March 2018 – Page 2 – Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter.

The funeral.

March 21, 2018Leave a Comment

Well yesterday my human and her sister celebrated the life of their mother. And despite the sadness of the event, it truly was a celebration. They were overwhelmed by the people who came to the funeral – people from work, people from church, friends from outside work, people who lived in the same apartment as their mother and even “dog people.” Yup – people that my human has the pleasure of knowing through the wonderful world of dogs. They were touched by people who came who didn’t even know their mother all that well – but who were inspired by her smile and positive attitude. The priest did a great job and even said a prayer in Polish. Not that my human understood it – too bad Einstein and I hadn’t been there – we could have translated.

After the funeral and reception, they came back to the house, drank wine and told stories. And they ate some leftover sweets from the reception. Later that evening, after everyone was gone and we dogs had had some good long walks, my human settled down in the DFZ to just relax. And the phone rang, so she went to answer. It was Joanie, who was driving back to her home 2.5 hours away. She had come down just for the funeral. THANK GOODNESS she called – at least from my human’s point of view. Because my human went to answer the phone and immediately noticed the refrigerator door open. And yours truly was inside, surveying the contents. Including the leftover reception sweets. My human shouted “Hey – get out of there!!!” And pulled me out. My human had taken my medication out of the fridge just about 15 minutes earlier, and she figured she did not shut the door properly . I was SO taken aback by this miraculous turn of events, that instead of grabbing food- like I attempt to do do when I get into the garage where the dog food is stored, I stood there mesmerized. I mean I was suspended. It was like standing in front of a slot machine with all kinds of matching numbers or cherries or something. I didn’t know what to do. And it happened so quickly that Einstein didn’t even have a chance to cash in – heaven knows he would have been right in there if he realized my good luck. But no. Joanie called. Thanks Joanie. I’ll remember that.

My human wants to thank all of the many people who sent messages of sympathy and support. And of course, those who came to the funeral. She got to thinking that through this blog, we have been able to share a tiny bit of her mother with people all over the world. And there is a strange comfort in knowing that – that her mother’s life extended beyond the family and friends in her immediate circle. She was a very special lady and the last time she was here at the house – just a few weeks again, she said to my human – “you know, they really ARE good dogs.” She loved us. And the feeling was mutual…And you know what? I think she opened that fridge door…so we could partake in the celebration too….

Peace and paws up.

Seizure-free days: 9

Spring…

March 20, 20181 Comment

Today is my human’s mother’s funeral. A day of sadness – but also a day to celebrate her life. And how appropriate that it is also the first day of Spring. A new beginning.

I don’t have time to write much today – but I hope you will enjoy some photos to get you in the Spring spirit.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days: 8

Rollaholic

March 19, 2018Leave a Comment

The other night, my human came home after a long day of attending to her mother’s affairs. She was tired and she had a headache. So after she walked us, and fed us she announced that she was going to take a nap. And she did. She finally woke up at 10 PM feeling much better – but suddenly looked at us and announced ” all of you need a brushing.” The dreaded words. It’s not like we had not been brushed lately – but well, I guess it was a few weeks. And cottonball Einstein was REALLY in need of a full make – over. So he was first to go into the garage aka grooming torture salon. He moaned and groaned while my human brushed off a garbage bag of hair. It was quite the wrestling match accompanied by the torturous sound effects. When he wasn’t eating treats. She then sprayed him with this new fancy rinseless shampoo and he was also dried. He looked and smelled a LOT BETTER. I was next – but I wasn’t so bad off – and I rarely complain. The FG should have been last – but when my human emerged from the torture salon and saw that it was 12:30 AM, she figured the FG could wait until the next day. And he did get his chance the next morning, although the process is MUCH quicker. And less painful for him AND my human.

Since that fateful evening, though, Einstein is doing payback every chance he gets. He insists on rolling continuously on any patch of snow that he can find. He hits the ground, rolls and rolls. And he completely messes up his coat. I swear he is doing it on purpose. Honestly, he hasn’t done this behaviour all winter. Well not this much anyway. The snow isn’t even all that soft and fluffy – it’s actually rather hard and icy – but he drops and rolls. Repeatedly. My human just watches and shakes her head. He’s a rollaholic.

Never a dull moment. Ever.

Have a good on. Peace and up!

Seizure -fee days: 7

Friends…

March 18, 2018Leave a Comment

My human has a friend – Joanie – who I believe I have talked about before. She is the one that the FG gave a bloody nose at Christmas time. During the annual wine drinking/junk food eating evening. Anyway, despite the fact that coming to our house CAN be dangerous, Joanie still does – whenever she is in town. And she was in town this week, and asked my human if there was anything she could do to help out during this challenging time. Joanie even suggested that she and my human take all three of us dogs out for a walk together. Yes, the woman is a glutton for punishment. And my human, in her dizzy state, thought that would be a good idea. She actually thought it would be good to take all of us to that fenced baseball diamond just down the road a few km. So Joanie arrived – put on her armour, and my human loaded up the vehicle. First she had to get the FG in the crate. Which was FINE but then he screamed like he was being murdered when he realized that Einstein and I were also coming – and we were stuck in the rear of the vehicle behind his crate. My human wedged us in, shut the hatch door and Joanie got in the passenger seat. At which point my human realized she didn’t have her phone so she went back in the house to get it. It was at that point that I squeezed myself between the FG’s crate and the driver’s seat in an attempt to drive myself. And I was stuck. So my human came, somehow dislodged me, and put me again in the back of the vehicle. While the FG screamed more. Ah. good times. And we hadn’t even left the garage.

When we got to the baseball field, my human pulled up close to the gate. And she explained to Joanie that she should grab one PON and my human would grab the other. Joanie opened a side door and my human opened the hatch – simultaneously- and each of them grabbed a PON. They then led us into the field and let us loose. Then my human went back to the vehicle to get the FG out of the crate – and got him and let him loose. I should mention that they did this at the crack of dawn so as not to be there with other dogs. Yes, Joanie is a very good friend.

We all proceeded to explore the field. Peeing and sniffing like crazy. My human got a couple of sticks to toss – and the FG and I reterived while Einstein rolled on various patches of snow. The FG tries hard to play with us – jumping and running. Here is a shot that Joanie captured of one of his jumping moments.

Joanie and my human came to the conclusion that he RARELY has four feet on the ground. He and Einstein DID chase around a bit. Actually it was Einstein who was basically trying to kill him. Not really. But he certainly gave the FG a couple of good runs. And here is a rare shot captured by Joanie of the FG and I sharing a stick.

This lasted for all of 8.4 seconds and then I gave it to him. I was MUCH more interested in the treats my human had in her pocket.

And just as the joyful trio was starting to wear down, a car pulled up. My human didn’t notice until she saw the gate opening and a large yellow Lab entering the field with his human. “Uh oh” she said as she gestured to Joanie. But before she could grab us, the Three Stooges Welcome Wagon bounded over to the unsuspecting Retriever. And surrounded him. The FG was in his glory because now, MAYBE someone would play with him. There was lots of spinning and butt sniffing and then, in a rather rude welcome gesture, Einstein decided that this dog needed to know that HE was the king of our pack. So he tried to mount the Lab. The Lab wanted nothing of Einstein’s advances, and growled. Well, Mr. Sociable growled back. And it was at THAT point that my human magically swept in from a distance of about 10 feet and grabbed Einstein by the collar. “Party is over” she said. In the meantime, I was hanging off her pocket trying to get the yummy treats. I didn’t care about the Lab.

Somehow my human managed to leash me and Einstein while poor Joanie was left to corrale the FG. The Lab’s owner said, “What kind of dog is HE?” My human heard the question and it’s at moments like that when she has to decide what to say. If he’s NOT behaving, she says he is a wolfhound coyote cross. If he IS behaving, she says Picard. Just kidding. Sort of. Anyway, yesterday he was a Picard.

Joanie managed to drag him to the car, and they got him loaded on board. We PONs had already been fired in the back.

After the FG was in his crate and the two humans were in their seats, they looked at each other, smiled and shook their heads. But no bloody noses, broken bones or lost dogs – so it was chalked up to a successful outing.

This outing would have been REALLY hard without Joanie. But she didn’t mind, at all because, to quote Dionne Warwick “that’s what friends are for….”

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days: 6

Four letter word

March 17, 20181 Comment

Four letter words can refer to those words in the English language that are considered profane. They can be thought of as ” bad words.” Well, I have a new word to add to the list. Something disgusting and having no positive redeeming qualities. The word? TICK. And believe it or not, although the winter is not officially over, GUESS what we found ON MY HEAD the other day? A tick!!!

It happened earlier in the week, before we had our most recent snowfall. Truth be told, we have had a very mild winter this year, with very little snow. So befor our most recent storm, my human was taking us regularly around on the trail down to the lake. I can be off leash and so can Einstein – but the FG continues to remain in bondage until his recall is perfected even more.

Anyway, I like to explore areas off the trail. But I stay within sight.

So my human was getting ready to go to the hospital. She had taken all of us out, and went to get food for our breakfast. Our bowls were full and as she turned around to put our bowls down, she noticed something on the top of my head. She felt it and recoiled. Yup – a big TICK. My human had heard that they can live all winter – and sure enough – here was proof. She let me eat my breakfast and then whisked me into the garage – aka surgical suite for tick removal. She found her trusty surgical supplies – including a tick withdrawal tool and some ointment for my head. She plucked the offending freeloader off my noggin, put some ointment on the spot and tossed the tick into the bathtub. My human then removed me from the table, and let me go back into the house. Her next step was to put the tick in a bag and then smash it to smithereens with a rock. He was no longer a threat to any animal or human in this household. She also examined the rest of the crew for any other vagabonds. Luckily, there were no more.

So let this be a warning to other Nova Scotian dogs. Ticks are out there already, waiting for a lift and a free meal. Check your dogs regularly – or consider a tick preventative for your canine kids. My human is afraid to give me anything as she worries about putting more drugs in my system. She also has not given anything to Einstein or the FG – because she hears all kinds of horror stories about the medications for ticks. And remember, I can’t use any spray containing rosemary as it is a trigger for seizures in some dogs. WHAT a conundrum. We may end up wearing body suits that pretty much cover us from head to toe. I’m not sure, though, how we will pee or poop.

Have a good tick-free day. Oh and Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Wonder if he could drive the ticks out of Nova Scotia!

Peace and paws up.

Seizure- free days: 5

Why the FG is the way he is….

March 16, 2018Leave a Comment

To begin, my human wants to thank all of you who posted messages of support and understanding during this terribly difficult time. She was overwhelmed by the notes and comments – many of which made her cry. But there is also a sense of happiness in knowing that we have been able to share a snapshot of who her mother was – with people all over the world. It really is an amazing thing – and we are grateful for our many “friends” connected in this cyber world. It provides such a feeling of comfort.

Life has not yet returned to the “new normal” because my human is running around taking care of preparations for the funeral. While her mother was organized and prepared and had prearranged everything, they still had to meet with the funeral director. He apparently reminded my human of a snake oil salesman. She and her sister admitted the guy provided some welcome comic relief. I wish I had been there to straighten him out.

Then they got to meet with the priest. Two cool things about him – he’s Polish, AND he has a dog. A German Shepherd. Who apparently sniffed my human’s pockets for treats. I think she would be a good friend for the FG. Or. Einstein. Those guys are more sociable with other dogs than I am. I mean, I’m fine , but given a choice between playing with another dog or following a human who has treats – well I’m all about those treats. Anyway, while they were meeting with the priest and his dog, my human’s sister decided to demonstrate her limited use of Polish. Seems what she THOUGHT she was saying all these years is not exactly correct, and her slight mispronunciation resulted in what was close to inappropriate language. Great. And she said it to the priest.

Meanwhile back here at the ranch, we have noticed in the past couple of weeks, that the FG has now assumed a serious role as watch dog. If he hears something, or something is out of place he now barks. He is very observant and from what my human recently read, Picards are hard-wired to SEC, or Sudden Environmamtal Change. It’s apparently a real thing – and it’s the awareness of something odd in their surroundings – like a garbage can or a flying leaf. The article said they have this trait to help them survive as droving dogs. That’s also why they REALLY are sensitive and sensory seeking. They like to nudge humans with their noses and they like to stay close to their humans. That sure is true of the FG. He is like GLUE with my human. If he could crawl inside her, he would. We PONs are a bit more independent. At least the PONs in this house. We want to know where my human is, but we don’t HAVE to be on her lap. Or sitting on her feet. Apparently the clumsy or bumbling behaviour we also see in the FG is actually a form of tactile sensation in dogs aware of SEC. Who knew? We always thought he was just a klutz. When he was a puppy, my human initially wondered if there was something wrong with him – he was like Bambi on ice. Now he HAS become more coordinated as he gets older, but one still never quite knows what direction his feet may be going. He certainly provides much entertainment. And we now know that he is a “typical” Picard. And all this time, Einstein and I just thought his elevator didn’t go all the way to the top, or should I say, his treat jar was only have full.

Time to head out for walks with my human. You will be happy to know we have been behaving. Well, as much as we can anyway.

Have a good one.

Peace and paws up.

Seizure -free days: 4

The Christmas wish…

March 15, 20184 Comments

It is with a heavy heart and slow paws that I write this blog today. For 1252 posts we have shared our lives with you – through good times, funny times and hard times – like my seizures and the death of Paxton. But nothing we have shared is as difficult to write about as our news today. My human’s mother – who was just short of 89 years old, has passed away. And we can feel how shattered my human is feeling.

It’s funny – but when my human was a kid, her mother wasn’t REALLY crazy about dogs. I mean she liked them – but didn’t really want one – I think she KNEW who would be the one looking after a dog. My human brought a stray dog home, and befriended every dog in the neighborhood – and BEGGED for a dog starting at age 5 in her letter to Santa. My human’s father liked dogs very much and wanted one for years too – but it wasn’t until my human was in high school that her mother gave in – and they got an Irish Setter – Mickey. He was crazy. Crazier than me. And that’s saying a LOT. He LOVED to hunt. My human’s father didn’t hunt – but neighbors would borrow Mickey for hunting. He didn’t have any formal hunting training – he just KNEW what to do. He was quite the dog.

After Mickey there was a Golden Retriever named Midas. My human wasn’t living at home any more – but she convinced her mother that her father NEEDED another dog after Mickey went to the Rainbow Bridge. And her mother quickly agreed. Midas lived to a ripe old age of 13 or maybe 14…

Anyway, over the years, my human’s mother had come to love, or at least tolerate, all of my human’s dogs – and there have been quite a few. And her mother was even a dog sitter on numerous occasions. When she came to visit us, she shared her empty yoghurt container with us – AND she was the one who began sharing pieces of her banana each morning – a tradition that we still carry on daily. She learned how to NOT get her fingers chewed off by Frodo when giving out treats. AND she knew how to make us sit and stay when giving out treats.

Last April, my human’s mother was diagnosed with something called Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer is a nasty thing and Pancreatic Cancer is particularly nasty. And in her case, treatment was not an option. When she was diagnosed, the doctors said she had a few months to live. But they didn’t know my human’s mother. Now I think I understand why my human can be as stubborn as she is. I know where she got it.

Her mother did NOT let the diagnosis or prognosis bring her down. In addition, she had my human and her sister acting as a cheering squad, or maybe actually they were like drill sargeants – who believed that she was not going to die of cancer, but live with it – and live as long as possible doing things she liked to do. My human and her sister were with her mother almost every day since her diagnosis. Yup – almost every day. And they ate out, went to movies, shopped and we even went with them on a road trip last June. And at least once a week she would come to our house and have a short visit with us. And we were careful not to jump on her while she walked with her walker. Even the FG was courteous!

If you go back to read my Christmas time blog, you will see that I had a special “ask” or wish from Santa. But I couldn’t write about it in our blog. I really didn’t write about anything related to my human’s mother’s cancer journey. Why? Because she read my blog on Facebook each day and the last thing she would want to read about was her battle with he big C. She learned to use an iPhone and iPad in her 80’s and loved the technology.

So what was that special Christmas wish? That my human’s mother would live to see and enjoy Christmas. And that she did. Our wish was granted – and it seems Santa – who actually works for the “Big Guy” – even threw in 2 1/2 extra months after that.

But in the past week, things changed very rapidly. Very rapidly. My human and her sister were so lucky to be with their Mom as she left her banana distribution duties and went to meet an Irish Setter and Golden Retriever at the Rainbow Bridge. And her husband of 50 years.

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers and good wishes. My human’s mother holds a HUGE compartment in her heart – and any time my human is feeling sad, she can pull open that compartment and pull out some good memories. Just like a special giant treat jar.

We promise to take extra good care of my human in the days ahead.

Peace and paws up.

Seizure-free days: 3

Signing off. Bye for now…

March 13, 20184 Comments

Dear blog readers…

My human is going through a major life event right now and she needs to focus all of her attention on it. I will tell you all about it when I can, but it involves a family member. I can feel her stress – and it’s likely what triggered my seizure. I’m her stress barometer.

Please keep all of us in your thoughts- and a prayer or two or three or a hundred wouldn’t hurt.

I will send a post when I can but for the next few days I will probably be off the radar. But let me sign off with a few quotes and photos. Thanks for your understanding – and I hope you’ll come back when I’m back on-line.

Peace and paws up.

Seizure-free days: 1

Crufts finale

March 12, 2018Leave a Comment

Well the last day of Crufts was yesterday. The Gundogs were judged and the group winners were:

1. Pointer

2. Cocker spaniel

3. Flat coated retriever

4. Irish Setter

And the big winner…..the Best in Show dog for 2018 was the Whippet! Reserve Best in Show ( kind of like runner up in a beauty pageant) was the Pointer. So the odds makers were right – a dog from the Gundog group and a dog from the Hound group. I still liked the Border Collie. But no offense to the winner.

And no dog show would be complete without some crazies from an animal rights group. They disrupted the presentations at the end of the show. Where were some good Police dogs when you need them? Anyway – it still was a wonderful show – and did I mention a PON placed in the group?!

And in a sad but happy event at Crufts, Mary Ray performed her last performance in canine freestyle after more than 20 years. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/dXyIOpDVbUc

Have a good one!

Peace and paws up.

Seizure-free days: 0. Back to square one I’m afraid…

Crufts Day 3

March 11, 2018Leave a Comment

So yesterday was Day 3 at Crufts. And here are the group winners for Saturday…

Toy Group:
1. Papillon or Butterfly dog
2. Griffon Bruxellois or Brussels Griffon
3. English Toy Terrier (black and tan) (Isn’t there a drink called a Black and Tan? Not that I would know..)
4. Pomeranian or Pom (not to be confused with PON)

Utility Group
1. Akita
2. Standard Poodle
3. Miniature Poodle
4. Toy Poodle
Seems like a lot of poodles in that line-up! Talk about grooming overload.

Today will be the last day and the Grand Finale – Best in Show. My money is on the Border Collie. My human looked at some betting sites on-line and the best odds appear to be on the winner of the Gundog group – which hasn’t even been selected as I write this. That bet is currently tied with the winner of the Hound Group – which would be the Whippet. I’m still going for the Border Collie. Have to support my comrades in the Herding group.

And if you thought yesterday’s video was funny – look who is back this year! It’s Olly! He became an internet sensation last year with his antics on the agility course, and he was back again this year. Hope his human didn’t spend a LOT of money on training. If so, I hope she can get a refund. But Olly continues to have fun! This article shows the video from last year – and the new one for this year.
https://www.joe.ie/amp/life-style/jack-russell-crufts-olly-618913

I can’t write more today because I lost an hour of sleep last night. I hope you remembered to set your clock ahead – or you’ll be running late today.

Have a good one.
Peace and paws up!
Seizure-free days: 12