Dog shows, missing dogs and Valentines

Lots of news today...

First off, Westminster has come to a close.  We watched the group judging for the final three groups, and here were the results:

Sporting:
1. Sussex spaniel
2. Cocker Spaniel (ASCOB)
3. Clumber Spaniel
4. Wire Haired Pointing Griffon

Working:
1. Giant schnauzer 
2. Akita

3. Kuvasz
4. Siberian Husky

Terriers:
1. Norfolk
2. American staffordshire 
3. Lakeland 
 4. West Highland White

And then we watched the grand fianle.....Best in Show.  And the big winner was...the Bichon Frise!   Runner up was the Giant Schnauzer. 

So now everybody packs up their crates, their grooming tables, their combs, brushes, dryers, towels, aprons, water bowls, treats, folding chairs and poop bags and heads home.  With THEIR winning dog - because let's face it, EVERY dog is a winner JUST for getting to compete at the Garden.  Kind of like the Olympics - an honor not afforded to everyone!

In other news - some rather unfortunate news here in Halifax.  Someone has lost a 3 year old Picard girl in a big park in the heart of the city.  My human saw the notice on Facebook on a site called the Lost Dog Network.  It caught my human's eye because there are very few Picards in the province - but she didn't know this girl. Willow was lost on Monday - but my human didn't see the posting until yesterday.  She contacted Willow's human to see if she was still missing, and unfortunately she was.  My human offered to do a drive around the area where she went missing, after work yesterday.  She got in her car and headed for the area around the park.  She came to a stop sign and out of the corner of her eye, saw a tail behind a tree.  But don't get excited.  My human immediately stopped the car, went to the back of the car to get a leash and slowly approached the tree.  And from around the tree came a tan colored multi-breed dog - who just stared at her.  "Great" my human thought - "I found the wrong lost dog". But he seemed to be a dog with a mission and headed down the street. My human asked Willow's human if they needed posters to be put up or distributed, but apparently they have already done so.  And the original posting has been shared over 900 times.  So HOPEFULLY, Willow will soon be found safe and sound...I'll keep you posted.

And lastly, today is Valentine's Day. And of course, time for our annual poem to my human...

Roses are red,

Violets are blue, 

You feed us and groom us

And pick up our poo.

You walk us and train us 

And buy us new toys,

You spend loads on dog stuff

We’re three lucky boys.

We try to be good

Though we’re often quite bad,

But when you leave us we miss you,

And feel very sad.

While we don’t always listen

And appear not to care,

Wherever you are, if given a choice,

We would rather be there.

Oh human, our human,

We do love you so,

We’re so glad we picked you,

We want you to know!

Hugs and licks from your Valentines!

Frodo, Viktor and Elroy 

We hope you like the flowers we sent.  We used your VISA card....

Have a good one!  Peace and paws up!

Seizure- free days: 33

Westminster. Day 1 results...

Day One of the Westminster conformation show is over.  And how does a human manage to watch breed judging in the afternoon with three dogs who would rather be doing something else?  She gives them bones.  But obviously not for very long.  After the stomach issues the last time we had bones, we'll see if she is as lucky as the winning dogs at Westminster today, while she is at work.

My human actually had a hard time watching the breed judging live because for some reason, the networks in the US think that people in Canada would not want to watch.  Um, hello - there are over 100 dogs from Canada competing this year AND it just so happens that the Best in Show judge is a Canadian.  And there are 6 other judges this year from Canada as well.  So there.

In order for my human to watch the Group judging last night, she had to buy an extra TV channel.  She never watches much TV, but when it comes to Westminster - well it's a tradition.

We all got to sit on the bed and watch the group judging.  I thought we should snack on some bones while watching, but my human said no.  For a while I thought we were going to be banned from watching the show because we couldn’t settle down.  But we eventually did.  While she wanted to see all the groups last night, she REALLY wanted to watch the Herding group.  For obvious reasons.  And of course, that was the last group to be judged.  We had to keep nudging her to keep her awake. She fell asleep part way through the Toys and woke up when the Non- sporting was ending.  And then it was Herding.  We got to watch a handsome boy PON and a pretty girl Picard strut their stuff. Thank goodness they were not preempted by a commercial.  They looked awesome but unfortunately didn’t take home the big ribbons.  Robbed again. Here are all the winners from last night:

Hounds:

1. Borzoi (Lucy won this spot last year too!)

2. Bloodhound 

3. Beagle

4. Whippet

Toy:

1. Pug

2. Pekingese

3. Affenpinscher

4.  Toy English Spaniel

Non-sporting

1. Bichon

2. Standard Poodle

3. Boston terrier

4. Keeshond

Herding:

1. Border Collie

2. Cardigan Welsh Corgi

3. Old English Sheepdog

4. Shetland Sheepdog

You’ll note that our experts were pretty good with their predictions!

Tonight the last three groups are judged, and Best in Show is awarded.  And SOMEONE will get to take home the giant trophy...Given that the Borzoi came close last year...right now, she is my favorite.  We'll see....

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!
Seizure-free days: 32

Westminster

Well today is the day that Westminster begins the beauty pageant.  It's the big dog show that began in1877 in New York City. A total of 2, 882 dogs will compete in conformation for the coveted prize of Best in Show.  While Westminster is not the biggest show in the US, it is probably the most well known.  So do you think there are more PONs or more Picards entered this year?  The FG is gloating again - there are 19 Picards and 13 PONs in the running this year. And what breed do you think has more entries....the Labrador Retriever, the Golden Retriever, the Viszla, the French Bulldog or the Rhodesian Ridgeback?   Here they are in order of entires:

Golden Retriever: 52

French Bulldog: 48

Labrador Retriever: 46

Vizsla: 45

Rhodesian Ridgeback: 43

Who knew there would be more Frenchies than Labs?!

There are two new breeds that have been added to the AKC roster this year.  The Nederlandse Kooikerhondje is a sporting breed from the Netherlands and is a great duck hunter.  The breed also goes by the the nickname Kooiker. They KIND of remind me of Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers.  If you squint and ignore the colors.    Maybe it's because they lure ducks like Nova Scotia tollers.  They are supposed to be smart, lively and attentive to their owners.  As any breed, they do need socialization when young.  The Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen is the other new breed - a hairy hound from France.  The GBGV was bred as a scent hound who can track both large and small game from wolves to rabbits.  They are said to be comical, but sometimes stubborn - and not always the best breed for a first time dog owner.  Sounds like a PON.  Or a Picard!

I tried to find the Vegas odds for which dogs are the top contenders this year.  I couldn't find specific stats but I do know that the top winning dog in the US for 2017 was a Giant Schnauzer by the name of Ty.  Watch for him!  I also listened to a podcast by two women who are ACTIVELY involved in showing (they are professional handlers), and they mentioned the following breeds to watch for the in group judging (in no particular order...Giant Schnauzer, Boxer,  black Lab, Pointer, American Cocker Spaniel, Bichon, French Bulldog, Dalmation, Pug, Whippet, American Staffordshire Terrier, Norfolk Terrier, Borzoi, Pug, Havanese, Affenpinscher,  Brussels Griffon, PBGV, GBGV, Wire Fox Terrier, German Shepherd, Old English Sheepdog, Border Collie and get this - PICARD!  Now that might seems like a LOT of dogs, but keep in mind there are over 200 breeds competing. Let's watch to see if their predictions are close! 

Today the following groups will be judged: Toy, Hounds, Non-sporting and OUR favourite group - Herding.  We'll be watching for our PON and Picard buddies.  Tomorrow, the groups include Sporting, Working and Terriers.  And tomorrow night is the big Best in Show gala. 

We know a number of local dogs competing including a Standard Poodle, and a Beagle. We'll be watching for them as well.

Let the games begin.  Wait - the "dog games." The other games have already started...

Have a good one!  Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days: 31

Winter Olympics

The 2018 Olympic Games have officially opened in PyeongChang, South Korea.  Hopefully it will be a peaceful event bringing together countries from around the globe in the spirit of sport and honest competition.  One awkward and not-so-nice reality of the host country, though, is the fact they they still farm and sell...ugh...dog meat.  Yes.  You read that correctly.  Now I could go into a long speech about this fact,  but I have a sneaking suspicion that if you are reading this blog, you would most likely oppose this horrible practice.  And I don't want to minimize it - but honestly, we have so many bad things going on in the world, that today I would rather focus on the Olympics - and leave the discussion of canine cuisine for another day.  One GOOD thing I will say - it appears in South Korea that the practice is declining and pet ownership is increasing.  But they still have a way to go...

I decided to see if dogs have EVER been a part of the Olympic Games in the past, and found that some interesting facts.  In 1932, dog sledding was a demonstration sport in Lake Placid, New York.  But that's as far as it went.  It never became an official sport.    In 1928, skijoring, appeared as a demonstration sport as well.  Skijoring is a sport in which humans are on skis and are pulled by a dog - or in the case of the Games in 1928, by a horse.  It also never became official. Lots of people do it with their dogs today.  For my human, it would spell certain death. Just walking us on icy sidewalks is adventurous enough.

In 2016, in Rio, host of the summer Olympic Games, they hosted a Dog Olympic Games.  Events included things like agility, hurdles, racing and dock diving.  Those kind of sports for dogs make logical sense.  But I think there are PLENTY of other sports in which we dogs could compete.  Here are a few:

• Treat jar races.  Dogs are required to stay in different locations in a house, and when they hear the treat jar open, must race to it.  The first dog there wins.
• Tug of war.  Can be performed with two dogs (matched for weight) or a dog and human.  To keep it fair, given that lots of dogs are outweighed by humans, the humans should be wearing roller skates.  
• Treat catching.  Could be done from longer and longer distances. Clearly not a sport for the FG...
• Food dish bowl hockey.  Pushing a bowl across a kitchen floor and into a laundry hamper and being sure to make as much noise as possible.  Einstein could do this.  The event would be timed.
• Treat hunt..  Treats are hidden around a house.  Dogs are timed in their ability to find all the treats.  Gold medal for me - for sure!
• Dog kiss marathon.  See which dog can give the most dog kisses.  Event is obviously timed.  But one may want to check what the dog was licking BEFORE the event takes place.  Fair warning.
• Snow digging.  A timed event to see who can dog the deepest hole in a pile of snow.  For us PONs, it would be helpful to have a treat at the bottom of the snow pile.  For the FG, no treat is even needed.

Now those are just a few of the events that could  take place in the winter.  I have LOTS more ideas for summer games...who do I contact about having events added?

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days: 30 

Good news. Bad news.

As some of you might have noticed yesterday, I had a question mark next to my count for seizure free days.  And it's a good news, bad news kind of story.

At around 3AM Friday morning, my human woke up and I was on the bed with her.  I chattered my teeth a few times, and when I went to stand up, I was VERY wobbly.  Now you need to understand that with the medications I am on, one of the side effects IS wobbly behavior - and a weak rear end.  Not weak enough to keep me from counter surfing, mind you, but I still have an interesting gait pattern at times.  But that night I appeared extra wobbly.  I did NOT have a grand mal seizure, which was good, but my behavior was odd.  My human wondered if I was having a partial seizure.  And if that wasn't stressful enough, I went and jumped off the bed in my wobbly state, before she could grab me.  I sat down hard on the floor and looked at my human.  I shook myself off and went to lie down - and I went back to sleep.  But the BAD part was the next morning.

My human got up - and yours truly could NOT use one of his back legs.  I mean I was a three legged dog.  I held my leg up and would NOT bear weight on it.  My human just about died.  We went outside and let's just say that peeing and especially pooping were interesting on three legs.  My human carried me back into the house. 

Of course the first thing she did was contact one of her most intimate, and knowledgeable friends.  Google.  The first thing she searched for was ACL tear.  The symptoms include an inability to bear weight on a rear leg.  And a tear can happen by doing something like landing poorly after a  jump.  Great.  And of course, she read about all the options for surgery.  This is before 5:30 AM, I might add.  And she was doubly panicking because she had to go to work. 

All day long, she kept watching me with Big Brother.  Actually, it was pretty boring, because I slept most of the day.  Around mid-day she saw me walking around and I appeared to be weight bearing again. 

By the time my human got home from work, you would NEVER have thought I had a problem that morning.  I went outside, on a leash of course, and I trotted along with no hint of a limp. None.  Zero.

So.  Did I have a seizure?  Hard to say.  If it was one, it definitely wasn't a bad one.  Could it have been a medication side effect?  Possibly. 

Now a GOOD bit of news.  Because I haven't had a BIG seizure in so many days, we are reducing one of my medications.  This is actually VERY good news - because that particular drug is hard on my liver.

My human is becoming more and more informed about canine epilepsy.  The problem with the condition is that there is no "one size fits all" when it comes to treatment.  What works for one dog may not work at ALL for another dog.  And finding the right combination of medications is very much trial and error. 

So given that I didn't have a BAD seizure, we'll continue the count - and hope that yesterday's weird behavior was just a glitch.  Mind you....MAYBE I was acting weird because I got into the garbage can in the laundry room...and ate a fistful of dryer lint.  Yup - I did it.  Although most of it DID reappear when I was doing my three legged poop routine...And not to worry - we don't use dryer sheets so there were no toxic chemicals.  I just ate fuzz.  Plain old fuzzy fuzz.  Yum.

Never, ever a dull moment in THIS house....

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days: 29

Morgan. My idol.

Well I was looking through the world of dog news and came across an interesting story.  Have you heard about Morgan? No?  She is a 6 year-old Newfoundland dog from British Columbia, Canada.  Morgan is what is called a Grand Champion - meaning she has won LOTS of dog beauty pageants.  So that means she is pretty.  And, she is smart - she has also competed in obedience and draft dog competitions.  Draft dog meaning she can pull a cart.  Not drink beer.  ALTHOUGH, Morgan does have an affiliation with beer too.  You see, Morgan has also been trained to do a HUGE number of tricks.  Including, fetching a can of beer from the fridge, fetching bags of snack foods, roasting hot dogs over a fire (yes - you read that correctly), vacuuming, shoveling snow and pushing a snowblower.  Here she is working with the snowblower:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fg3WLKL4zw

And here she is doing some of her other tricks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-g2JGMGCfE

In addition to all the of above amazing attributes, Morgan is ALSO a trained therapy dog who visits seniors in retirement homes.  She is also trained in water rescue.  Of course she is. Seriously, is there anything this dog doesn't do?

I think for me, the most amazing thing that she does is open that fridge door.  And ONLY removes what she is supposed to.  THAT is amazing.  Wish I could open the fridge door.  And trust me, I wouldn't be looking for a can of beer.   I think I want to invite her to come and visit.... Right after my human has gone grocery shopping...

It's Friday.

Let the weekend begin!!!!!

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!

Seizure -free days: 28?

Coyotes...

Our weather here in Nova Scotia has been a bit strange this year.  We get some snow. Then we get freezing rain, then rain, then the temperature goes up and melts lots of the snow, but it then drops and leaves an icy coating and then we get snow again which covers the ice...and the process repeats.  As a result, we haven't been getting our long walks in the morning, because walking on our driveway is a bit of a risk.  You don't know where you'll encounter ice while walking in the dark.  Even the LAWN was an icy minefield for a few days.  So the other morning while my human was attempting to keep her balance and still hold onto leashes for two dogs, she was a BIT unhappy when Einstein and I started sniffing MADLY around the house and we were dragging her - or sliding her - from snow mound to snow mound, with our noses STUCK to the ground.  My human wondered just WHAT we could be sniffing.  We haven't seen any bunnies lately - and the bunnies don't typically come all that close to the house anyway- so we doubted it was them.  BUT - I wonder if the mystery was solved the night before last when my human got a frantic text from one of the neighbors.  The neighbor texted to warn that there was a coyote in a yard on our road. It was around 8 in the evening.

We know that there are coyotes around - we've certainly heard them from a distance.  But no one had seen any on the road - at least not for a LONG time.

Now if you live in coyote country, there are tips to protect your dogs from altercations.  In our case, given our size, it is not as likely that a coyote would attack us - although they COULD view us as competition.  So one never knows.  Smaller dogs and certainly cats, though, are really at a much greater risk.  My human is always with us on walks, and as a rule, coyotes will generally avoid humans. But if one does encounter a coyote, one should try to look as big as possible.  Humans should stand tall and maintain eye contact.  Do NOT run away.  In fact, experts suggest that you should try to scare the coyote away by yelling, stomping your feet and even throwing rocks or sticks near the coyote.  But there is a caution with this behavior... If the time of year is between August and January - that's when you scare a coyote.  HOWEVER, if it is between February and July - when coyotes may have pups and you MAY be near their den, by trying to scare them, you may actually agitate them and they MAY act out to protect their den.  In this case, you just stand tall, and walk calmly away, watching the coyote at all times.

If you know there are coyotes in your area, be sure to NOT leave dog or cat food outdoors.  Make sure access to compost is secure. Even cleaning up our poop is suggested, as coyotes could be attracted to it. Guess they are into recycling like me.

Coyotes are becoming more and more of a nuisance in recent years - and there is even evidence of "urban coyotes" in places like NewYork City's Central Park.  They are becoming used to humans, which can result in more and more encounters.  Honestly, if given the choice between encountering a bear or a coyote, I think I'd pick the bear.  At least the bears we have around here - which are black bears - and who typically run when they see humans.  Now grizzlies and polar bears (which we don't have) are another story...Coyotes, to me are scarier than black bears and I REALLY would not want to face more than one...

So we'll be making lots of noise when we go out after dark and my human will actually start carrying a walking stick.  Just for good measure.  That is, when the ice melts...Wonder how those coyotes are managing on the ice...

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days: 27