October 2018 – Page 3 – Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter.

Pumpkin bets

October 11, 2018Leave a Comment

We’re taking wagers. Which we always seem to be doing….like how long the carpet will remain intact before the FG performs teeth crafting. Placing the chairs on their sides on all carpet edging seems to have deterred the chewing. For now. So the fortress remains.

This wager has to do with pumpkins.

My human went a little crazy with outdoor decorating. And it’s not even Christmas. She bought some “fall” decor – some mums, some stalks of corn, some dried corn AND some pumpkins. So what do you think are the FIRST words out of her mouth whenever we go out the front door? This is BEFORE saying: “Viktordon’tpullyou’llhurtyourselfandFrodostopgrabbinghisearandElroyyouarrgoingtostrangleyourselfand
PONsstopbarkingyouavebeentogetheralldaystopactinglikeyouhavenotseeneachotherbecarefulbefore somebodygetshurt.” The NEW statement…make that COMMAND, is “DO NOT pee on the pumpkins!!!!!!”

She has to say it EVERY time. And she has to keep an eye on each of us if we are loose – because WE are all vying for the title of Inaugural Pumpkin Pee-er for 2018. And it’s also a matter of time before the FG grabs one of the large orbs and attempts to take off with it. He has been eyeing the stems every time he walks by.

After my blog yesterday, we learned that LOTS of Picards have very strange eating habits. Some will only eat off a plate. Some will only eat outdoors. So our FG is not as crazy as we PONs think he is. It’s in his blood. I wonder if it’s in the breed standard…

My human got some new ideas based on feedback so we’ll let you know how they go. Like I said, you have to admire those Picards at how GOOD they are at training humans. This guy takes it to a whole new level…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 28

Food tricks

October 10, 2018Leave a Comment

So who is training who….

My human continues to battle it out with the FG on the eating issue. Yes, she knows that she should just put the food down, take it up if he doesn’t eat it, put it down again, etc. And eventually he WILL get hungry and will eat. But it kills her when she adds all kinds of yummy ingredients and he STILL looks at it and walks away. If the additional ingredients are moist, she ends up throwing away the whole bowl after two meals. So we have seen a LOT of food going in the garbage.

BUT. And here is the big BUT. He WILL eat treats. And he is right there when she is eating her yogurt and her banana in the morning. If he thinks that Einstein and are getting something yummy, he will come over to share in the bounty.

So Monday morning, after the burr-a-thon, my human had an idea. We PONs gobbled down our food. And the FG just snubbed his nose at his food bowl and looked all dejected. So my human picked up his bowl and put it on the counter. She called us all over – like it was treat time. And she gave Einstein one piece of kibble. And then gave me a single kibble. And she gave the FG one. She repeated the process, except, she gave the FG five kibbles. And he ate them. She continued. Einstein – one. Me – one. The FG – a handful. AND HE ATE IT. This is from HIS bowl. The same stuff that he snubbed his nose at only 10 minutes before. She managed to get him to eat almost his entire bowl of food with this technique.

Yesterday morning she tried again. But this time he wasn’t as keen. While Einstein and I were ripping her fingers off trying to get a single kibble, he just went to lie down. So this time, she put the kibbles right in front of him on the floor. Five, then six, then a handful. And yup – he ate them. Again she managed to get him to eat most of his meal.

Now I don’t know how long it will be before the FG realizes he is eating the same stuff he ealier refused. Once before she thought MAYBE he didn’t like his bowl – so she changed it. That didn’t make much of a difference after a few days.

It’s kind of fun to have a breed that is almost as stubborn as us PONs. And it’s also great fun to see how good he is at training humans. Now if I can JUST train him to open the garage door…

Have a good one. Peace and pawsup.
Seizure free days: 27

Burrs…

October 9, 2018Leave a Comment

Well we survived the Blessing. But sprinkling us with Holy Water certainly didn’t make one of us more holy…

Yesterday was a beautiful day. We PONs got the first walk of the morning just as the sun was starting to come up. I’m still a bit gimpy – but better. Still my human wouldn’t let me run around off leash. Drat.

Next the FG went out. It was light by then, and my human figured he needed a good run. So she took the long line, grabbed a fetch toy and headed up the the golf course, because it wasn’t open yet.

The first part of the adventure began with some “poop” issues. The FG ended up (pun intended) with some cling ons. So my human figured if he headed for a pond, she wouldn’t stop him. When they got to the course, she put on the long line and hauled out the fetch toy. His brain exploded. He loves to chase that thing. Bringing it back is still another matter. But my human heaved the toy and off he went. And he actually came back! She was all excited. But not for long. The next time he ran out, and came back but stopped about 10 feet away. My human had to retrieve the toy. She’s great at it. Next try, same result. By this time they approached a pond, and Flipper dove in. Cling on problem solved. My human heaved the toy. And he raced up a hill to get it. He grabbed it and then looked in the distance. He dropped the toy and off he ran. My human raced up the hill to see where he went. She spotted him with his head in some brush at the side of the cart path – in the rough. She called thinking he would never actually come, but much to her amazement, he looked up and dashed right to her. She was so excited. Until he got up close. And that’s when she saw what was to become a morning “project.” The brush he had gotten into was full of tiny flat Prong Burrs.

Dozens of them. You can see them a BIT in the photo, but the photo really does not do his mess the proper justice. They were clumped under his chin. All around his ears. All over his front legs. His back legs were mostly spared but not his back feet. He was a disaster. But frankly, he didn’t care.

My human sighed and marched him home. He was immediately taken to the Torture Palace, and put on the grooming table where the removal process began. She was able to get out some with a comb, but many had to be picked out. Neither of them were happy campers.

She ended up giving him a bath when most were out and between the shampoo and the dryer she figured she had 95% of them. When he was done he raced into the dining room and rubbed his face in the carpet. Probably not unlike the move he made that got him into the mess.

Guess who will be staying on leash again…I hate to think what would have happened if he hadn’t had the Blessing…..

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 26

Blessings and miracles and friends

October 8, 2018Leave a Comment

Well my human hasn’t been excommunicated. And we got to witness a miracle. Actually more than one…

Yesterday morning my human could not decide who to take to the church for the Blessing of the Animals. I actually needed the blessing most – because I have been limping again. Too much raucous play with Einstein. And for that reason, she wasn’t sure about taking me for fear I would get too excited and hurt myself more.

She called her best friend, Joanie who happened to be in town. She asked Joanie who to take. Joanie instantly responded and said “all three” – she offered to come and help. My human warned her that it would be chaos – but Joanie already knew that. She’s been around us plenty of times. She has extra insurance for bodily harm when she comes to visit.

My human spent the better part of the day strategizing how this would play out. The FG would ride in a crate and we PONs would be sequestered in the back. She arranged the crate in Ludwig and additionally placed some barricades so we PONs couldn’t escape through the side door when she would let the FG out. She selected her arsenal- a variety of collars and leashes. She decided Joanie would handle the FG, and she would handle us two PONs. The plan was made…

As predicted, when we pulled into the parking lot, Einstein took one look at the other dogs who had arrived and threw himself against the back window, growling like an extra-crazed version of Cujo. The FG started howling right on cue .

The priest had already come out and was making his way to the outdoor grotto – with his extremely well-behaved German Shepherd. My human shouted “ We’re here for the exorcism!” He had a laugh. A nervous laugh, but a laugh.

First my human got the FG out- and put him on a short leash. (Note: BIG mistake). My human accidentally let go of the leash and he walked away. He stopped to smell something so she quickly grabbed him. She then passed him off to Joanie.

Then it was our turn. She had to open the hatch without us jumping out and running to see the other dogs who had arrived. She somehow got Einstein out first and put him on a leash. He was all puffed up, ready to “introduce” himself to any dogs there. BUT not to worry. My human had cooked up hotdogs and had pockets full – so he was actually rather obedient while I got out and got leashed up.

Everybody out. Now to make our way toward the grotto. And that was when the first miracle, began to occur. The FG who had actually been sitting fairly well beside Joanie, while my human was grappling with us PONs- suddenly decided to bolt- and she lost his leash. And this time – he ran. Heading for the road. Joanie took off after him. Racing faster than my human has ever seen her run. My human somehow tossed me and Einstein back into the vehicle. I don’t remember much – I just know I was suddenly back in the car- it happened so fast. She closed us in and ran to join Joanie in the chase. Luckily the service had not yet begun – but all the other participants and the priest watched in dismay. Nothing like making a grand entrance. My human raced up a hill and around the corner by the church- to find Joanie who had just captured the runaway. Miracle number one. She looked a bit pale- and was holding on for dear life. The FG just shrugged.

My human marched him back to the vehicle and got a different leash. Joanie held him in a death grip- and he went with her to lie down close to the grotto where the service was about to begin. My human got us out of Ludwig and we joined the group. We didn’t care about the other participants. We had hotdogs being stufffed in our faces every 20 seconds so we were happy.

During the service, we were actually well behaved. By the Grace of God. Literally. We had the holy water sprinkled on us and didn’t attempt to attack the priest. Miracle number two.

When it was over, the priest who is from Poland asked what we were. He had never seen a PON before. Go figure.

We were loaded into the vehicle and both Joanie and my human just looked at each other. And breathed a sigh of relief. Did I mention she is a REALLY good friend…

After we got home, the last miracle was about to occur – although my human didn’t find out about it until after the fact. When Joanie was leaving our place, she realized her glasses were missing. She tried to think where she last had them and recalled they had been on her head when she arrived at the church. She figured she might have lost them during the chase. So, unbeknownst to my human, she went back to the church and searched around. Sure enough – they were on the ground right at the spot where she had tackled the FG. Miracle number three.

So three dogs blessed and three miracles. All in one day.

On this Thanksgiving Day, thank goodness for all our blessings – a roof over our heads, food in our bowls, toys to play with and a bed to sleep in. And among those blessings we cannot forget family and particularly friends – who always come to our aid when we need them the most…They put up with our shenanigans and are always there to help. And as we have seen, they are often the greatest blessing of all…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 24

Blessings….

October 7, 2018Leave a Comment

The pre -Halloween photo shoots have begun . Heaven help us.

This is the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. And I am thankful for many things. But one thing I am NOT thankful for is the Dollar Store. Mind you I SHOULD be thankful they don’t carry turkey costumes.

Today is going to be interesting. The priest at my human’s church announced that he will be doing Blessing of the Pets – in honor of St Francis of Assissi – whose feast day was this past week. St. Francis is the patron Saint of animals.

Now this is the first time, that my human is aware, that they have done this at her parish. So. If she takes all three of us, it would likely be the last.

If one of us goes, I am the OBVIOUS choice. Hello? I have the most health issues so clearly I need all the help I can get. Mind you, Einstein is the oldest. So he needs blessings for a long life. And then the FG needs blessings so he starts being less picky with food, and he puts on some weight. Decisions. Decisions.

Maybe we could all stay in the vehicle and the priest could walk over to us. Bad idea. Picture Einstein throwing himself at the window and the FG howling from in his crate. The priest would go to get his exorcism kit.

Well this will be interesting. Check in tomorrow to see if my human has been excommunicated.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 23

I’m guilty of fake news….

October 6, 2018Leave a Comment

Well I stand corrected. I can’t BELIEVE I actually posted fake news. My reputation as a credible news source is shattered. There go my ratings.

What news did I convey erroneously? The Ozzie news. My story about Harry and Meghan’s new dog. I reported (as did MANY other news sources) that their new dog was named Oz. And I rambled on about it. All wrong. APPARENTLY, he is a she – and her name is a secret. I think they just read my blog and changed the name.

So the real name is a mystery. Here are some obvious choices: Queenie, Princess, Lady, Sparlke, and Jewel. I personally like Tori ( short for Viktor….or Victoria). That’s what I really hope it is.

As I was researching info for this blog, I have come to realize that Harry is truly a dog lover. Here’s a short video of Harry and dogs. Lots of dogs…

https://youtu.be/9SCLWdsyHCI

Whether or not you are a Royalty fan, you have to admit – this guy clearly likes us canines!

Now let’s hope he and Meghan chose the right name…

Have a good one! Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days: 22

Plaidurday

October 5, 2018Leave a Comment

October 5. And accotdingto the crazy calendar, it is something called Plaidurday. It is supposedly a world wide celebration of plaid. Who knew. And it started in 2011 in Lansing Michigan.

Well as SOON as my human saw this celebration, you KNOW what she HAD to do. She had to get out those tartan scarves she bought for us on her road trip this summer to Cape Breton. Because tartans are essentially plaids. Although… in Scotland a tartan is a tartan and a plaid refers to a tartan cloth used as a kilt accessory or a cloth for a bed. According to Wikipedia. But for most people, in North America anyway, the two are kind of synonymous.

So once those scarves came out, of course, we HAD to have the obligatory photo shoot.

As usual, Einstein was the most cooperative. He knows the drill. He sits and smiles. He is wearing the Nova Scotia tartan because we PONs were born here. I don’t think there is a Polish tartan.

The FG always starts out serious and after a few minutes starts to smile. He is modeling the Quebec tartan – where he was born.

Now yours truly was the worst subject. We do this in the garage- and the FG’s food bowl, with all the leftovers he didn’t eat at mealtime, was in the garage. And I KNEW it. Getting me to sit and stay required handfuls of treats and toys to make me pay attention. Still, she managed to snap one or two good ones. Out of the 63 taken. I’m modeling the Cape Breton tartan. There is no good reason why. Other than the fact that my human loves Cape Breton. She should have worn it.

Now “Tartan Day” is supposedly celebrated in April. Maybe she’ll get a shot with the three of us. Good luck with that. Those scarves would be great fun to play tug with….

Have a happy Plaidurday!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 21

Jewelry

October 4, 2018Leave a Comment

So today we have a plug and a helpful hint. And both have to do with dog jewelry.

Now I’m not talking about the fancy tags or collars that we dogs can wear. I’m talking about the dog jewelry that humans wear. Humans LOVE to sport jewelry showing off their breed. I think we dogs should wear tiny human jewelry. Anyway, the first jewelry I’ll talk about is a birthday gift that my human got back in August. She bought it for herself. She actually saw an ad on Facebook for jewelry made from dog photos. Or any photo really- but she was interested in the dogs. She saw that a friend in the UK – Nikki – ordered a piece of the jewelry and she was happy with the product. So really, this is all Nikki’s fault. Nikki ordered a pendant, and it looked just like her two PONs. So my human, being the copycat – she actually calls Nikki her shopping mentor- had to order something. But she decided on a ring. And here is the result:

It has our names etched on the sides:

So now we get to go everywhere with her. Figuratively anyway.

I am going to include the link – but this is a plug based on OUR experience. Look carefully at the size of the pendants- they are small. And I’m not sure if they will maintain their nice look- my human has only had her ring for just over a month. But so far – she likes it!

http://www.petsun.mobi/Personalized-Photo-Necklace-Sterling-Silver-a

OK. The next jewelry tidbit is a helpful hint. When my human was last at Crufts a few years ago, she bought a pewter pendant of a PON head. And the other day she went to take it out to wear it. Imagine the horror (humans are so dramatic) when she saw it was covered in green tarnish!!! She obviously couldn’t wear it like that, and had to wear a DIFFERENT dog pendant to work instead. Cough. Cough.

Anyway when she got home she wanted to figure out how to clean the pendant. And here is the hint. Do you know what you can use to clean pewter?! Ketchup! Yup. The vinegar in the ketchup apparently is the key. I am attaching the cleaned photo which is really crazy because I don’t have a “before” photo. You have to trust me that is was green and crusty before the ketchup.

So those are your dog jewelry tips for today. Really, the photo jewelry COULD be something other than a dog, and the cleaning tip is for any pewter object. But does anyone actually have jewelry that ISN’T dog themed?!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days: 20

Research. Schme-search.

October 3, 2018Leave a Comment

Some rather depressing, controversial news coming out of a study in the UK. The study published was a review of 300 research papers on animal “smarts” comparing us canines with other animals. And while you humans and we dogs LIKE to think we are absolutely brilliant – it appears that we are no smarter than “pigeons, sheep, or goats.” Hmmmm…..

For example, other animals can do just as well we dogs at using their noses to identify humans (e.g.: pigs) while sheep and chimps can identify humans by their faces. They say that we dogs can’t even identify ourselves in the mirror – while chimps and dolphins CAN. Who knew? How many dolphins have mirrors underwater, I want to know…

They say that “Cats do at least as well as dogs at identifying humans by their voices.” Sure. But do they respond?! Mind you, we don’t always either…

The study basically said that humans like to think that dogs are exceptional when it comes to our smarts – but we are probably NOT all that different or better at figuring things out than many other animals.

But. But. BUT. I don’t see any Seach and Rescue chimps out there. And it’s a little difficult to have a therapy dolphin. Show me a Seeing Eye Pigeon.

Mind you….I did find an article that talks about Seeing Eye Pigs. And mini horses. And while I joked about pigeons – apparently they can train hawks and RACCOONS.

https://www.stronggo.com/Seeing-Eye-Service-Animals-You-Didnt-Know-About

So. While we MAY not be THE smartest animals out there, we dogs hold the record as the earliest domesticated animals. We’ve been around the longest – and have longest held a special place in human hearts. And really, who is more happy to see you when you get home? Who will love you SO unconditionally and faithfully?

Besides, who wants to share their bed with a dolphin?

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 19

Cleaning

October 2, 2018Leave a Comment

October 2. And according to the crazy calendar, it is Name your Car Day. We already have a name for our car. It’s Ludwig. Ludwig is not big – but he is mighty and he is big enough to hold all three of us canines. With one in a crate. Ludwig is a VW Golf.

Now on Sunday, my human was going for a drive with some friends. And she was the driver. As usual, she was rushing to meet her friends, so didn’t really have time to clean Ludwig. But the seats were not fur covered, so she thought Ludwig didn’t look too bad.

It was only after they had been out for about an hour when she realized that the passenger in the back had to watch the scenery through frosted glass. Yup. One window was covered in canine olfactory art.

On closer inspection , it almost looked like the art took the form of letters. She tried to get a picture of it -but you couldn’t see it with the reflection. Of course it was letters. We spelled “Let us out.”

Yesterday she was off so she had to do the pointless house cleaning and vacuuming. We’ll bring in more leaves as soon as we go out -so why bother. And as quickly as she put all the assorted bones from the dining room graveyard back into the copper boiler where they are stored, yours truly would pull them back out.

She also attempted a RIDICULOUS idea to keep the FG from chewing the carpet corners. Along with 100 “other” things that my human collects, she has a rock collection. Yup. She lugs home rocks on her journeys. If they are too big, they end up in the garden. Smaller examples end up on the kitchen window sill or in bowls. So she took a couple of the medium sized treasures (about the size of an orange) and piled them on a corner of the carpet. Stop laughing. She did. How long do you think it took before the FG started playing rock hockey. So much for THAT bright idea….

Today it’s back to guard duty. Oh and thanks for all the suggestions about how to feed the FG. The whole topic is just inconceivable to me – what dog doesn’t like to eat? Besides, if he doesn’t want his meal, you KNOW two dogs who are MORE than happy to clean it up for him. We are so thoughtful…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days : 18