In my excitement to report that a PON placed in the Group at Crufts, I forgot to report other information.  Like the other group winners!  In the Pastoral Group, besides the PON ( did I mention that a PON placed?!). Can you tell I was very excited about that?  Anyway, the Group 1 placement went to the Border Collie ( sure to be a crowd favorite when it comes to Best in Show). Group 2 in Pastoral went to the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, third place went to the Smooth Collie and 4th place went to the PON, Hero!

So yesterday was the day for the Herding group judging at Crufts. Or as they call it in the UK, the Pastoral group.   Luckily, someone was kind enough to record and post the judging of the PONs – thanks to Mary for posting the video on-line. There were 50 PONs entered – and it was fun to see some of my Facebook friends running around the ring.  Congrats to ALL the winners – whether you went home with a ribbon or not.  Just being there is SO cool. 

I couldn’t find much about the Picards entered.  It seems that they fall into a category called “AV Imported Register Pastoral breeds.”  Maybe because they are more rare in the UK?   I’m still trying to find out how many were entered.  And I have no idea how to find a video of them.  When I look at the results for that category, I can’t even tell what BREED is the winner.   But – Mary also posted some photos and video from the Discover Dogs booth with the Picards!  Which was lovely!  Thanks again to Mary!

So the PONs and Picards (I think) were judged and the best in Breed was chosen.  But the BIG news was when it came to the Group judging. A PON got a Group 4 – which is HUGE.  REALLY HUGE. Out of 32 different breeds, to get one of the Top 4 placements is a MAJOR accomplishment!  Big congrats to a nice PON boy appropriately named Hero! 

Meanwhile,  while people looked to be having a splendid time at Crufts, we were here having a snowstorm.  My human decided to work from home until the plow guy would come.  So much for getting much done, though – the power went out before 8AM.  So here we were, snowed in with no lights.  OR wifi.  We of course, didn’t care that it was snowing and there were gale force winds.  We wanted out.  So my human got dressed and took us out in the storm.  We all got back, but were bored.  So Einsein decided to bark while the FG played bowl hockey with a metal food dish.  I just sat and stared at my human.  So much for a peaceful morning.  But not to worry.  She’s pretty smart sometimes…She went into the treat stash and had a huge handful.  And we all practically jumped over backwards.  We were spinning and barking and jumping.  So to restore peace, what did she do?  She tricked us.  “Let’s do some fun training” she said.  “And let’s start with…..sit stays.”   So she lines us all up, shows us the tasty treats and says “STAY”.  She sets the timer on her phone and proceeds to do work in the kitchen.  Putting dishes away. Straightening up.  Ding.  The alarm goes off.  And we each get a treat.  And she does it AGAIN.  This time she sets the timer LONGER.  Seriously?  THIS is not what we planned.  Ding.  Another treat.  This time we get to do DOWN STAYS.  Whoopeee ding dong.    But nobody wants to move because we want the treats.  And she sets the timer even LONGER.  I think we did this for about 4 hours.  OK – 4 hours in “dog time.”  More like 15 minutes in human time.  After that, we had calmed down so everybody was ready for our usual daytime naps which we would do if she was at work.  Oops – I mean on rotating guard duty.

We hear more snow is forecast for the weekend.  So much  for tulips and butterflies.  Where can I find that Groundhog….

Have a good one.

Peace and paws up!
Seizure-free days: 11

I want to know more about the behavior of Picards.  So I’ve been doing some reading.  And from what I can tell, Picards are general all-purpose farm dogs who not only moved flocks, but they also patrolled the perimeter of fields while flocks grazed – to keep an eye out for predators.  And that patrol work is something that my human has really started to notice with the FG.  I mean he also chases leaves with a great deal of zest and commitment, but his “observational behavior” is also very interesting.

The last week or so my human has been taking him up to the golf course at the end of our road for his morning walk.  And when he’s not jumping around like a frog on hot pavement when the wind blows, he’s listening.  Every now and then he just stops.  And listens.  But the funny part is the near the end of the walk.  As they are getting closer to home, they approach  the parking lot of the course.  And there is a large wall of boulders around part of the lot, where he walks.  So the first day, he went over and stood with two feet on a boulder, surveying the lot and the course in the distance.  And he just STOOD there.  Keep in mind that this is early in the morning, and  there are actually not many golfers at this time of the year.  So my human snapped the photo of him, and waited for what seemed like minutes until he was ready to move.  The next day, he pulled her to go and do it again.  And he stood and surveyed.  And the next day.  And the next.  And no – she is NOT enticing him to do this.   She actually has to coax him some mornings to move along. 

I wonder if this is part of his herding/guarding instinct.  And it’s funny – he has started to attempt jumping up onto OTHER rocks in the last day or two as well.  He would do it the odd time before – but lately he is enjoying his eagle-eye view a LOT.  My human has to watch him – because he likes to leap OFF those boulders too if she doesn’t grab him.  The Flying Picard.  That’s all we need…

Anyway, we are having snow today.  So it looks like our walks may be a bit shorter.  The reason we are having snow is because my human was bragging about what a GREAT winter we have had.  So it’s HER fault!  But the good news is – the end of winter isn’t THAT far away. Maybe instead of boulder jumping today, I can get that Picard to jump up on the counter where the treat jar is.  Gotta keep him busy…

Have a good one.
Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days: 10

Well, well, well.   My human had discovered a new app.  And here was her first attempt at recording me….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN5movkLSpU

After she did that – she had this IDEA.  She felt it was time to spice up my blog.  So once a week, I will be using the app to provide you with some wisdom – some of which has been taken from my old blogs.  Quotes, suggestions, and some new ideas too…. I’m calling it my PONcast.  Get it?  Podcast…PONcast.  OK it’s corny but I like it.

Some PONcasts may be just a short sentence – and some may be a bit longer.  I hope you will find them entertaining…
 
Here’s my first official blog PONcast….It was so long (not really) it had to be recorded in 4 parts…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCygNrlpEa8&index=1&list=PL9G-XPdtTut9JBDRsffCfjl2pjqv20DHC

Have a good one!  Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days:9

According to the crazy calendar, Today is Dentist’s Day.  A day to think about those healthcare professionals who take care of our teeth.  According to some info that I found, veterinary dentistry has been recognized as a specialty field for over 20 years.  Just as in humans, good oral health is important in us dogs. I read a statistic that said by the age of 4, 80% of dogs may show signs of periodontal disease.  Signs include gingivitis, bad breath, difficulty or a reluctance to eat, extra drooling or even nasal discharge or sneezing.  If you see these signs, we should definitely be seen by a veterinary dentist or at least our regular veterinarian.  While we dogs do not tend to get cavities, like humans do, periodontal disease can ultimately result in other kinds of health problems from the spread of bacteria to our hearts, liver, kidneys or lungs.

When my human gets up each morning, she looks at the weather app on her phone.   She checks the temperature so she can decide how many layers she needs to wear while on our morning constitutionals.  Whether she can go light weight or whether she needs to dress like the Michelin man.  If you don’t know who he is,  Google him for the image.

But she has now realized that finding out the temperature is not enough.  Probably more importantly, she needs to check the wind.

It’s probably no coincidence that you change one letter in the word “wind” to find an equivalent term.  At least when it comes to Picards.  Because wind equals WILD.  There is something about a windy day that turns an already crazy Picard into a totally uncontrollable beast.

My human took the FG out yesterday and decided to take him for a good walk on the golf course.  We have no snow, the trails are solid but not icy – it was a perfect morning for a walk.  BUT, it was windy.  And holy moly, within 5 mnutes of going out the door, she had one totally loco Picard.  I mean more than the average loco.  He was jumping.  Spinning.  Trying desperately to chew through the leash.  Tugging on it.  Pulling it.  Twirling around my human.  Growling. Bouncing.  Every time the crazy behavior started, she had to stop and stand still.  Because attempting to get the leash OUT of his clamped jaws simply eggs him on. I REALLY wish someone could get a video of the twister dog and the exasperated human.  She stands still.  He stops.  And he throws his head back in the wind taking in all the scents.  She takes one step.  ON he goes again.  She tries to trick him by saying “What’s that?”  Or “Watch.”  Which works the first time and then it’s back to wind tunnel whirl wind.

Eventually – as they are nearing home, he will walk – and suddenly stop RIGHT in front of her.  I think it’s a ploy to stop her from taking him home.

By the time they got home, she was exhausted – but she still needed to take me and Einstein out.  And she and I were engaging in what she refers to as the Polish Poop Wars.  It will no doubt be referenced in some history books some day.  You see, since the weekend, I am STILL annoyed about the whole dog show thing.  And not being able to go.  So I am staging my own form of protest.  I refuse to poop.  Seriously.  Reading this, you may THINK I don’t NEED to poop – but let’s face it, you poopologist dog owners KNOW our daily bowel routine.  It’s an addiction for many of you.   And my human is a professional poopologist.  It all started the night before, when, in an effort to NOT be woken  at 3 AM, my human decided she would take me for a long walk before bedtime.  She figured if she did that,  there would be no need to wake her up in the night.    And she knew I needed to poop.  Well.  No word of a lie.  We walked for over 3km.  She tracked it on her phone.  She begged me to “Hurry up.”  Probably around 487 times.  But who’s counting?  Anyway, I didn’t go so she had to concede defeat.  The good news was, I didn’t get up in the night because I was so tired after my walk.

So the next morning, after the twister walk, she took me and Einstein out – figuring I would poop quickly.  Nope.  This was the second battle in the Polish Poop War.  We walked for over 60 minutes.  Einstein pooped TWICE in that time.  Me?  I just kept trotting merrily along.  At this point, my human was getting really annoyed – because she DID need to go to work.  So we went home and she put Einstein in the house.  Then she took me on the trail to the lake.  And she stood there and we had a face off.  Two stubborn Poles staring at each other.  She looked at me and said, “last chance VIKTOR”.  With that emphasis on “Viktor” meaning I was really in the doghouse.  And she held a good card – she had not yet fed us breakfast.  So – no pooping meant I MIGHT not get my FULL portion.  Also, by this point, I REALLY,  REALLY DID need to poop.  So I caved.  At which point you would have thought she won the Set for Life Lottery.  She told me how brilliant I was and hauled fistfuls of kibble out of her pockets to reward me. Humans.  She may have won THIS battle – but trust me – the War is not over….

Have a good one! It’s Friday!!!

Peace and paws up!!!!
Seizure-free days: 4

March 1. And on this day in 1912, a man by the name of Albert Berry apparently made the first parachute jump from a moving plane.  Wonder what made him decide he wanted to do that?    Anyway, I, of course, had to see about dogs jumping out of moving planes.  And the  search resulted in some interesting information. 

I found this dog who has the Guinness World Record (set in 2016) for a sky-diving military  dog who is working to stop poaching in Africa.  Check him out, flying in tandem with his partner and a sky-diving instructor:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK5mwf2WzRU

Apparently, many elite military working dogs are trained to do these kinds of jumps.   As early as WWI, dogs were parachuting behind enemy lines.

I also found this early footage of dogs jumping SOLO in the Canadian Arctic for a rescue mission.  Yowza.  It looks like they make pretty hard landings – but they SEEM to bounce right back.  They look to be Alaskan Malamutes.  In the second part of the video, you see what looks like a pooodle carrying medical supplies, probably in war time training:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4zY1Bwdhic

OK and if THAT video didn’t stress you enough – here is the ULTIMATE video for puppy training done in 1943.  Get ready for this one.  I must confess I had to close my eyes!!!!  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7FWhzBKbt8

And then you have dogs like Mindy who reportedly do this just for fun.  Sure they do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w4t9iArc7U

Personally, I think I’ll pass on sky-diving.   Jumping on and off my human’s bed is plenty high enough for me.  And even then I pulled a  muscle.   I must take after my human and her athletic abilities.  Cough.  Cough.

Have a good one!
Peace and paws up!

Seizure- free days: 3