MothersDay

Today is a special day in over 70 countries around the globe.  It's Mother's Day. We celebrate those special humans and in our case, canines, who brought us into this world.

As you may recall, my human's mother was recently hospitalized.  She is home but continues to need your prayers. Oftentimes doctors and veterinarians can restore someone to good health.  And in some cases, a positive attitude AND prayers are the best treatment options.  In those situations, one learns to appreciate every single day.  Kind of like learning to think and live like a dog.  We dogs don't stress about tomorrow. We dogs live in the here and now.  Humans REALLY need to be more like us.  We hope to see my human's mother very soon - we miss her banana sharing. Plus did I mention, I'm her favorite.  Or I like to THINK I am. 

In other news, spring REALLY appeared yesterday and so did the dreaded black flies.  The flesh eating pin head sized cannibals were out in full force yesterday.  And they don't discriminate - they'll eat humans and canines as well. So despite the fact that it was a glorious sunny day, there was NO wind - so we were sequestered in the house.  We managed to avoid them at 5:30 AM during our morning walks - they clearly like to sleep in - and they wait until  the afternoon to emerge.  One of our neighbors is doing our lawn maintenance this year - and when my human went out to chat with him, a cloud of black flies began swarming around.  Time for my human get out her bug suit.  We couldn't understand why we couldn't stay out - we don't feel them biting.  But my human watches them follow us - so she wouldn't let us stay out.  Try and explain that to the FG.  The good news is that they are NOT a problem on windy days, and thankfully they are at their peak during this month of May. And then they seem to disappear.

My human FINALLY got the snow tires off Ludwig yesterday too, so with the way her luck has been going lately, you can expect to read about a freak spring blizzard in Nova Scotia any day now.  Maybe it would actually cut down the black fly population.  See - we dogs always DO look at the bright side.

Wishing all mothers - and especially my human's mother - a VERY Happy Mother's Day. And we MAY even behave today.  I do have to tell you about how we had a moment of EXTREME naughtiness yesterday....so we'll TRY to make up for it today....

Have a good one!

A BIRTHDAY

Well, well.  It was one year ago today on Friday the 13th (Isn't THAT ironic?) that a special treasury of puppies came into the world.  Remember, I think the word "litter" is just not appropriate when describing a group of puppies.  I prefer treasury.  Anyway, a treasury of 1girl puppy and 5 boys arrived, and WHO KNEW that my life would never be the same!

Elroy, also known as the FG (Friendly Giant) arrived in our home and Einstein and I were still bigger than him.  But not for long.

I was NOT impressed when he arrived.  And I quickly told him that I commanded respect.  And the FG avoided me for a short period.  Actually I suppose in wasn't all THAT short.  It took several months for me really to warm up to him. I have yet to allow him to style my hair the way that he does with Einstein, but he can lie within inches of me while I chew a bone and I won't take his head off.  I'd say that's progress!

We continue to learn a lot about Picards.   I don't know if they are all alike, but I can tell you that Elroy loves to leap and pounce, he doesn't avoid puddles, he is excellent at excavation work, and he pays little to no attention to bunnies or cats.  But he IS a bird watching king.  He exhibits serious namenesia if let off leash - but DOES come back when he wants to.  He takes about a tenth of the time to groom that we PONs do.  He examines treats and has to decide whether he REALLY wants them.  He will play with them and roll on them.  In FACT, last night he got to go to the PET store as a pre-birthday surprise.  He has been before so he wasn't totally shell shocked like the last time he went.  This time, he attempted to steal things from shelves and bins and when my human went to pay for some items, he put his paws on the counter as IF he was going to pay.  He showered the clerk in kisses.  So she gave him a treat.  Which he proceeded to roll on.

He has grown into quite the strapping lad - and whenever he goes out, people ask what he is.  If he's not behaving, she says he is a Coy-wolf or a wolfhoundoodle.  If he is behaving, she tells the truth.  She does the same thing with us PONs.  We have been called Polish Highland Doodles a number of times.

But back to my French brother. Today we celebrate his birth, his entertaining ways and his ability to create his own brand of naughty - which takes the pressure off me!!!  Happy birthday bro - cheers to many more!!!!

Limerick Day

OK.  It's May 12 - and it's Limerick Day. I must confess, I am stealing one that I wrote in my blog two years ago.  But I also have a few NEW works...

PONs

There once was a Polish breed

You cannot forget to feed

PONs will bark to remind you

To eat and to go poo

And will tell you JUST what they need.

 

PICARDS

There is a very special French breed 

The Picard is made for herding and speed

They love to leap and to run

Their middle name is "fun"

Look out when they are off leash and freed.

OUR HOUSE

There once were two PONs and a Picard

Who LOVED to race round the yard

They would run and bark

Stop sometimes  to mark

Against bunnies and birds they would guard.

ELROY

There was a Picard named Elroy

Every carpet he worked to destroy

He would pull and tug

Every corner of rug

A habit he did thoroughly enjoy.

DOGS

God created a unique creature

With many a wonderful feature

A dog is loyal, fun and smart

And will steal a human's heart

Add to that he is an incredible teacher.

 

That's it for limericks.  I started another one with:  There once was a crazy household, with three dogs who could not be controlled....but then I hit the Limerick wall.   Feel free to finish it for me!

Have a VERY happy Friday and get ready for the WEEKEND!!!!  

And from Texas...

So hot off the press has come a new survey from dog owners in Texas.  And it includes some interesting stats:

• 49% of people owned by dogs sing to their dogs and 28% make up songs for their canine kids.  We don't live in Texas - but I'm here to report that my human sings to us AND makes up little songs for us.  They usually usually include one of our many nicknames.  Like this weird little song about Trino Be-dino.  Which in some strange way comes from my nickname Trino which comes from Viktor-ino which comes from Viktor.  Frod-dee-o-do has a ditty too and Baby-Schmaby (Elroy's REALLY weird nickname) also has a song.  None of which will EVER win a Grammy award.
• 27% of people in Texas post more pictures of their dogs on social media than pictures of friends or family.  Ever see my human's Facebook page?  There MUST be 500 pictures of us on there.  People must think my human is crazy.  And that of course includes the dreaded holiday shots wearing Dollar Store attire. I can't IMAGINE a week going by without her taking a photo of us.  Heck, I can't imagine two DAYS going by.  She's a caninographoholic.   She's addicted.
• More than 50% of people say they celebrate their dog's birthday.  Proper thing.  I think mine should be a national holiday. 

So there you have the news from the Lone Star state.  But something tells me Texans aren't ALL that different from most humans owned by dogs. Same behaviors - just different accents.

Have a HUGE day.

CLEAN up

May 10 and it's National Clean Up Your Room Day.  We're not big into clean up. Unless it is cleaning up something edible that hits the floor.  Then we are vacuum cleaners.  But as for cleaning up our toys or antlers- as soon as my human puts them in the big bin when she is vacuuming, we promptly pull them out.  They are spread out all over the kitchen and dining room. We like the look.

Well the rug in the hallway is still intact.  So far.  But don't kid yourself, if left to his own devices, it would be shredded quickly.  We'll see who wins the bet...

My human has noticed another interesting FG trait.   Besides rug shredding.   As we know, she takes him for a walk every morning around 5 AM, wearing her trusty headlamp, which remains less-than-trusty right now because she STILL needs batteries.  Anyway, she has noticed that on some mornings, the FG bounds ahead of her on the leash, with little care.   He walks along sniffing and snarking - and she has to watch him closely because,  speaking of cleaning skills, he CAN be a vacuum cleaner who picks up garbage along the road.   He is STARTING to learn the command "drop it."  So that's a typical morning.  But every now and then, and it appears to be on particularly foggy and dark mornings, he will NOT leave my human's side. He is like GLUE attached to her.  And every couple of minutes, he'll stop and stare off behind them on the dark road.  Or off into the bushes.  It's kind of spooky - and my human wonders if he picks up the scent of something.  She would like to THINK he is protecting her - but I actually think he is looking for her to protect HIM.  He's a not a huge guard dog - I mean he doesn't bark if someone comes to the door - and he does not practice rabbilert.   But that being said, the other day he was on the deck with me and Einstein and my human was in the house.  And he let out such a BIG dog bark that my human had to come and see if another dog had joined the party!  We have NEVER heard that bark before.  It was a first.  So maybe he is starting to mature - and his close walking IS a protective stance.   That or he has figured out yet another way to drive my human crazy....

It's Wednesday - and only TWO more work days after today.  We are counting down the minutes!

Have a good one - and don't forget to clean up!

Mattress Labels. Really.

Today is May 9 and it is also Tear the Tags off the Mattress Day.  You know how it says that it is illegal to remove the mattress tag?  Did you know that became law back in the early 20th century - and was aimed at sellers of mattresses - and not the consumer?  It seems that some mattress makers would put "recycled" contents in their products - which could harbor things like bugs or lice.  So the products had to be clearly labeled as to the contents so consumers could make an educated choice about which mattress they wanted - knowing what the contents were.  Sellers could not change the label to mislead the consumer.  It actually says nowadays "do not remove under penalty of law except by the consumer"  but some people don't read the fine print.  And we dogs certainly don't read the print.  We LOVE to tear off labels.  On toys, beds - and if we could, the mattress.  And speaking of sleeping, my human had to investigate our pillowcase chewing hobby. And low and behold - it appears we are not unique.  Other dogs do it too.  Some speculate we are bored and do it for attention. Others suggest that the hair products you humans use may smell yummy - so we just like to eat the pillowcases because they smell like your hair.  As for us, we do it simply because we can!

Have a good one!

Taking bets

So we are taking bets here.  And anyone can join in the fun.

We know that the FG has an affinity for chewing carpets.  The area carpet in the dining room is TRASHED.  It is BEYOND repair.  And my human bought a cheap replacement, but hasn't put it out yet - she's waiting for a nice day when she can open the windows, roll up the old carpet, scrub the floor and and put out the new replacement.  She also figures that if she waits a BIT longer, maybe he will get out of the habit.  Bwhahahahahaha.

Anyway, in the meantime, we ALSO had a carpet in the entry hall.  One of those heavy duty water hugger mats that absorbs water, snow and keeps us from tracking mud and leaves into the house.  Well the FG enjoyed the corners of that carpet as well.  AND then I had that bout of digestive problems, and well, that water hugger mat hugs everything.  So my human dragged it outdoors, put shampoo on it, scrubbed it with a bristle brush and hosed it down.  BUT - she forgot to bring it in the first day.  And then it RAINED the next day.  So now the water hugger has been hugging rain, dirt, leaves, bugs and who knows what for about a week.  So there is NO way that thing is coming back in the house.  Not having a rug in the entry IS a problem - because we ARE tracking in all kinds of dirt.  So she opted for a cheap replacement.  Again.  She should REALLY be thinking about the words her father always said "you get what you pay for."  But no - she didn't have time to go searching for another water hugger - so she got an indoor/outdoor mat for the time being - the kind you can put on a deck or patio.  Well.  When she first rolled it out, you KNOW who had to first check it out.  The carpet king.  The FG walked on it, sniffed it, and then proceeded to scrape his face on it.  That must be a Picard thing - he does it after every meal.  And then of course, he decided to see how it would come apart.  But my human was watching so she yelled "stop." And he did.  And she's been watching him like a hawk since she put it down.  Every time he goes in the hall.  But we are taking bets.  How long before she doesn't pay attention for a minute, and he starts unraveling the thing?  I'm giving it four days.  I figure by the end of the week.  Einstein says a week from today.  Please feel free to join in the betting.  Winner gets....hmmmm.....I have to think about that.  Leave it with me. Maybe a pawtographed photo of the FG.

Anyway, hope your day is awesome!