February 2015 – Page 2 – Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter.

Lent

February 17, 2015Leave a Comment

New Years resolutions. By now, most humans have given them up. But if they have, there is another chance to try again. It’s called Lent. And it begins today. Lent is a time of preparation during which people do good things before Easter. They also “give things up”. So it’s kind of like resolutions all over again. Sometimes people give up things that they really like – kind of like a penance. My human will probably try to give up something like chocolate – which she doesn’t eat much anyway. So it’s kinda the “cheaters” version of Lent. You give up SOMETHING – and it IS something you do or enjoy– but it’s not THAT hard. But I guess something is better than nothing.

So I figure I had better give up something too. Let’s see….Licking Frodo’s ears. No – I can’t do it. I mean I can TRY – but it would be VERY, VERY hard. How about I give up eating biscuits. No- I can’t do it. I just can’t. I’m a PON. I love to eat. It’s in my DNA. No point in trying the impossible. Hmmm….How about I give up wearing my rain/snow suit? I can do that. Although I’m not so sure my human will agree. Hmmmm…I could give up barking in unison with Frodo while my human is getting our meals every day? Well. How about one meal? Once a week. I can do that. There’s one. How about I give up attacking Frodo when he comes down the stairs? Another tough one. But I THINK I can do it. Once a week.

OK. That’s two things. That should be enough. Done.

Now I suppose I SHOULD go back and look at those New Years resolutions too….

Oh and by the way. The favorite grand-dog title? When pressed for a winner, my human’s mother caved. She gave in to the current model that kids get – where “everyone is a winner and everyone gets a prize.” So you guessed it. She has no “favorite.” We all are “sweet” for different reasons. But she DID smile at ME when she said it – so you all KNOW that I’m her favorite. How could I NOT be?

Brain freeze

February 17, 2015Leave a Comment

So. My human’s mother was supposed to go home today. But we are supposed to be having a big snowstorm so she gets to spend another glorious day with us and I have my last chance to be awarded the favorite grand-dog title.

Paxton knocked himself out of the running after that day he wouldn’t come in from outside. He also started this rather annoying habit of waiting until my human’s mother was watching the LAST 10 minutes of her daily soap opera – and he would stand in front of her and bark. Seriously. I think when he realized he was out of the running for the title, he just let all good behavior out the window. She even referred to “Buttercup” and “Cocoa” as little angels. ME! An angel! You have NO idea how challenging this week has been.

Yesterday we had a wonderful romp in the snow. My favorite thing to do is bury my head in the snow, pull it out and then “attack” Frodo or Paxton. And I simply blame what might be interpreted as bad behavior on “brain freeze”. Am I brilliant or what? Of course- it’s all in good fun…or so I say.

Today may be a day of indoor games – although I fear it could ALSO be a day for grooming. Maybe the weatherman will be wrong – that wouldn’t be a surprise.

Stay warm and dry – wherever you are! Tomorrow I plan to be wearing the “favorite grand-dog crown…”

Snow. And insanity.

February 17, 2015Leave a Comment

The night before last, my human and her mother rented a movie with Hillary Swank and Tommy Lee Jones. It was about this woman in the 1800’s who was transporting a group of three women across West – because well, the three women had basically gone insane due to the isolation and challenging circumstances. It was interesting….

Yesterday, we had a BIG snowstorm just as the weather people had forecast. For once they got it right. It was snowing like crazy when we got up – and THEN in the afternoon, it began to pour rain.

As I predicted, it was a day for UGH – grooming. Well, at least Frodo got groomed. Unfortunately, while my human was grooming Frodo, she trimmed his nails. And ONE nail she nipped a bit too short (his dewclaw) and it started to bleed. She didn’t have any of that styptic stuff – so she used flour – and stopped the bleeding. No problem.

While my human was wrestling 45+lbs of fur, the man who plows our driveway came. We have a LONG driveway – you can’t see the road from our house and the driveway slopes part way. Our plow guy is great. He always does his job. Except for yesterday. My human never heard him because she was busy wrestling. Anyway when she emerged sweating and out of breath from the grooming room she noticed a HUGE pile of snow. Blocking the middle of our driveway. I mean HUGE. Like 4 feet tall – and 4 feet wide. There was no way around the wall if we wanted to get out. She figured the plow guy MIGHT have found the snow too heavy – because this was the raining stage and he couldn’t move it the pile down the hill. So she figured he would be back.

So my human emerged from the grooming den, saw the blockade in the driveway, and went to take a shower. She comes out of the shower, feeling refreshed for all of 2.3 minutes. She comes into the kitchen and Frodo’s entire LEG is red with blood. He looked like someone tried to murder him. Of course, what happened was that he started licking the dewclaw, it opened up and started bleeding everywhere. My human scooped him up and used more flour. That seemed to stop it. But this time – she also put a sterile pad and some vet wrap on his leg – to keep him from licking it and restarting the bleeding.

So. Now my human begins to stress – because it appears we are really and truly STUCK in the house. There is no way a vehicle could get to our house and because we don’t own a Hummer, we can’t get out. And Frodo keeps pacing like MAD because he hates that his leg is wrapped. And I keep trying desperately to help Frodo get that bandage off. And when my human tells Frodo to lie down – he looks at her like she has said two words he has NEVER heard in his life. And Paxton just keeps trying to get on my human’s lap because none of us had a REALLY good run with the stormy weather in the morning and he just wants attention. And of course my human’s mother is concerned because she had initially planned to go home and now she has visions of being stuck here with us until spring. So she keeps telling my human that she had better call the plow guy to see if he is coming back.

At which point my human looks at all of us and says “Now I understand how those women in the movie went INSANE!!!!!!!”

We all just looked at her and shrugged our shoulders. Frodo promptly lay down and went to sleep. Pax started chewing on a bone and I looked up heavy equipment operators on the internet to remove our snow wall. Seriously – I am so happy I’m not a human.

Today my human’s mother goes home…if we can get out of here. And I THINK I’ll be wearing the crown. Although…the forecast IS calling for more snow…

Westminster!

February 17, 2015Leave a Comment

Oh my. When is Spring? My human needs some. Soon. Seriously. She has a contract out on the groundhog. Just kidding. Sort of.

So. The plow guy came back yesterday. And miracle of miracle – he broke through the snow wall. I don’t know HOW he did it. My human had also arranged for a backhoe to come in and move some of the HUGE piles around the house – because there is a VERY narrow opening to get the car in and out of the garage. The guy was SUPPOSED to come yesterday. He never showed up. My human was not impressed.

Top it all off with the fact that EVERYTHING is covered in a thin coating of ice. Frodo and I realized the ice, and immediately dropped and rolled on the lawn. We thought it was cool. Paxton had a hard time because he would break through the ice into the snow. The only way my human will go out is with these boots with spikes on the soles. Either that or she crawls in the snow. Not really. But I must say when watching her climb the snowbanks…well it’s not pretty.

Yesterday was a day off for my human – a new holiday in Nova Scotia called Heritage Day. My human on the other hand called it “even if it wasn’t a holiday I wouldn’t be going out” day. And of course, her mother got to spend another day with us.

But the good news in all of this – yesterday the first day of the Westminster dog show was on – AND we got to watch the PONs – live on the internet! My human was so impressed with all the dogs. She doesn’t personally know the bitch who got the Best of Breed – but she thought she was pretty. (for non-dog show people – it’s OK to use that word when talking about female dogs. But it’s not always nice to use it when describing humans…) My human does know Ammo – the dog who got BOS (which is the Best of Opposite Sex) – and she was very happy for Ammo’s human, Sara. Of course as SOON as the judging was over, my human looked at me – and said “you REALLY need a grooming.” Ugh. So into the grooming room we went. But I AM easier to groom than Frodo. I don’t complain NEARLY as much. After that we played “pretend Westminster”. We were all stacked and had to look cute and alert. Paxton included. It was a three way tie for Best of Breed – which is odd since Pax is a different breed. It’s called humoring the human.

So today the favorite grand-dog title will FINALLY be announced …I can hardly stand the suspense…And let’s HOPE the guy with the backhoe turns up!

A Valentine poem…

February 14, 2015Leave a Comment

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Valentines Day. That day when greeting card manufacturers, candy makers, jewelers and florists wake up and praise the heavens for Saint Valentine – a priest back around the year 270 who was beheaded for …hmm…marrying people when it was not allowed. So. He basically suffered for his faith and for romance. He would be shocked to see what an impact he has had… I’m sure he could NEVER have imagined dogs dressed in ridiculous attire – all in his name! But we did it. All for a treat. The photos you see are the five good shots out of 1638 taken. Humans.

But anyway… today – I have written a special Valentine for my human. So here goes…

To my human…

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

You take us on walks,

You pick up our poo.

We steal your mittens,

We jump on your bed,

We bark incessantly

While waiting to be fed.

You brush us and groom us

While we squeak and complain,

You have great patience

While we drive you insane.

We make you laugh

We make you cry

You teach us about manners

And SOMETIMES we try.

We snuggle and cuddle

And love belly rubs from you,

We give you big licks

And giant wags too.

We’re happy you picked us

And we’ll protect you till the end

We love you – our human –

From you very best friend.

Oh. And his brothers too.

Happy Valentines Day everyone!!!

Brian Williams.

February 13, 2015Leave a Comment

You know – I met Brian Williams. The news guy who has managed to put HIMSELF in the news. Yeah, we met in New York one day. I was walking down the street with my human, in Times Square of all places, and all of sudden I saw this woman who was pushing her baby carriage – and she accidentally tripped and let go of the carriage. And the carriage was headed for an oncoming bus. Well. I couldn’t let THAT happen. So I pulled away from my human – which is NOT a good thing to do – but this was an emergency -and raced out and grabbed the carriage JUST as it was INCHES from the bus. Whew. Everybody was so relieved – and I was quite the hero. So of course, Brian covered the story. I got to meet him and we even had dinner. Nice guy. He even paid for the meal. He was very interested in us PONs and said he would like to be owned by one. My human gave him the names of some creators (I like that word better than “breeders”) and he said he was thinking about it. He gave us his card and said to call him if we are ever in town again.

OK. I confess. The story isn’t completely true. Actually none of it is true. But heck. If HE can make things up – so can I! I suppose I really shouldn’t joke about him. Politicians make things up all the time. And besides– I read somewhere that he really LIKES DOGS. I hope THAT news was true!

The competition continues…

February 11, 2015Leave a Comment

So. My human’s mother decided to do some reading in the DFZ. She still believes the DFZ exists – and when we tried to go in with her she said “oh no you don’t” and she closed the gate. So Frodo and I waited. Patiently. As SOON as we saw her nodding off while reading her book, we slid open the gate. She opened her eyes just in time to see us marching in side by side. She promptly marched us back out. No worries. We will prevail.

She also learned about my decorating skills. She vacuumed the carpet and before she started, she put all of our bones and toys in the bin where they are kept. As soon as she went to put the vacuum cleaner away, I proceeded to empty the bin and spread the bones out around the room. I’m so lucky to have such decorating talent. Unfortunately, she doesn’t QUITE appreciate it. I hope my talent doesn’t interfere with my current place as favorite grand-dog. Well I guess I’m not CURRENTLY in the number one spot – there still is Frodo – who never seems to do much wrong. Except bark. This is a tough competition….

Out of the running.

February 11, 2015Leave a Comment

Well. It looks like Paxton MAY be out of the running for favorite grand-dog….

Yesterday my human went to work, and we were all behaving pretty well for her mother. Around 4:00 my human called to say she would be home in about a half hour. Her mother old her that Paxton had been a BIT of a “challenge”. He stole a tissue from her pocket (that’s where I learned the trick) and he was also kind of restless. Paxton has had some …how shall I say…stomach issues for a day or two. He had taken off in the woods the other day – and who KNOWS what he ate. He appears fine and has a SUPER appetite and energy – but his poops and his….hmmmm…flatulence – well let’s just say he is now on the rice and pumpkin diet.

Anyway, my human told her mother just to open the door and let Paxton go out. It’s not like he will take off. Usually. My human told her mother she would call back in a few minutes to see if everything was OK.

Paxton was let out to do his thing – which he did. And he came back to the door when my human’s mother called him. BUT he wouldn’t come back in! My human’s mother opened the door, and bribed him with treats and basically pleaded with him– but he would just stand 10 feet from the door and bark at her. When my human called back, her mother told her about the dilemma. So my human – in a moment of brilliance – which humans are not always known for – made a suggestion. She told her mother to turn on the speaker phone. Which her mother did. Then my human told her mother to open the front door. Which her mother did. And then my human SHOUTED as loudly as she could over the speaker phone: “Paxton –GET IN THE HOUSE.” Which he promptly did! Frodo and I watched the whole proceeding and were amazed. We both nodded at each other that it was a really good trick. So Paxton was back in the house. Safe and sound. And all returned to normal. Well. As normal as our house gets!

But I think Paxton totally knocked himself out of the running for favorite grand-dog. Which is SWEET. Better for me. Now I just need to get Frodo knocked out….

Paws for news…

February 10, 2015Leave a Comment

Well it’s Viktor – aka Cocoa here. Yesterday my human went back to work – leaving her mother at home with us canines. Before my human left, she reminded us that we needed to BEHAVE for her mother – and no roughhousing or stealing things. Sigh. It’s hard to behave all the time – and SO not in my nature. But I’m trying…

Let’s see what’s new in the news…Well the big dog show in the US – Westminster – is coming up in DAYS. My human even KNOWS some PONs who are going to be there! We’ll be watching for them on the internet!! My human has been to see the show twice – and she loved it! The last time she went was two years ago – and here is a SUPER cool story….

She bought her tickets way ahead of time. On-line. What she didn’t know was that on-line ticket holders were entered into a contest. Three people won. And my human was one of them! When they called her from NY to tell her she won, she thought it was a joke. But it wasn’t. And WHAT did she win? Tickets to a reception for the judges and other kennel club people the night before the show began. She also got upgraded seats – and BEST of all – tickets to the AFTER-PARTY! Yup. She got to see Banana Joe up close – and here is a photo to prove it- taken on her iPhone!

All the guests at that party got an AWESOME doggie bag (pun intended) of super canine products from Kiehl’s – like over $100 worth of products!!!! It was an amazing evening – at least that what she tells us. Besides the grooming supplies she did bring us back some other good guilt gifts – so we were happy too.

In other dog news, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi has been declared a “vulnerable” breed in the U.K!!! Corgis are being bred less and less and even the QUEEN says she isn’t getting any more Corgis! It’s really pretty sad. Some people argue the numbers have gone down because of docking and cropping bans. Others think numbers have gone down because there aren’t any “celebrities” with Corgis. Hello? Isn’t the Queen a celebrity? I guess because she doesn’t carry them around in her purse, nobody knows she has them. Which MEANS – that woman in Boston with the wedding party of Corgis – really MIGHT need my assistance. Still looking for that Corgi costume.

And SPEAKING OF COSTUMES…Remember the dreaded antlers at Christmas time? And the Halloween headbands with the pumpkins and skulls, and the New Year stars headbands? Well. My human went to the Dollar Store yesterday. And just as I feared – the EASTER decorations are out. She came home with a LARGE bag – and I BELIEVE I could see the tips of what looked like rabbit ears…I told Paxton and he and I have a pact to NOT cooperate for any obligatory photo shoot. No matter how good the treat bribes. Frodo on the other hand is not saying much – which you KNOW means he will sit like a statue and behave. If we could just get that bag of ears while our human is not home…When is Easter anyway? Oh good. We have a few weeks…..

Call me Cocoa

February 9, 20151 Comment

In the past I have talked about how you humans agonize about picking a name for us canines when we are puppies – and then you go ahead and make up a variety of “other” names for us as well. For example. My name is Viktor. Yet I also go by Vik, Baby V, Viktorino and Trino – with is a nickname for a nickname. So of course, when my human’s mother arrived, she had to come up with her OWN set of names for us.

Paxton is “Big Guy”. Frodo is “Buttercup” – don’t even ASK me how she got THAT one. And me? I’m Cocoa. Cocoa. I don’t get this one either. I mean I’m not chocolate in color.

My human asked her mother how she got Cocoa, and her mother wasn’t sure. And THEN – they both remembered. My human had a stuffed dog when she was a kid (like 350 some odd years ago) and the dog was named Cocoa. Which of COURSE, got my human – the woman who is SUPER nostalgic – and a BIT of a pack rat – to go searching for Cocoa. She KNEW she still had him. Somewhere. Well she found him. Unfortunately, Cocoa has not aged well. His stuffing is coming out – because his coat…well…it has disintegrated. He has been repaired – but he must be handled VERY gently – or his head will fall off from what is left of his body. It took a LOT of work to prop him up for the picture – and my attempt to rip off his remaining ear was promptly met with a loud “Noooooooooo!” (That’s me on the left, if you’re not sure). So I took the shot with him and Cocoa went back to his closet. The next time he comes out – well…who knows WHAT he’ll look like. It’s funny – but in his day, I think Cocoa was ALMOST kind of PON-like. Actually, it’s kind of spooky…

So this weekend I got to meet a dog that has been living here – who I didn’t even know existed. And I am still behaving – and now, I am answering to the name Cocoa. The things one does to become favorite grand-dog…