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

Rally on boys

September 19, 2015Leave a Comment

Humans. Honestly – they REALLY are strange. I understand that there is a new reality TV show in the UK – where they take celebrities and try to teach them how to herd or as they say “flock” sheep. My human wants to see if she can get the show. She is figuring it may help my next attempt at the Herding Instinct Test next month. I guess she’s assuming I will watch the show with her. Now THAT will be interesting. I’m sure if she can’t watch THAT show, she’ll find some other sheepherding video to watch. As you may recall, I DID enjoy Planet of the Apes – so a herding video COULD be interesting…..

Well we are about to head out to our Rally Day. Apparently my human will be wearing a “uniform” for our team event. I certainly hope we dogs are not included in the apparel requirement. It could restrict our movement while rallying – so Frodo and I agree, that we will protest if required to wear something foolish.

Off we go. This is going to be fun – pass or fail. Actually, given that the proceeds of the trial are going to canine cancer – there really can be no fails!

Have a great day!

It’s Friday

September 18, 2015Leave a Comment

It’s Friday. And for some reason, lots of humans seem to love Fridays. Not us dogs. Every day is Friday for us!

So yesterday my human had a dinner party for like 100 people. OK. It was more like 10 – but for some reason it was a big ordeal. What’s all the fuss about preparing a meal? Again, humans should be more like dogs – throw some food in a bowl, and gobble it down in 8.6 seconds, and that’s that.

Well. Tomorrow is a big day. Again. Frodo and I are entered in some rally trials. But not just ANY trials. These are special trials – all the proceeds go to the Smiling Blue Skies Cancer fund. The fund is through a veterinary college – and it provides assistance to dogs and their humans when the dog has a cancer diagnosis. My human has sadly lost two Bernese Mountain Dogs to cancer at young ages – 7 and 3 – so it’s a big deal for her.

Anyway, it looks like tomorrow is going to be a BUSY day. There is a HUGE entry of dogs. Frodo is in Rally Excellent, and I’m trying my paw at Advanced. And THEN we are both on a Team too! My human is pretty cool about this trial because everyone is just so excited to contribute to such a great fund – it promises to be a fun day. But it also means being up at the crack of dawn, as the trial is an hour away. I better get to bed early tonight – I want to be on my game tomorrow. Oh. And we had better practice a BIT tonight. But just a bit. With treats. Lots of treats!

Happy Friday!

Same-different

September 17, 2015Leave a Comment

There was an interesting discussion on the Internet the other day about the personality differences between two PONs. And I think the general consensus was that it is a combination of genes and environment that determine our personalities. Case in point – Frodo and me. We both came from the same breeder. We both had the same parents – although he IS older than me. Now my human did bring Frodo home at 11 weeks. And I came home at 7.5 weeks. But in GENERAL – we had a similar “start” in this world – and the very same gene pool. And we DO have similarities – and some big differences…

Similarities:

· Food. We both LOVE food. We obsess over food. I probably have a SLIGHT edge over Frodo – I’m the one who stares at the garage door – where the dog food is stored. On the other hand – Frodo is the one who sticks his head in the fridge whenever the door is opened. So I guess we ARE the same on this one.

· Retrieving . We both love to retrieve. Now admittedly, I WILL do it longer than Frodo – but then I AM younger.

· Trainability. We both LOVE to work with our human – and we ARE fairly easy to train. Assuming there is food involved.

· Herding. Er…..this is a touchy one right now. But so far, neither of us is SUPER interested in the big wooly guys. But the jury is out on this one. I want another chance.

· Water. Puddles. Rain. We both dislike them. Frodo worse than me – and I have learned from him, that being wet is no picnic. I wonder though, if he liked water, if I would follow….

· Stubbornness. Both of us CAN be a bit….hmmmmm…”independently minded”. Especially when we are doing something naughty. And we are told to stop. During such instances, we both become completely deaf. And it is not until the instruction to “stop” has been repeatedly at least three times – with ever increasing volume, that we MAY actually stop the behavior. Look up stubborn in the dictionary. The picture is of Frodo and me.

Differences:

· Barking. Frodo is king. He barks. A LOT. I will bark if someone starts it – but I am no where NEAR the chatty guy that he is!

· Prey drive. Yes, we WILL both chase rabbits, cats, birds – but again there is a HUGE difference here. I see animals – and I am GONE. Frodo makes the motion – but doesn’t go off into the woods. He is MUCH less adventurous than me.

· Exploring. I will do it. I have no fear of going off on my own. Frodo – he stays close to home. And to my human. But interestingly…

· Cuddle-ability. I win HANDS down. I want to be petted, scratched, cuddled. Frodo is fine with a quick pet – and then he’s good. BUT – he wants to BE in the same ROOM as my human. ALL the time. He doesn’t need her to pet him. He just needs her to be around. I, on the other hand am FINE with doing something in another room, but when she sits down, I’m all over her.

· Snarkiness. Not a good trait. That occasional, quick little growl or snap, if another dog gets in my space when I have food. Or toys. Frodo would never ever ever do that. He’s more polite in that regard. I think I do it because I’m the youngest. And I’m trying to get noticed. Suuuuuure I am.

So as you can see, there are lots of similarities and differences between Frodo and me. Brothers. Same breeder. Same human. But lots of variety. Throw a Bernese Mountain Dog in the mix and then you REALLY see variety in OUR house. Never ever a dull moment!

Herding practice

September 16, 2015Leave a Comment

So the morning after our sheepherding fiasco, my human took Frodo and I for our morning walk. And what did we see? A BIRD on the road. We both immediately lunged at the bird who of course, flew off. My human just shook her head and asked why we didn’t do that with the sheep. She is still in a bit of denial that I didn’t do anything.

But not to worry. Just as I suspected, my human couldn’t let one failure get her down. No – she found ANOTHER Herding Instinct Test in a few weeks. Oh I KNEW she would. But this time –only I am going. She is STILL placing all her hope in me. In the meantime, she is rounding up frogs for me to practice with. JUST kidding. I think.

My human made a big loaf of gluten-free cornbread the other day – she is having some people for dinner on Thursday and someone can’t eat gluten so she decided to see if the recipe would work. She wasn’t worried if it didn’t – all the ingredients are dog-edible – so no matter what happened, the experiment would not go to waste. I was secretly hoping it would be a flop. I stood and monitored every step of the baking process. It actually turned out quite good – so she is going to make another loaf for the dinner. And we DID get a sample.

Last night when my human got home after work and after doing her least favorite task in the WORLD – grocery shopping -she let us out while she brought the groceries in. She wanted us to have a pee. A minute or two later, she opened the door to let us in and she did the count. One dog. Just ONE dog. The good one. Frodo. She shouted for me and Paxton and she heard crashing in the bushes. Out of the woods emerged Bucket Head. Two dogs. And then she heard a sound in the distance. Barking. Yup. It was me. I was woodland herding. I just don’t get it – do you want me to chase things or not?! My human called and called. To my “deaf” ears. My human figured I would be back – she was just worried I would have a face of porcupine quills again. She went about feeding Frodo and Paxton – and I arrived JUST as she was putting their food dishes down. I watched through the screen door. My human could see I was quill-free – but she made me wait a minute before she let me in. I was pretty wet – it had rained earlier in the day, and the woods were wet. She looked at me and said “now you have to wait to eat.” She figured it would be my “lesson” for taking off. But she ALWAYS gives in to my adorable sad-looking face – and within two minutes I was enjoying my dinner after a great game of chase-the- rabbit.

Life is good. I have my human so well trained. But don’t let her know. She thinks SHE’S in charge!

Blowing coat.

September 15, 2015Leave a Comment

Heaven help us. If you think PONs are hard to groom – let me introduce you to a Bernese Mountain Dog who is currently doing something called “blowing coat.” Wrestling with a PON seems easier than dealing with THIS challenge.

My poor human. Yesterday she decided that Paxton was overdue for a grooming. Once upon a time, she thought Berners were a challenge to groom – and then she got us PONs. And she learned that Berners don’t mat NEARLY as easily as PONs. Although Berners require a regular brushing – every few weeks is FINE. We PONs require MUCH more brushing. So by comparison, Berners are easier. Unless they are dum-da-dum-dum – blowing coat. This a “process” that happens probably twice a year. While Berners DO shed all the time – it is increased exponentially during the “blowing coat” phase. All you have to do is LOOK at them – and HUGE tufts of hair come out. EVERYWHERE.

So yesterday, my human took Pax outside and started to brush. Frodo and I watched from inside, giving our personal comments about what was happening. My human brushed, and Paxton got smaller. And smaller. And the garbage can got more and more full. And when she was “done” she decided for some crazy reason – to ALSO give Paxton a bath. Frodo and I recently had baths – so it was Pax’s turn. Frodo and I snickered. But Pax really doesn’t care. He willingly gets in the tub and stands there with no fighting. Unlike us PON brothers – who make it appear we are being murdered – and make everyone within a 5 mile radius know it too. Pax stands and loves the washing, the scrubbing and the rinsing. And he happily stands there while the air plane engine blow dryer pushes away all the water. BUT – with a Berner who is “blowing coat” – it not ONLY pushes away water – it pushes away hair. LOTS and LOTS of hair. It flies EVERYWHERE. Before you know it – the entire room looks like a dog EXPLODED in it. There is hair EVERYWHERE. My human had to stop drying him, because she had hair in her EYES. She had to take her contacts out – she couldn’t see for the Berner hair. Seriously.

So my human “finished” with Pax and let him in the house while she proceeded to clean the tub and vacuum the room. She cleaned for probably a half hour. She gathered up a half dozen dog towels to throw in the wash. And she came in the house to grab a bite to eat. And while she was eating, Pax sat next to her. She started to pet him – and realized he wasn’t FULLY dry. And she looked at her hand and it was COVERED in Pax hair. Covered. “AGGGGGGHHHHHHHH”, she cried. She whisked him back into the grooming room. She turned on the dryer AGAIN and worked on his coat until he was, without a doubt, completely dry. And guess what? The garage looked like it did the FIRST time – with hair EVERYWHERE. So the cleaning process needed to be done. Again.

Frodo and I didn’t make a move – for fear we would be next. But after cleaning up the second round of Pax hair, there was NO chance she was going to brush or bathe us. Perfect. We hope Paxton keeps blowing coat for another three months.

Sheepishdogs

September 14, 2015Leave a Comment

Oh where to begin….

Our herding day began with our morning walk. And then, our human insisted on brushing both of us. I mean you can’t have two ragged looking sheepdogs going to meet sheep. As if the sheep would care.

It was overcast when we left home and quite cool, and when we arrived at the farm, which was about an hour away, there was a fine mist in the air. The test was running ahead of schedule – so the instructor asked my human if she wanted to bring us in early. Sure! So she ran to get Frodo– while I stayed in a crate in the car. Frodo was all excited getting out of the car. He didn’t know why, but he was. As soon as he got to the gate of the pen with the sheep, the rain became more heavy. Well we all know how much Frodo LOVES the rain. Not. His enthusiasm for getting out of the car was suddenly completely dampened. Literally. He took a few passes at the sheep, and then proceeded to pee on almost every fence post. The only thing he didn’t do was eat sheep poop. At one point, his enthusiasm returned – when he saw some Border Collies returning from the field. Now THOSE guys got his attention. But otherwise, he wandered around the pen. He had a big poop himself. He was deaf to his own name. In short, he failed.

Despite this inauspicious start, my human’s spirits were not dampened. Frodo had been on sheep several times before, years ago – and as my human recalls, it took a while for him to become interested. So 15 minutes went by very quickly. She wasn’t surprised at the result.

But my human had high hopes for me. I mean, I am interested in ALL forms of wildlife – cats, birds, porcupines, rabbits, squirrels. My human just KNEW I would be interested in sheep. How could I not?

I approached the pen with my nose to the ground and ears up. They opened the gate, and I walked in on leash. I didn’t see the sheep at first but then as I started to walk across the pen I spotted them. And I stopped in my tracks. And I almost assumed a tiny crouch. The instructor said “ahhhh!” After my brother’s performance, he wasn’t expecting much. So for a fleeting second at the very start of my 15 minutes, I proudly lived up to my name as a sheepdog...

But that was it. A fleeting second. After that, I had to pee on every post that Frodo had peed on. I also had to have a big poop. Before we had arrived, my poor human had had visions of me racing after a sheep and potentially harming one – I mean I grab Frodo and Paxton all the time. Not those sheep. The only harm from me would have been that they could have died of boredom. My human tried to encourage me. She walked with the sheep. She stared at the sheep. She tried to psychically communicate with me by envisioning me herding the sheep. It didn’t work. I stood in the middle of the pen and squeaked. Ding. My time was up.

The instructor kindly said that sometimes a dog just has an off day. And the dog can come back a week later and do fine. My human knows he just said that to be nice.

The good things? I didn’t eat sheep poop. And because it was raining – no one was taking photos or video. Not that there would have been many action shots. It was a pity really, because we looked quite handsome after our morning groom-a-thon. Wet. But handsome. That grooming was time well spent

A friend of my human joked that Frodo and I are Polish Lowland Sheepishdogs. Not funny. My human said that given our sluggish response, we could be called Polish Lowland Sleepdogs. Again – not funny. Good thing my human didn’t buy a frame for my herding certificate.

But being the glutton for punishment that my human is, I have a feeling that I WILL get to meet sheep again some day. But probably not any time in very near future. I wonder what would have happened if it had been a herd of porcupines…..

A banner day!

September 13, 2015Leave a Comment

This is IT! We are getting ready to go out the door and on to our herding adventure. What a banner day. AND it is a banner day for another reason. The marathon bathroom renovations are OVER – and my human cut the ribbon on the new bathroom this morning. She officially had a shower in the new spa. My feeling? What’s the BIG deal about getting wet? We PONs hate baths. So why all the excitement??? Humans are so strange.

We are all packed for our adventure. Water bowl. Check. Crates. Check. Long line. Check. Treats. Check. Although I understand those sheep provide their own versions of treats. Frodo says they are quite yummy. My human warned me to not even THINK about sampling them. Raincoats. Check. But we will refuse to wear them – and REALLY – what would the other herding dogs think?! I vote to leave the rainwear at home. Boots. Don’t even BOTHER.

I’ll fill you in on all the details tomorrow. This herding stuff is better than guilt gifts – and even better than Christmas! Although I’m still not even sure what sheep are….

Pillow talk and counting sheep

September 12, 2015Leave a Comment

Tomorrow is the day. The day I meet my new companions. Sheep. I’m not even sure what sheep are. As long as they don’t have quills like porcupines, I think I’ll be fine. I’m so excited. I may not be able to sleep tonight. I may have to count sheep. Pun intended.

And so far, the weather forecast is typical. Sunny with cloudy periods. And a chance of showers. If the fog doesn’t obliterate our view. Calm winds with gusts to hurricane levels. Chance of flurries. Or major squalls. OK. I made some of that up. But that’s what the weather people do! They like to cover all possible bases.

Lately Frodo and I have been making ourselves QUITE comfortable in the DFZ, when our human is not watching. Frodo moves the obviously non-obstructive gate – and I rush to follow him in. I even hide behind a chair if I know my human is going out somewhere, on the off chance that she might not realize I’m in the forbidden territory. She always finds me though, and banishes the two of us from the DFZ before she leaves. She puts double bungee cords on the gate and even doubles up the gate. She thinks it keeps us out while she is gone….

And speaking of forbidden – Paxton is up to his old tricks too. He has lately become QUITE comfy ON THE HUMAN bed if he is not being watched. But that’s not the worst part. Paxton LOVES to chew the corners off pillows. My human just put some decorative pillows on the bed the other day – only to come in the room and find the corner on one pillow was all soggy and matted. Paxtons’ handiwork. Now he is being banished from the bed. Or so our human thinks…. I must confess, I do like the taste of pillow corners as well.

Other than that, not much new here. We are adjusting to our human’s return to work, and we take turns with daily guard duty. We have managed to bark at two rabbits, six birds and one leaf so far this week.

I must rest up today to get ready for the big event tomorrow. Stay tuned!

September 11

September 11, 2015Leave a Comment

September 11. 14 years ago today, the world changed. In many ways. It is a sad day for many people. It was the day that a series of terrorist attacks occurred – a day in which time stopped. Not only in the US. But all around the globe.

It’s before my time – but my human remembers it well. It’s one of “those times” when humans remember where they were – and what they were doing when the news hit.

My human has a good friend who was at the Pentagon during the attacks. Her friend was in the military at the time – and heroically came to the aid of victims. She is proud to call Janet D. her friend.

To go into the details about all the humans who helped during this crisis would take pages and pages. But we also can’t forget the other heroes – the Search and Rescue dogs who worked within the destruction. There were dozens and dozens of dogs and their handlers who searched Ground Zero and the Pentagon for survivors. Those dogs were amazing. Many of them had no protective gear. All of the dogs who worked at Ground Zero have now gone on to the Rainbow Bridge -except one. A Golden Retriever, named Bretagne who celebrated her 16th birthday. She had a big party – and she deserved it. To see Bretagne, please take a few minutes to watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezcHy8DkrmE

All the other SAR dogs are now at the Rainbow Bridge. Actually – that’s not correct. They have all gone right over the Bridge and straight to heaven.

Today – take a moment to think about all those lives lost on 911. And think of the human heroes – and the canine heroes who helped after the tragedy. Think of all those dogs who stood by and worked with their handlers in horrid conditions. And they did it because that’s what we dogs do. We help you humans. It’s our job.

Making the list

September 10, 2015Leave a Comment

So she was surfing again. My human. On the Internet. And she came across this site that had all this non-scientific info about different dog breeds. For example: which breeds live the longest; which are the laziest; which are the smartest, etc. etc. So of COURSE she had to find out which lists we PONs were on. Seems we didn’t make the smart list. So right there you know these lists are bogus. We DID make the healthiest list. We didn’t make the “quietest list.” That’s thanks to Frodo.

Paxton and his Berner cousins made the “most active” list AND the “laziest” list. Figure THAT one out. I’m not joking! Berners also made the #1 spot in breeds that have the highest medical costs. If they all have the habit of eating ANYTHING – like Pax, it is no wonder – those surgeries to remove inedible objects are NOT cheap! And we know ALL about it.

And get this – Border Collies were #1 on the smart list, and they also made the list for breeds that get lost most often. Seriously. Now THAT doesn’t seem very SMART does it?!

We didn’t make any other lists. Not the fastest. Not the most likely to bite people (thank goodness). Not the cheapest or the most expensive. Not the best lap dog – although I DO try.

I think they need OTHER categories. Like the most comedic. Or the most calculating. Or the best escape artists. Or the best squeakers when there is nothing to do. Or the most likely to run for political office. So who do I see about running more “research?” I need to get on this one….