When she saw the disappointment on our faces, she drove us to the gas station to get gas.  Whoopee. Mind you, we were so excited for the drive, it DID tire us out.  A BIT.  Our lives could definitely be made into a sitcom.  Picture the three of us going MAD as we get into the vehicle.  And my human threatening me within and inch of my life if I ATTEMPT to get into the passenger seat.  When we go on these short excursions, we are all loose in the back. For any REAL drive, the FG is in a crate, and we ride behind the crate.  Not that I still don't try to collapse my body like a mouse to fit myself around the crate and into the passenger seat.  I'm a front seat driver.  Or I try to be - but she won't let me.  So I was relegated to the back with the riffraff yesterday.  Good times.

Anyway - don't eat any pennies today - but I do hope you have a lucky day.  And may your drives go further than the gas station....
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 9

Fetch it.

So my human is curious.  Are all PONs good retrievers?   I LOVE retrieving SO much that my human loses count as to how many times she has thrown the fetch toy.   She looked to see if there is some kind of record for the number of retrieves performed by a dog.  But she couldn’t find one.  Maybe I could win it!   Mind you, to win, any dog would have to keep going until he or she is exhausted. Einstein plays along for around 20 throws and then he carries the toy to the front door. He is letting her know he has had enough.

Obviously, all the retriever breeds are great at it - hence the name.  And there are other breeds known for fetching including Springer Spaniels, Miniature Schnauzers, Standard Poodles, and the all-around working, fetching, thinking machines - the Border Collies. 

And speaking of those guys, my human saw this video recently, and was just fascinated by it.  These puppies are just 4 weeks old.  You may have seen it - but even if you have, it’s worth another look...

https://youtu.be/ZFZkBiQu31w

Isn’t that amazing?  My best talent at 4 weeks of age was eating.  It’s still my best skill.

We had rain on and off yesterday.  So team fetching was out.  It is when my human throws a fetch toy for me and as I run to get it, she throws a second toy for Einstein.  It’s perpetual team fetching.  What a great way to tire us out. And my human basically stands in one place. Pretty easy for her.

And then we have the dog who THINKS he would like to fetch - and he DOES bring it back.  If he’s on a leash.  But his enthusiasm drops after about the 4th try.  Which makes me wonder if any Picards, in general, LOVE to fetch?  I think they would much rather watch the game.  Very intently.

No major rain in the forecast for today.  THANK goodness.  We are getting tired of being soggy dogs.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 8

More tick stuff

A lazy, rainy day yesterday.   Some of you may have seen my photo on Facebook.  It was not funny.

  

The good news- no new tick discoveries.  Could be due to the fact that my human started spraying that Atlantik stuff on our collars and on our harnesses.  One of the main ingredients is lemongrass.  So now we all smell like walking citronella candles.   My human has this idea....we should wear coats made of a lightweight fabric.   Maybe even something like that microfiber stuff.  Then, she can spray the coats.   The stuff is not toxic for pets, but she still would rather that we not be licking ourselves after we have been sprayed.  So putting it on our coats would be fine.  She just needs to make the coats.   This is where anyone who knows my human’s seamstress skills starts laughing loudly and hysterically.  More than likely she will find someone who can make them for her.  That would save much crying and moaning in our house.

Thanks for the suggestions that we got about what some of you are using against the dreaded insect demons.  I liked the suggestion about using garlic.  Our friend in France, Dominique explained that they crush a few cloves of garlic, dilute with water and spray.  Which reminded my human about these specially formulated garlic tablets for dogs that we used to get years ago.  She dug them out of the cupboard - and we have plenty.  All of which have a Best By date of November 2017. So much for that idea.  But we could make the spray....

Turns out we can’t get Wondercide shipped to Canada.  Something about regulations around labeling.    So that option is out.  So we’ll stick to our Atlantik.  Besides - we like to support local!

Seriously- do ticks have any redeeming qualities?  I’m mean they are not helpful like bees who pollinate plants.  Or Ladybugs who feed on harmful insects. Or earthworms who help to aerate soil.   Nope. Ticks are just plain evil predators.  Who I would be happy to see on the extinct list. But it doesn’t look like that will happen any time soon.  One friend told my human how she put one in boiling water.  Twice.  And it still lived.  My human knows of one that was sealed in a jar without food or moisture or ANYTHING - and it lived for MONTHS.  Ewwwwww.

Well, time to get my human moving and make the most of this week.  Hopefully the rain will let up today.  Maybe.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 7

Tick crisis

Trouble in spring paradise.  Actually, paradise is a bit of a stretch - as it has still been rather cold out.  The good news about that?  The black flies have not yet been bad.  The bad news?  It HAS been warm enough for ticks. And Houston, we have a problem.

My human’s sister was over Saturday evening. They had finished supper and we canines were checking for the chance of some leftovers.   The FG was just really just checking for some ear rubs and hugs.  My human was petting him and scratched his muzzle.  And she felt something odd.  Aggghhhhhhh!  A TICK!!!! She quickly rushed him into the grooming torture palace (aka garage) and hoisted him onto the grooming table.  She got out her trusty tick extractor, and removed the intruder.  He didn’t appear to be alive, but she proceeded to smash him to smithereens as her sister just watched the routine.   My human felt the FG all over for any other vagabonds, but found none.  Then she examined me and Einstein.  All clear.  As best as she could tell.   I have been wearing the clay tick collar sent to me by one of my loyal blog readers.  Last fall, I did have one tick that I got while wearing the collar, so I’m not sure about its effectiveness.  But that was the only one so I’m still wearing it.  Besides- it’s pretty!

So of course my human began to worry after she found the tick on the FG.  But that wasn’t the worst of it...

We all returned to the bedroom Saturday night. She didn’t sleep again in the DFZ, although she threatened it when I was on the bed and licking certain parts of my anatomy. She said all licking must stop, or it would be “everybody out.” She’s so dramatic.  I stopped licking. Until she fell asleep.

We let her sleep in until 5:15. Then I put two paws on the bed and stared at her - about four inches from her face. She got up after that.  She went into the bathroom to get dressed. She took off her nightgown - and that’s when we heard the blood curdling scream.  She had a tick on her arm. She raced past us, and ran to the garage for the tick removal device.  Which was a bit of overkill, as the tick wasn’t attached to her. She picked him up with the tweezer-like device and dropped him on the grooming table.  She then got a jar, picked him up with a tissue and stuffed the tissue and tick into the jar.  Like some kind of science specimen. I’m not sure what she plans to do with him.  I’m not sure she knows either.

So.  It’s clear we need a tick battle plan. Only problem- she’s afraid of giving any of us chemicals to kill them.  Especially me - with my seizures.  She had bought some natural sprays last year- but both contain Rosemary- which is a known seizure trigger in epileptic dogs. We need to do something though - because yesterday, she found ANOTHER one on the FG!!!! Ewwwwww.

We could wear hazmat suits whenever we go out - but that doesn’t seem too practical.  It looks like there is a spray in the US called Wondercide which is effective and does not contain Rosemary, but she couldn’t find a way to get it shipped here.  She has written to the company - so hopefully she may be able to get some of that.

She also heard about a product made here in Nova Scotia- which reportedly is having good results.  She actually drove to several retailers yesterday to find some. It wasn’t easy to find, but she eventually got some.  It’s called Atlantik.  Clever. She sprayed it on our collars and harnesses when she took us out yesterday afternoon. We’ll see what happens...

If people have suggestions, we are all ears.  We know that last fall, the FDA warned that products of the isoxazoline class can cause neurological problems.  Those products include Bravecto,  Nexgard and Simparica.  So those drugs are definitely OUT.   We have read mixed results on Seresto collars.  Any type of collar we would need to remove when indoors - as all of us like to do hair styling on one another.  So licking heads would likely not be a good idea if wearing a collar.

We have found some homemade natural remedies that can be sprayed on us - or collars, but I’m not sure about the effectiveness. There was a recipe on-line containing lemon juice, vanilla extract and something called catnip oil.   If it doesn’t work for ticks, you at least smell like a lemon loaf. But you are followed continuously by cats.  Maybe that’s how it works - the ticks jump on the cats...

Let us know your opinion - and we’ll let you know what we try. In the meantime, I’m not sure I want to sleep with my human - as she clearly has ticks.  Just kidding.  I think...

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 6

Human need for rest

The NERVE of my human.  Sometimes I think I need to take her back to obedience classes.  She is acting a BIT like SHE is in charge here.  No treats for her this weekend.

We KNOW she has been working- and in order to avoid the ongoing traffic jungle with the current road construction in the city, she gets up at 4:30 so she can walk us before she has to go to work. And we also know she has been tired because she hasn’t had a lot of sleep.  But her “solution” on Friday night was utterly unacceptable. 

She announced that she wanted to SLEEP - so she went into the DFZ with her pillow- and went to sleep on the couch.  We were appalled.  I mean, none of us could sleep with her on her bed!  Which we essentially use as a trampoline all night.  In rotating shifts.  One or two of us are on, then one gets off, another gets on.  And so it goes.  Not to mention intermittent licking of various parts of our anatomy.

While she is quite used to this routine, she said she wanted a FULL night’s sleep.  Hence she sequestered herself in the DFZ.  We all just stared at each other, but she was sound asleep before we could even protest.  But not to worry...

Promptly at 4:00 AM, we took turns standing by the gate to the DFZ and we began squeaking.  First it was me.  She opened one eye, looked at the time, said “it’s Saturday - go back to sleep.”  Fifteen minutes later, it was Einstein’s turn.  He let out a single bark. She said “it’s raining. Can’t you hear it? You hate rain. Go back to sleep”.  Fifteen minutes later, the FG chimed it with his high pinched squeak.  She said “10 more minutes. Go back to sleep.” Our rotating protests occurred every 10-15 minutes.  She FINALLY got up at 6:30.  And we were OVERJOYED to see her. Admittedly, she DID look more refreshed than she does at 4:30...

We hope she is now back on her schedule. She is MUCH easier to train when she is well rested.  Nothing worse than trying to control a cranky, overtired human. Thank GOODNESS she is not working this week...

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 5

Owney

It’s May 18. Which according to the crazy calendar is International Museum Day! So let’s take a look at some connections between us dogs and museums.

First off, we have a place on my human’s bucket list - the recently reopened American Museum of the Dog in New York City. I have mentioned it before.  Here is the link to the new location- which was housed in St. Louis for many years:

https://museumofthedog.org/

It looks like the place has as much pup-aphernalia as we do!  My human REALLY wants to go there...

I’ve talked about all the dog stuff at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.  But I found a place that MIGHT have even MORE dog stuff - in Washington, DC. Check out this link to the Smithsonian Museum:

https://www.si.edu/spotlight/dogs

Now that’s fun to look through. And it was while I was scrolling through the site, that I found the story of Owney.  Never heard of Owney?  Well here is a short video about his story:

https://www.si.edu/object/yt_JKar7eU3VAs

How’s that for a ramblin’ guy?   He traveled everywhere!!!  What a life he had!  And Owney is still around.  When it was time for Owney to leave his mail route and deliver letters to the Rainbow Bridge, the mail clerks reportedly raised funds to have Owney “preserved” for future generations to see.  In plain language- he was stuffed.  He is on display at the National Postal Museum - so you can see him to this day. I think reading about him is enough for me.  I find something about stuffed canines kind of creepy.

Anyway, it looks like there is PLENTY of cool canine stuff at the Smithsonian. I have to study the site more myself!

Well, wouldn’t  you know that after 4 weeks of work - when my human finally has a totally free Saturday, it is raining. Oh well - indoor rounds of find the stuffed bunny today.  But not a REAL stuffed bunny.  Mind you, THAT could be interesting....or maybe we’ll go to  a museum.  Sure we will...

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 4

Artwork.

So we know that my human likes to take pictures of us.  Surprise, surprise.  JUST in case she forgets what we look like.  She currently has 50,455 photos in something called the "cloud."  Let's hope it doesn't rain and she loses all those images.  Just wondering - where IS this cloud.... My guess is that 50, 000 of those photos are of dogs.  I am NOT kidding.

In addition to thousands of photos, my human also loves canine artwork.  So when she saw a posting by an artist on Facebook, advertising that she does digital images of dogs - you KNOW that my human could NOT pass up the chance to get some. And we love the results!

MoonCollie Art does digital portraits, caricatures of your dog, detailed portraits, logos...all kinds of wonderful artwork.
https://www.facebook.com/mooncolliearts/

Kim will be ending all of her different types of custom portraits after this week - SO, if you want to have a quick sketch done - like one of these - contact her TODAY!   And I MEAN TODAY!   This offer is over on Saturday night.  These sketches were each done for $15 US.  Kim also does logos for National Dog events - and she will be busy doing that - so portraits will be put on hold.  IF you contact her - tell her Viktor sent you!  Check us out!

Me:




Einstein:




The FG:

Kim emails you the sketches- so it is easy to do.  You just need a good photo of your dog.  I know that she is quite busy - so you MAY have a wait a bit - but it's worth it!  And no - I am not getting anything for this plug - just the pleasure of sharing an artist's work with you!

IT IS FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And we survived four weeks of my human at work.  She has next week off and then she works just ONE more week.  And then we are back to retirement.  More walks, extra snacks, extra belly rubs, more games of fetch....What's another word for retriement?  Heaven.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up:
Seizure free days: 3

Bear

The other morning, after getting my human out of bed, as we PONs raced into the kitchen we suddenly halted in front of the gate into the DFZ.  For those who may be new to my blog, the DFZ - or Dog Free Zone, is the ONLY area in the house where we canines do not have free access.  That and the laundry room - which contains the garbage can which often contains dryer lint.  Because we KNOW about my appetite for dryer lint.  Anyway, the DFZ, which contains a bunch of "stuff" that my human would prefer NOT to have destroyed, is blocked by a custom designed black aluminum gate.  It has proven to hold up just great - and even PON-dini (Einstein) has not been able to breach the secure entrance.

As we were running past the gate - we suddenly put on the brakes and started barking into the DFZ.  It was 4:35 AM - so it was still dark outside - and we pushed our noses through the bars in the gate and started sniffing.  My human flipped on the lights in the DFZ, with fear that maybe a mouse had run by.  We haven't had a mouse all winter - but she couldn't think what else it could be. Surely a squirrel had not gotten into the house - we would have heard that, right?  She looked around and saw no traces of an intruder - and then remembered that the window in the DFZ was open.  We must have been sniffing something which had enough scent to come through the window.  Right about the then, the FG wandered in from the bedroom.  He sauntered past us, not paying attention to our interest in the DFZ, and walked into the dining room.  At which point, HE suddenly woke up and jumped up on the door to the deck, barking.  OK - clearly there was SOMETHING in the backyard.  My human flipped on the outdoor lights - but couldn't see anything.  Besides, our place is surrounded by woods - so anything that MIGHT have been out there could have taken off in the woods.

When we went out for our walks, Einstein wanted VERY much to go in the backyard.  My human dragged him up the driveway to the road, wearing her trusty headlamp with new batteries.  She was glad she could see more than a foot in front of her.  That will last for all of a week.  She made noise to scare off any intruder - and wondered if it had been the porcupine in the backyard.     We marched along and spotted no creatures on our walk, and neither did the FG.

A day later, one of our neighbors posted a photo of a thick metal post in their yard that holds a bird feeder.  It had been bent like a blade of grass.  Another neighbor had their green bin raided and dragged several feet.  Which pointed to one thing.  Pooh is back.  It was almost a year to the day that we spotted that big black bear in our yard at sunset. 

Sure enough - the next day, another neighbor actually spotted him.  We will be sure to make extra noise on our morning walks.  Not that we don't ALREADY make our presence known.

And speaking of bear news - did you hear about the dog in Northern Ontario who is taking bribes from a bear?  It seems that the bear "offers the dog deer bones" to keep him from barking, while the bear destroys the garbage.  It has reportedly happened three times.  Here's the story:
https://www.wthr.com/article/bear-bribes-guard-dog-deer-bones-get-familys-trash

I'm just putting that out there  to any bears that might be reading this - because I want to mention that I CAN be bribed... Just sayin'.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 2

Nylons

May 15. And it's Nylon Stockings Day. Now THAT is the biggest waste of money in this household.  AFTER holiday attire from the Dollar Store.

In this day and age of technology and invention, why can't they create dog-proof nylon stockings/pantyhose? And it doesn't matter what my human pays for the stuff - whether she buys "good stuff" at a department store - or the stuff from the dreaded Dollar Store - NOTHING can withstand us canines.

When I was searching for a link between us canines and hosiery - I of course found horror stories of dogs who ate them.  Now I like to eat things - but ONLY edible things.  Pantyhose is more in line with the appetite that Paxton had. Obviously, the consumption of pantyhose can have serious results. 

I also found that around 2013, there was a BIG trend in China for DOGS to wear pantyhose.  I am NOT kidding.  I was going to post a video - but frankly, it was just TOO weird.  Wearing antlers for a quick photo is one thing.  Pantyhose - well I'm not even SURE how you would manage to get them on us.  Trust me - even my human draws the line there!

I did find a GOOD use for used pantyhose - you can make a rope tug toy!  That's one way to reuse all those pairs that have runs in them.  Which is pretty much every pair that is currently in this house.  My human always has one or two damaged pairs - JUST IN CASE, she needs them -  if the run is in a location not visible.  For the time being.  Anyway - if you have a dog who won't CONSUME the toy - here are the instructions:
http://kelseyskreativekorner.com/braided-pantyhose-dog-tug-toy/

I also found this short video with another use for pantyhose - they can be used to create a muzzle for a dog in an emergency situation.  Seems like a reasonable idea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S45-4PIvqFI

Apparently, if you use pantyhose as a glove, it can remove dog hair from fabric.  Now THIS one we have to try out.  I don't think my human owns a piece of clothing that doesn't have dog hair on it somewhere.  We can make our hair stick to silk.  It's an art.

I also saw that if you put a piece of nylon over a brush (with the bristles poking through) it makes cleaning the brush easier.   I say skip the brushing.  That makes cleaning the brush unnecessary.

So those are my nylon/pantyhose suggestions for today.  Wasn’t that was riveting info?

On another note....thank you for all your kind messages and concern about my seizures.  My human is anxious to be home with me - to get this hopefully, under control again. We are eternally optimistic.  Some days.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days:  1

AGGGGGHHHHHH. Happy BELATED!!!!!!!!!

We have a bad dog Mom.  I CANNOT believe I am writing this.  YESTERDAY was the FG's BIRTHDAY!  YESTERDAY!  She forgot to remind me!  For SOME crazy reason, she was thinking his birthday was the 17th.  WRONG.  Mind you - she's never good with dates.

So happy belated to my quirky, crazy, fussy, funny, wild adopted sibling. He has truly grown on me.  I can chew on a bone and he can be literally 10 inches from my face, and I don't care.  He wags when he sees me and the feeling is mutual.

This past year, he didn't accomplish much in the show world - probably because he wasn't shown much!  My human was waiting for him to mature - and she is thinking he is almost there.  In body anyway.

He did have an introduction to one new sport - the rat thing.  And while it initially appeared that it wasn't going to be successful (like me and sheep) he DID get the idea of the game within the hour he was there. They plan to try it again.

He has definitely matured overall - although if given the opportunity to bust through the screen door and go for a solo run, he will still grab the chance.  The irony is that when he is going for a walk with my human and he is on a leash, he stands in the doorway like he doesn't know how to go out.  Seriously.  Some mornings she has to push him out the door.

I have trained him how to countersurf - mind you he never actually TAKES anything.  He just goes up to "inspect" the counter.

He has acquired a taste for yogurt - standing in line each morning to lick the lid and the container.   He's still not crazy about bananas.  Some days he takes a piece - other days he recoils like the banana is a poisonous snake.  Or a lint roller.

He likes carrots - but he WILL fling them around the room.  Which can have several results: a.  he flings it under furniture or appliances, making it impossible to get;  b. he flings it and Einstein grabs it before he does.

He is still not crazy about retrieving - even after he watches me and Einstein doing our thing.  He does it once or twice - after that he thinks humans should pick up the toy themselves.

He LOVES people.  And he has been able to visit stores and has been well behaved.  I think my human should take him and let him off leash.  Now THAT would be entertaining.

He is NOT crazy about having his picture taken.  But he WILL give in when it is clear my human will not give up.  But he is a pouty model - he rarely smiles for the camera.  That being said, my human has been able to capture some candid shots of him - and those are the best kind.  He also DID smile for his birthday photo at the top.  Here are some of our favorite shots from the last year....

So happy belated to my big little brother. I really AM glad that you joined our family.  Now.  Can I have that biscuit?

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 0. Back to the drawing board. I had two yesterday.  One while my human was at work.  And one just as she turned off the lights to go to sleep...it was a long night.

Fashion

I have a question.  Do any of you live with a dog who likes to do fashion reviews?  We do.  It’s the FG and he is famous for it.

At first my human thought it was coincidence.  She would appear from the bedroom wearing some new piece of attire and the FG immediately needed to inspect  it.  It generally involved him burying his nose in the fabric.

After this past week, my human is certain his fashion review is not coincidental.  She had purchased a few new items for spring to wear to work.  Given that she only has two more weeks of work, I think the money would have been better spent on dog biscuits.  Or dog toys.  But no - she had to outfit herself.

First there was a new pair of pants.  Personally, I think they are too short- but what do I know about fashion trends.  I prefer to wear my birthday suit. Anyway, she came out of the bedroom and went to take each of us out for a pee.  She nearly tripped over the FG- he was so busy sizing up her pant legs. 

Then she had a new jacket.  He sat right up and had to bury his nose smack dab in the middle of her stomach. He checks out everything she wears - but new items are his favorite.

I think he has his own blog writing style reviews.  It probably has to do with that Picard trait where they notice details.  And they notice change.  She isn’t wearing her usual at-home-dog-attire so he notices and pays attention.  It’s either that, or his French sense of style.  For us PONs, there is zero interest because new attire does not yet have dog treats in the pockets.  So the Picard is definitely the fashionista in this house.

Well it’s Monday.  With a full week of guard duty ahead. But then NEXT week my human is OFF.  Then one LAST week of work.  And then OFFICIAL retirement and full time dog servant.   We cannot WAIT.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 11

A prickly situation

First off, a huge Happy Mother’s Day to all the human Moms out there! I hope your kids are as good to you as we dogs are. Well - at least sometimes we are good.

Yesterday morning we let our human sleep in.  OK. I did try to get her up at 4:30, but she reminded me it was Saturday. We then let her sleep in until 5:45.  

It was a grey and very foggy morning.   It had rained the night before, so although we had hoped to go for a walk on the trail, we decided we would rather not dodge the puddles and the mud and we stayed on the road. Einstein and I did our thing and then my human took the FG out.  Despite the fact that he should have been compliant because it was Dog Mom’s Day - he was NOT cooperative or interested in a photo op.  When he stopped in the road, and was standing and just listening and watching - as he loves to do - my human kept trying to get a photo of him.  She would SLOWLY walk around him and he would literally keep looking away from her.  She would go to his other side and he would face the other way.  You have to keep in mind that he is NOT a morning dog. She did manage to get a shot or two, but it wasn’t easy.

Anyway, as they headed down the driveway, my human suddenly noticed something.  Right there.  Not 10 feet away.  In broad daylight.  On the side of the driveway. A big fat porcupine.  He was munching on greenery.  The FG was thankfully on leash, although he actually didn’t appear TOO interested in the walking pincushion.  But no doubt, if he had been off leash he would have gone to meet the intruder.   My human stomped her foot, and Spike took off into the woods.  She breathed a sigh of relief and realized that she had let Einstein off leash as we had come down the driveway earlier.  For some reason, she didn’t let yours truly off.  Talk about LUCKY.  As you may recall, I have been up close and personal with Mr. Needles before - and it wasn’t pretty.  I have had two encounters - one worse than the other. But like many dogs, my human fears that it wouldn’t stop me from greeting  Spike again - so she’ll be extra vigilant now.   Did you know that because porcupines eat a lot of foliage which is high in potassium and low in sodium, they often have a potassium-sodium imbalance.  Which means they end up craving sodium.  And where can they find sodium?  Road salt.  And when road salt splashes on cars, they then chew on car parts.  They have been known to chew through brake hoses!  Talk about dangerous.   They also like to chew on things that may contain sodium from human sweat.  Like canoe paddles or even axe handles!   Because there is sodium in human pee, they often like to chew on and destroy outhouses!  Who knew! I’ll be sure to remind my human to always bring in her axes.

We have no big plans for today.  Probably some fetch and some extra long walks because the forecast is calling for sun.  Doesn’t matter what we do - as long as my human is around, it’s all good!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 10

Happy National Dog Mom's Day

It's here.  The second Saturday in May. AND what day is this?  Why it's National Dog Mom's Day!!!!  A day to honor all those women out there who are proudly "owned" by us canines.  Tomorrow is a day to celebrate HUMAN Moms - but today it's all about crazy dog women.

My human has been "Mom" to nine canines in her adult years.  And each one of us teaches her something new. Her first dog - Barney the rescue terrier-cross, taught her how to avoid dog bites. He was her "first" and he taught her about things like resource guarding, obedience (and lack thereof) and about how some dogs like to steal - and bury food.  In places like sofa cushions.  But he also taught her about unconditional love. 

The four Bernese that she was owned by introduced her to the world of competitive obedience - and the world of draft.  No - not beer draft.  But pulling a cart draft.  She even entered a HUGE obedience competition in the US for something called a Bernese Specialty show.  Specialties are when dogs of the same breed come together to compete in beauty pageants and performance events - like obedience and draft and rally.  Anyway, it their very first obedience trial ever - and in that big show, they placed first in their class.  It was a moment she will always remember.  Harper worked his heart out for her.  He always did.  And all her Bernese did whatever she asked.  That's just who they were.

Her Labrador, Beamish introduced her to the world of field work.  She suddenly found herself in fly infested fields and swamps, throwing retrieving toys for the energetic Lab - to prepare for competition. They competed and passed the first level of field work - and although my human had HUGE doubts that they would actually pass - Beamish didn't let her down.  His tail never stopped wagging.

We PONs have taught my human a LOT.   She has learned that some dogs NEVER forget - and dogs who are food motivated are EASY to train.   VERY easy to train.  She has also learned that she must always be one step ahead of us because we are SO clever.  In addition, she has learned a LOT about grooming.  Einstein also introduced my human to beauty pageants - the first of her dogs to get a conformation title.  Even after he pooped in the Group ring the first time they went in...

And then we come to the FG.  He has taught her that some breeds are TRULY comedic.  And they never fail to put a smile on your face.  And fussy eaters.  And quirky.  And FAST.  AND HUGE cuddle-loving monsters.   And people loving machines.  And they DO like sheep!  And every day is a new adventure.

I'm sure no matter what breed or multi-breed that you have been owned by, you have learned what it is like to share a piece of your heart and soul with that canine "kid".  I guess in some ways we are rather different from human kids - we are ALWAYS happy to see you, we generally do not sulk, our favorite thing (even when we are teens) is to be WITH you, and we don't leave our laundry lying on the floor. 

I suppose we are similar in that we don't pick always up our toys - although I HAVE seen canines put toys away.  But not in this house.  You have to feed us.  And pay for our education.  You see to it that we get medical attention when needed.  And helping with homework is pretty critical.

Anyway, we are so happy we picked our human.  And we will happily let her sleep in today.  Until 6AM.  We plan to bring her kisses in bed.  Einstein has agreed that today he will not bark out orders - as is his usual routine.  We have all agreed no pulling on leashes.  We will not countersurf.  And we will be generally well-behaved.  I say "generally" because I want to be realistic.

So happy National Dog Mom's Day to all the Moms out there.  We are SO happy (and lucky) we share our lives with you!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 9

Greenery

According to the crazy calendar, on this day in 1893, the Supreme Court in the US made a ruling that a tomato is a vegetable and not a fruit - under the Tariff Act of 1883.  Scientists may beg to differ - but some argue that since it is used as a vegetable in cooking, then it is a vegetable.  Anyway - the court ruled it a vegetable.  But what do courts know?

As far as us dogs and tomatoes, you can call it whatever you WANT - tom-ay-toe, tom-ah-toe- we call it food.  And yes, it is OK for us canines to eat tomatoes- in moderation.  BUT - it's not OK for us to munch on the leaves or the stems of the plant, or even unripened tomatoes - because they contain a compound called solanine. If consumed in large quantities - solanine can be harmful to us dogs.  We end up with something called tomatine poisoning.  Symptoms can include gastric problems, and if advanced enough could include cardiac problems, muscle weakness and even seizures.  Apparently it doesn't happen all that frequently - but it COULD if we ate a lot of the green stuff.  So while we CAN eat ripe tomatoes in moderation - we need to stay away from the plants.

Speaking of greenery - isn't spring just the BEST time of the year to munch on new grass?! Who needs sheep when you have us canines?  The FG particularly loves to find a clump of grass - and he'll dig in grabbing a mouthful.  While some seem to think that dogs eat grass to make ourselves vomit, because we are not feeling well, (ewwwwww) there apparently is no scientific evidence to prove this claim.   It could be a possibility - but just because we munch on grass it does NOT mean we are feeling sick.  Resources DO say though, that if we are showing other signs of illness like weight loss, or diarrhea and we suddenly start craving grass, that there may be underlying gastric issues as the cause.  So get us to the vet.

Some theorize another reason for eating grass.  They say that because undomesticated dogs are omnivores (eating both meats and plants), we domesticated dogs still have that craving for salad with our meals.  One site suggested that you grow an indoor grass tray to give us our grass fix - rather than eating potentially chemically laden grass outdoors.  Sure.  Can you envision a grass try in OUR house?  That would last all of 15.8 seconds.  My human doesn't use any chemicals on our lawn.  That's why it is mostly weeds.  So we are pretty safe in having the odd snack out there.  Not to mention all the nutrients in dandelions.  She grows them JUST for us.  Sure she does....They should begin opening any time now.   A lovely sea of yellow....

Well, it's Friday and we survived a week of guard duty.  Let the weekend BEGIN!

Have a good one.  Peacea dn paws up.
Seizure free days: 8

Updates

Time for some updates on the relatives.  The CANINE relatives.

First off, the FG is an uncle.  A distant uncle.  His half brother, James Bond is the father to a new treasury of Picards!!!!!!  A very lovely girl by the name of Mia, had eight puppies - 3 girls and 5 boys!!!!!!!   Mother and babies are doing great.  Rumor has it, my human plans to visit them some time in June.  We'll just see about that.  And before anyone asks - no she is not bringing home a puppy.  I mean can you IMAGINE four dogs in this household?!  TWO Picards and TWO PONs?!  She says she doesn't have enough money to buy the extra costumes at the Dollar Store.  Nope.  It isn't going to happen.  But she IS looking forward to seeing them - and rumor has it, the FG might be going along for the ride....

Meanwhile, my niece, Ginny (Einstien's daughter) has all grown up.  She passed her first obedience class and LOVES her Wheaten sister, Prim.  Her only vice.....Surprise, surprise - she likes to bark.  ALL the time.  Sound familiar?  The biscuit doesn't fall far from the bowl.




In blog news...this week, Canada is leading the USA.   Followed by the UK, Australia and Switzerland.  Leading in what?  Visits to my blog site.     I can't see WHO is clicking on my ads - but they actually do narrow it down by country!  My readership stats never ever got straightened out from the problem I had in the fall.  All I know is back in October EVERYBODY who has a blog had a major hit in the number of visitors to their blogs.  And it has never returned to that number of pageviews.  It's a bit depressing because you can't figure out your growth - if you have growth.  I'm so happy for those of you who DO take the time out to read about my adventures.  I also welcome your feedback and ideas about how I can make my blog better.  I added the Instagram link - which has photos not always seen on my blog.  But I'm always trying to think of ways to spice things up.

Tomorrow is FRIDAY and we are starting to see the light at the end of the work tunnel.  We want our human back - and it won't be long now!

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free. days: 7