About those bears....

We had a pretty quiet day yesterday.  Her highness went to - of all things- an all day art class.  She enlisted her sister to let us out in the afternoon for our pees.  We all behaved fairly well for her- no canines went missing and there were no human injuries.  So we consider that successful.

Today my human goes back again.  I guess she didn’t pass the first day.  Or maybe she has more to learn.

Today I have a blog - with some random thoughts...related to yesterday’s blog...

We canines, as a rule, don’t tend to ruminate over things.  We kind of live for the here and now.  And every new moment is a moment to rejoice.  We don’t really tend to think things like “I should not have chased that bunny yesterday.  I wish I had not barked at the neighbor’s dog.  I hope eating that extra kibble won’t make me look fat.”   Nope- we just don’t tend to over-analyze things.

However, humans DO that kind of stuff all the time.  They worry that they have said the right thing.  They try their best not to offend people.  They are conscious about how what they say and do may affect others.

And as a dog who writes a blog, I must confess I tend to think like humans.  Sometimes.  I express my feelings about things and share our lives with you.  And like a university professor who gets 30 reviews from students - where 29 are great, I focus on the one that is not so great.  So I need to clarify something from yesterday’s blog - because we did get a bad review.

I talked about my human’s friend - and the fact that he had to resort to using a shock collar to keep his dogs away from bears.  I KNEW when I wrote it that it could be viewed as controversial- but I shared it because it is his experience.  I agree that shock collars are not a great training tool.  And like any training tool, it can be abused.  My human would not likely ever use one - BUT you never know because she has not been in his shoes.  She also does not judge her friend as being abusive for doing so - because she knows he provides an UNBELIEVABLE home for his dogs.  Two of his dogs were rescued from kill shelters in the US.  He flew them to BC to give them an AMAZING life. He does not have a cruel bone in his body. He didn’t want to use the collars - but it was a last resort.  

We were mortified to see that he was judged as being cruel.  And honestly, we felt badly for even telling the story - because my human never, ever wanted to see people think badly of her friend.  

But she focused on that one bad review all day.  And even considered deleting that part of the story.  But instead, we decided to simply use it as a reminder that sometimes we need to know the whole story.  And never say never until you have shared the exact same experience as someone else.  You just never know...

We decided after this incident that we will try to not be so upset by the single “review” either, and my new motto will be one her highness saw on a greeting card:

No matter what life brings you,  kick some grass over that poop and move on.  It’s a new day.  

Be nice humans.  Be more like dogs....

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days:  36

The chase

Things have been pretty quiet here after all the medical appointments.  OK. OK.  There was a SMALL incident the other night when my human went to take me and Einstein for a quick pee - and SHE made the mistake of not looking out the front door.  Not one but TWO bunnies were just hanging out, waiting for a game of chase.  Two bunnies.  Two PONs.  But one bunny got off easy because one PON doesn’t like to race through the brush and get all dirty and full of sticks.  The OTHER PON absolutely becomes temporarily DEAF and does NOT respond to calls, shouts or pleading.  No big deal.  I came back after about 25 minutes.  And met the tub and jet engine dryer when I arrived home.

Otherwise, things are quiet.  So I decided to look at what’s new in the dog world.  The first thing that popped up was this video of a dog chasing a bear out of its yard.

 

https://youtu.be/T1ewMZAug24

It was timely because my human had just been talking to a good old friend in BC, who was telling her how his three dogs are notorious for chasing bears up trees. He’s a huge dog lover, and despite training attempts, they have had to resort to shock collars to stop them when they make the charge at a bear. He hates the idea of it - but after one dog had a swipe on the nose, they realized they had to do something. These are black and cinnamon bears.  Not grizzlies - although they certainly could encounter grizzlies in their area as well.  They spend a LOT of time in the outdoors- so the likelihood of encounters is high.  He feels sorry for the dogs - he hates to use the collars - and he feels sorry for the bears, who generally do not seek out trouble. It’s a real challenge.

There are a number of videos on - line with dog/bear chases. Here are three of my favorites- I have probably posted them before - but it’s interesting to see how size does NOT matter in some cases:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2015/oct/05/small-dog-chases-off-two-bears-in-california-video

https://youtu.be/uE6S34cEqJE

https://youtu.be/qFPjnYCi9co

This video shows some guard dogs who keep grizzlies away from a fishing camp.  You might be surprised with the breeds:

https://youtu.be/Mkx1T4ckl0U

And lastly we have this video of Karelian Bear dogs.  Who are trained to keep bears away.  It’s sad when wildlife have their homes invaded by humans - and they start becoming a nuisance.  Unfortunately, sometimes wildlife lose their lives - just because they are hungry, and their own turf has been encroached upon.  One way to keep them from being destroyed is by using dogs to scare them off.  They have cameras attached to the dogs so you can see what it looks like from a dog point to view.  Kind of like when chasing bunnies.  Said the guy with the experience...

https://youtu.be/xoNmfY7vzvA

So that’s it for this episode of Wildlife Adventures with Canines.  I promise not to chase more bunnies. Wait - let’s edit that.  I promise not to chase any bears.  Bunnies are still fair game. And its funny because I’m not exactly sure what I would do if I caught one...

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 35

The next vet visit

The FG had his visit to the vet the other day to see if he is put together normally.  He had some X-rays of his hips and his elbows.  Einstein did that once too- he passed his tests with flying colors. I never bothered.  I know I’m perfect. 

They arrived at the clinic and as they stepped into the waiting area, her highness stopped.  The place was packed.  Lots of Zombies and their dogs. She made the FG sit - and they stayed right by the front door.  She couldn’t figure out how to get through the crowd to her favorite area in the back.  So they stayed by the door. 

We know how paranoid she is at the clinic.  She doesn’t want us to lick anything for fear we will catch some communicable disease.  It’s amazing she doesn’t make us wear surgical masks.  Imagine her HORROR when a little dog had ....how can I put this...explosive diarrhea mear the front of the registration desk.  Ewwwwwwwww.  The poor human who owned the dog looked mortified- and who wouldn’t.  A woman who was sitting close to the rancid smelling puddle, stood up and came to hang out by my human and the FG.  She didn’t even have a pet with her.  The man who owned the dog tried in earnest to get the attention of one of the staff who were super busy. He finally mentioned to one that his dog had a little accident.  Little accident?  We’re talking more than a little pee problem.  Thank goodness it had not been a Saint Bernard.  They would have had to shut down the clinic.

They called my human to the desk and she approached it from the side - to avoid the cesspool.  She mentioned to the staff again that there was a “clean up in aisle 3” as no one seemed to be doing anything about it.  They assured her that help was on the way. 

They asked that the FG be weighed.  Getting to the scale meant going right around the “problem area.”  She asked if they could go behind the desk- and they quickly agreed.  The aroma was wafting their way - so they realized the problem was dire.  Wonder who lost the coin toss to clean it up.

After the weigh in, my human was able to direct the FG to the seating area in the back. Away from the crowds and the “problem area.”  The FG chilled while waiting to be radiated.

The vet and technician came out to see him and he happily greeted them.  They invited my human back to watch the process.

The FG was extremely well behaved, and didn’t require any sedation. Her highness probably could have used it.

A look at the X-rays revealed that things “look normal” - but now they are sent to the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation of America) for formal assessment.  He didn’t study for the test - so we hope he passes.

After the X-rays were over, as her highness chatted with the vet, a steady stream of technicians came by to meet “the Picard.”  His reputation precedes him.  Not really - I think they just wanted to see a Picard in real life- there are so few around.  He happily greeted each one and reportedly was a great ambassador for the breed. The picture perfect canine. Remember- no carpets in the clinic- and he WAS on a leash.  

So within the past couple of weeks, all of us have been to the vet.  Although the staff are very, very nice, my human hopes that we can avoid going there for at least a little while.  Paws crossed!

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 34

The magic carpet. Not.

We have this indoor outdoor carpet outside our front door.  It manages to grab a lot of leaves and dirt when we come in the from our walks. It has stood the test of time in all seasons and has been covered in snow and shoveled more times than I can count. So after all these years, her highness was thinking it was time for a replacement.

The carpet is 4x6 feet in size.  It fits perfectly in the entry way.  Her highness measured it with a tape measure and everything.  Problem was - she should have taken one of us along when she went shopping.

The first carpet she brought home looked really nice. Perfect pattern and colors. She could hardly wait to unroll it as Einstein barked out orders from inside.  We could not be part of the unrolling.  Ever try to unroll a carpet with three assistant canines? Epic failure. One gets on the carpet. She tells him to move. He does and two more get on.  She pulls the carpet while we stand on it like Aladdin waiting for it to take off.  Yeah - carpet movement and canines is not a great idea.

Anyway, she drags the old carpet out of the way and ceremoniously unrolls the new carpet. It doesn’t fit.  Hello?  “Somebody” didn’t read the label CAREFULLY.  It says 4x 6’7”.   Yup. 7 inches too much.  The carpet gets rolled up and returned.

Round 2.  She’s at the grocery store and they have a section with seasonal items-,gardening things and furniture for your deck. And there are carpets.  She finds one she LOVES.   But- its only 3x4.  Well it won’t be too big. And the price was right. She brings it home and we again watch the unrolling.  It fits.  But it looks dinky.  The old carpet is dragged back into place.

This time, instead of returning it, she decides it COULD go on the back deck.  In front of the entrance to the door.  The door with the dog entrance through the screen.  She puts it down and we all go to inspect it.  The FG immediately rubs his face in it.  We are all fascinated with this new bit of decor.

We go in and out all day. We love our dog door. And we love being on the new carpet. That evening, when it gets dark, her highness closes the glass door to the deck. So it isn’t until the next morning that she sees the carnage.

“Someone” has chewed the entire length  of the carpet.  Well - at least someone chewed one end and the rest of the binding came off with a good tug.  Her highness took one look at it and heaved it over the deck railing to the ground below. 

She suspects the FG.   He’s the most likely suspect.  It does have his m.o. all over it.  But in all fairness...she didn’t SEE HIM doing it.  Maybe Einstein did it - and made it LOOK like the FG did it.  Or maybe I did it....Who knows.  It’s a mystery.  And I’m not telling who done it....I just think I should go with her the next time she goes carpet shopping.  I would get the RIGHT one. 

Stay tuned tomorrow to hear about the FG’s visit to the vet. No carpets there. And it’s a good thing....

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up. 

Seizure free days:  33

Medical appointments

The day of the medical appointments. My human’s? Her lavender injuries will not kill her.  But we knew that.  We might.  But the lavender won’t. 

Einstein’s appointment began with the typical vet clinic waiting room circus.  Dogs with zombie owners.  But I hear Einstein’s favorite dog was this one.  He refused to leave when it was time to go.  

How weird is that?!  Most dogs want to bolt out the door.  But not this guy. He appeared to be a young Golden Retriever.  I think he knew it was too hot outside and he preferred the air conditioned clinic.

Einstein was well behaved for his ultrasound.  Although he apparently did not appreciate his feet being touched.  My human should have warned them.  Not that he is mean or the least bit aggressive- he just recoils his feet and tucks them under his body.  You know how in the movie the Wizard of Oz, when the house falls on the witch and her feet curl up and go under the house?  That’s kind of like Einstein’s feet.  I’m not sure what made me think of that...

Anyway, the cardiologist met with her highness after the tests.  Einstein has two problems.  Neither problem is DCM - the cardiac problem written in the news a lot lately - which has a connection to a grain free diet.  Nope - he has two other problems. One is age related changes seen in many dogs involving his mitral valve.  The other is actually one he was born with -Patent Ductus Arteriosis.  The problem is usually detected when the dog is a puppy.  Severe cases warrant surgical repair.  Now it is most likely the Einstein’s case was not severe at birth -that’s why it was never detected and why it has never affected him.  

So- the bottom line.  He is NOT in heart failure.  He shows no external symptoms of heart issues.  Given that and given his age of 9.5, the vet was not pushing for surgery.  He felt that medication, at Einstein’s age is a more reasonable option.  IF he suddenly started showing significant symptoms, it COULD be an option.  But the surgery for the PDA would not help the other problem.  So he would still have that.  So after LOTS of questions and discussion, her highness agreed with the vet’s recommendation. He’ll be picking up his drugs tomorrow.  Our house is starting to look like a pharmacy.

So not GREAT news - but not HORRIBLE news either.  Paws crossed he continues along as he currently is.

Now we know I was recently to the vet for my bloodwork.  Einstein went to the vet and had his cardiac tests.  It seems only fair that the FG get to visit the clinic.  After all, we’ve probably paid for several vets’ vacations.  So today it’s his turn.  He is going in for a check up - and to get some X-rays.  He has nothing broken- we just want to see how he is put together.  Einstein and I wanted to X-ray his head to see why he thinks differently than us PONs.  Her highness said they are not doing his head.  I wish I could go to watch. 

More on his tests in coming weeks.  Oh. And more on his appetite for carpets.  Which he apparently still has....

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 32

The infirmary.

Helpful hint:  When you don’t have enough medical tape, vet wrap will do...

On Sunday, her highness and her sister went to a gardening center. Her sister needed plants.  Her highness didn’t.  So she walked around and took photos and then as she was about to leave, she spotted some lavender.  She has attempted lavender before. But she killed it.  Or thought she did.  Who KNEW that it looks dead at the beginning of the season- but then it comes back to life?  No wonder it never survived.  She always pulled it out, thinking it was dead,  and it was probably alive. Anyway, she bought two pots.  And the plan was to put it in the raised bed in the middle of our driveway.

She left the pots by the front of the house.  As you would expect, when we discovered them, we all tried to “water” them. We were stopped before the faucets opened.

So yesterday morning after our walks and breakfast, her highness headed out to plant the lavender. 

They say that lavender has health benefits- including antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Well that is ironic...

Her highness first cut some things with the weed whacker.  Then she battled to get the leaf blower working.  She pulled the cord probably 20 times.  The neighbors could hear her anguished moans - so they shouted out to see if they could help.  My human walked over and after two pulls, the neighbor started the blower.  My human headed back home blowing everything in sight.

She got back, stopped the blower and used the weed whacker again.  After that she again tried the blower.  She came to the conclusion the blower has a PON/Picard engine.  It only works when it FEELS like it. She grasped the cord, gave a tug and when it almost engaged she got so excited, she let go and the cord recoiled - whacking her wrist in the process.  Injury #1.  Oh. And the motor died.  She  came in the house, had a glass of water and went back out. She tried the blower again and it started.  After about 30 pulls.  Thank goodness.  

She finished that part of the job and then went to step onto the raised bed to cut some bushes.  This bed is about 3 feet high.  She has stepped up onto it dozens of times.  But this time, she somehow lost her balance and back she fell.  Well, sideways.  She fell onto the pavement.  On her leg, hip and elbow. Her first thought?  Geez I better not have broken anything- who will walk the dogs?! She got up slowly, realizing nothing felt “broken.”  However - her shin was swelling immediately and bleeding profusely.  Sorry for the graphic description- but heck you readers are used to poop descriptions- so you are tough.

She hobbled into the garage, grabbed a clean dog towel (that stack of dog grooming towels is good for more than grooming) and pressed it against her bleeding shin. She hobbled bent over into the house.  Of course we ALL tried to help. She appreciated our offer of assistance- but because she wasn’t sure we could get the bandages out of the medicine drawer, she sequestered us on the deck. She sat down to evaluate the damage - and decided to call for back up.  Thankfully our neighbors were still  home and came down with tape and bandages.  They got her highness fixed while we watched through the deck door with Einstein shouting out medical directives.

Her highness elevated her leg and took a deep breath.  About a half hour later, she couldn’t resist the temptation to look at her battle scar.  She removed the bandage, put on some antiseptic cream (she probably should have rubbed some lavender into it) and then realized she had no medical tape.  She even checked the dog medical supplies - because frankly, we are better equipped than the human supplies. Nope.  No tape.  So how to keep that bandage on her shin?  The answer.  Vet wrap.  It worked perfectly.  Perhaps a bit of overkill- but it was going to hold that bandage and it doesn’t stick like tape.  Every home should have some. Whether you have a dog or not!

Her highness washed up and went to sit out on the deck to relax with us.  Of course we ALL had to inspect her bandaged leg and the FG REALLY wanted the bag of ice she was using to reduce the swelling. 

We eventually settled down and her highness relaxed the rest of the day.  She was able to hobble around and feed us on time- and we all promised it to not make her walk TOO far before we pooped.

Today, Einstein has his cardiology appointment.  And as luck would have it, her highness also has a doctor’s appointment.  I think we should start referring to our house as the “Infirmary.”  But don’t worry - once that lavender gets planted, everything will be just fine.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up. 

Seizure free days: 31

Miracles DO happen

Miracles DO happen.  Or maybe Picards just become all grown up...

Yesterday was another hot one.  No running around or playing fetch until the evening.  My human took me and Einstein out after 7:30 and she still only let us play a few rounds of fetch as she didn’t want us to get overheated.  When we finished, she looked at the trees.  There was a BIT of a breeze...

So she doused herself in bug spray, gave the FG a spray as well,  and put him on the 50’ line of marine rope.  She put on her rubber boots and grabbed a floatable fetch toy.  And then she said a few prayers. I think it was to the Patron Saint of swimming dogs - or the one who protects against human rope injuries. She took a few moments to prepare herself mentally and off they went. Einstein and I stood on the deck watching as they headed down the trail. Einstein shouted “GOOD LUCK!  Look - we’re peeing on the deck!”

On the way down the trail, she desperately tried to keep the FG ON the trail - and not off in the brush - for fear of the vampires. Holding fifty feet of rope and an anxious Picard was no easy fete. 

They made it to the water’s edge and the wild child jumped in before she could throw the toy. She tossed the toy and he went right past it- heading for deeper water.  Then - in the CLASSIC FG move, he started swimming parallel to the shoreline.  His plan, of course was to jump up on the shoreline further down from my human and go for a run.  But her highness was ready for him. She started pulling him back toward her.  It was at that point that the FG realized he was busted. So he came back toward her and the fetch toy- which was in shallow water. But the toy was far enough out that her highness couldn’t reach it from the shore.  He stood and stared at the toy.  She said, in that nervous quasi happy tone “Get it!” He poked at it with his nose.  My human’s heart sank. This fetching game was not going to work.

But then, something happened.  It was like a weird electrical surge of energy.  The FG grabbed the toy and hopped onto the shore - shaking water everywhere.  Her highness wondered if she dare toss the toy further out.  She closed her eyes and gave it a heave.  And one crazy Picard leaped into the water and headed straight for the toy. He grabbed it and headed right back to shore.  Out he jumped and dropped the toy- shaking like mad.  Should they try ONE more time?

Well.  They didn’t do it ONE more time- they did it SEVERAL times.  The only challenge was grabbing him when he would get out.  You see, the FG LOVES to rub against ANYTHING when he is wet - and her highness knew he would make every attempt to roll in the tall grasses or rub against foliage - and she did not want him potentially picking up ticks.  So he would jump out and she had to hold him close as he shook himself off.  She might as well have gone in the water - she was so wet.  She would then entice him with the toy - and toss it back in.

And so it went.  When she figured that her luck was probably about to run out, she said “OK, let’s go.” Now she had to hold him by the collar all the way up the trail, until they got to the lawn in the back yard.  At which point he predictably threw himself in the grass.  And rolled. And rolled.  

Here are a few shots taken to prove this really happened.  Now they are NOT great photos.  Keep in mind her highness had to hold onto the line as he was going out and gather it as he was coming in.  And she was shooting into the sun. But you get the idea.

Yes.  Our little brother is really growing up.  Mind you...he’s not QUITE ready to be taken off that line...

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 30!