Well could you hear the shouting yesterday?  I’m sure the noise extended beyond our neighborhood. It actually wasn’t shouting.  More like loud pleading.  Although there WAS some shouting when one of us went AWOL…

Blooper. 

Good shot. Or at least fair shot.

My personal bloopers.

Now she attempts the antler hat.  On the good dog.  There are over two acres on our property.  Guess who has to photobomb….

Finally all in position. And you can’t even tell they are antlers!!!!

She wasn’t thrilled with any of them.  My fear?  I heard her in the garage last night.  I THINK she was looking for the old antlers.  Heaven help us.

Well it was a tough day yesterday.  When I posted my blog, I had had two seizures.  Unfortunately, I had two more.  It was what they call a cluster. -so many in less than 24 hours.  The most I ever had in the past was three.  So four was VERY unusual. My human talked to our vet after number three and after number four.  They adjusted one of my meds, but the vet said if I had another one I should go to the emergency hospital.  My human was on pins and needles all the rest of the day. And all through the night.  The good news is that although they are grand mal seizures- they don’t last more than a minute or two.  And within a half hour after, I’m back to my crazy self.  My human’s sister was over last night, and if she hadn’t been told I had had four seizures, she would never have known the difference.   I didn’t have any last night.  So paws crossed we are back on the mend.

Thursday night my human went out with her sister – to a concert by a young woman by the name of Serena Ryder.  She’s a Canadian singer/songwriter/musician – and she’s very talented.  VERY talented.  And I wanted to mention her because her concert was SO good.  But really, what does Serena have to do with dogs, right?  WRONG.  She has a new Christmas song and video.  And it supports rescue and shelter dogs.  Check it out!!!  It really is fun.

https://youtu.be/f77Sc3gTaM8

It’s a catchy tune too!  No wonder my human came home smiling!

Meanwhile, I hope Santa brings all the suggested gifts I wrote about in my human’s letter.  I realized though, that I forgot a few things – so I am sending this addendum:

Dear Santa.

It’s me again – Linda.  The one who is owned by two wonderful Polish Lowland Sheepdogs and a comical Berger Picard.

Now I realize I shouldn’t be greedy and ask for too many things – and honestly I don’t expect to get EVERYTHING.  At the top of the list of course, if you can ONLY bring ONE gift would be those dog treats. And remember to put them in an accessible location.  For me to reach them easily, of course.

Anyway, if you are still having difficuty I thought of a few other options…

1.  Windex for cleaning the french doors and the deck doors.  Oh.  And the car windows.  Although I DO admire the olfactory art that my dogs create, I know that they enjoy a clean slate to create some new pieces.

2.  Slobber towels.  Because JUST as I am ready to walk out the door to work, my adorable Picard MUST inspect my wardrobe and he likes to give it his seal of approval.  This is particualarly nice when he has just had a BIG drink of water.

3.   A king sized bed.  Santa, there is just not enough room for me and all three boys on the queen sized bed.  And it’s important that they are comfortable.  

4.  A recipe book.  On how to make dog biscuits.  When I retire there is NOTHING I would rather do than bake for my boys.  Every day.

These are just a few other options for my list.  I’m sure I’ll think of others, and given that I still have a few weeks left, I hope you won’t mind if I send updates. In addition Santa, my boys will be sending s letter soon as well so please watch out for that.  They deserve everything they ask for.

Have a lovely day Santa.
Linda

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days:  0

So while I’m getting ready to write my letter to the guy in red, I started thinking about my human.  She’s kind of busy, so I thought I should write her letter for her.  So here goes…

Dear Santa.

My name is Linda.  I have been relatively good this year.  I say relatively because I COULD have probably given my wonderful dogs more treats – but I promise to do that next year.  I will be retired as of February so I also promise to walk them more. 

Because I share my life with three amazing canines who are always well behaved, I have a number of items I would LOVE to find under my tree on Christmas morning.  Here we go…

1.  Lint rollers.   Everyone owned by dogs never has enough of these. I love lint rollers Santa.  Please bring me a BIG pack. 
2.  Paper towel.  For frequent spills, and the occasional muddy paws.
3.  Poop bags.   Although my current supply is plentiful, one can NEVER, EVER have too many.
4.  A new grooming apron.  Don’t worry if you can’t get this one…
5.  Batteries.   Triple A.  For my headlamp that I use while walking my dogs in a dark.  Better yet Santa, a rechargeable one would be nice….
6.  Vacuum cleaner bags. We go through these like poop bags.  
7.  Environmentally safe non-toxic cleaning supplies.  Because I only want to expose my boys to safe products.
8.  New pillowcases.  Several sets.
9.  Sandpaper and black paint.  To repair some chairs in the dining room that one of my wonderful boys used for a wood craft project.
10. Heavy duty black thread.  For repairs to the dining room carpet. There has not been damage lately, but let’s face it Santa, it’s just a matter of time.  Might as well throw in a spare carpet while you are at it.
11.  Earplugs.   Because one of my sweet boys likes to bark.  A lot.
12.  Another set of mittens with a long string.  So I don’t have to juggle mittens, poop bags, and leashes on cold winter mornings.
13.  Treats.   LOTS of tasty treats.  I love to reward my good boys – so please Santa, bring me lots of treats.  LOTS.  And you don’t need to leave them under the tree in the DFZ.  Please feel free to leave them on a chair in the dining room.  That would be perfect.

Safe travels.  All the best.
Linda

Is that not the PERFECT letter?   She will be so happy I wote it for her.  I hope she gets what “she” asked for…

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

So today is December 6 – and it’s Saint Nicholas day.  Saint Nicholas of Myra who was a bishop in 270 AD in what is now Turkey, was known for being an all around good guy, and he was said to be responsible for many miracles.  Among many good works that he did, he was also known for secret gift giving. He is the patron saint of children, sailors, fishermen, pharmacists and pawnbrokers.  The connection escapes me there – but this much I know- in many countries, his feast day is celebrated with gift giving and it’s a big holiday.  

Well by now, everyone has seen the touching photos of Service dog Sully, a yellow Labrador Retriever, lying in front of the casket of former President George W. Bush, who passed away last weekend.  A somber but fitting tribute to mark a mission completed.  BUT – Sully’s mission is not over.  He is not ready for retirement yet. He will be having a new role working with wounded veterans at Walter Reed National Miltary Medical Center in Maryland.  He will be working with other dogs to assist military members in their physical and occupational therpy programs.  Sully has his own Instagram account (sullyhwbush) and Facebook page if you want to follow his new adventures.  I’m sure Sully is sad to have lost his partner – but no doubt he will bring happiness and lots of assistance to many others in his future.  Sully – we salute you!

Now that our home is decorated, we realize the next thing on the list will be grooming and “photo” shoots.  Which have not yet taken place. I don’t know what she is waiting for – might as well get it over with.

As for our list – I’m thinking hard about what to put on it.  I do have a recommendation (a Vik-advisor recommendation) though, for those dogs looking for a bed.  My long-term blog readers will recall that we used to go through dog beds in this house almost as quickly as we went through poop bags.  OK. Maybe not THAT quickly.  But we did have a NUMBER of beds through the years.  Even those beds that say they are chew-proof.  Not in this house.  BUT – there is ONE bed that has stood the test of time.  The Kuranda elevated bed.  https://kuranda.com/   We have had this bed since the time of Paxton.  And while someone did chew the straps on the cushion that was on the bed, when my human removed the cushion, we still continued to use the bed – and have done NOTHING to it.  Even with Einstein’s crazy “nesting” behavior where he scratches it like he is digging a foxhole,  it is STILL in great shape. 

Part of the reason I wanted to give this bed a plug is because I SEE that there is now a competitor on the market.  Now that MAY be a great bed – but the Kuranda was the first one out there.  You can even donate beds to shelters through them.  And no – I am NOT getting any perks from Kuranda for this plug – I just like to pass on info about good products.   If a product can survive THIS household – it HAS to be good.

Speaking of bed – time to take a snooze while I pass on guard duty to the FG.  He’ll be sure to alert us about every blowing leaf.  That – or his reflection in the glass door.  

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 10 

So every year we go through the week long agony of Christmas decorating. It’s agony for us because all we can do is sit and watch.  My human has been known for creating a “Christmas explosion” while we just roll our eyes. What’s the point of having trees indoors if you can’t pee on them?!

Did you ever have a plan that you visualize before it happens?  This idea of how something should turn out.  And it’s all rosy and happy and full of sunshine and rainbows. And it SHOULD be a great idea. 

Her name is Indi!!! Yup – my niece will hereby go forward as Indi – one of the names I suggested!!! Short for Individual.  And she is living up to her moniker.

And here she is with her Mom……

She has a black dot on her head.  That’s her crown.  Because she is a princess.  Princess Indi.    Has a nice ring….

Before my human became ill last weekend, she went shopping.  To the dreaded Dollar Store.  And of course you KNOW what that means at this time of the year.  Antlers. I’m not talking about the kind you chew on.  No.  I’m talking the kind you wear.  I can’t actually believe that she would buy MORE – I’m certain she has the set from last year. All I know is that the bag was big.  That’s never a good sign.  And she has no big plans for the weekend…..  I’m feeling a photo shoot in our future.  And then she wonders why we retaliate and eat her pillowcases…

So it’s December 1.  And the countdown begins.  My human saw this cool Advent Calendar for dogs on the internet – where you got a treat for each day.  But with shipping, the thing was going to cost something like $60.   She said we can buy quite a few BOXES of treats with $60.  We are not getting the calendar. 

The countdown is also on for the big reopening of the AKC Museum of the Dog in New York City  slated for early 2019.  The museum moved from St. Louis – where it was housed for 30 years.  Anyway, while sniffing around on their Facebook page, I came across AKC TV – which I hate to confess, I didn’t know even existed.  It has info about purebred dogs – and some cool historical videos in a series called Bud Buccone in the Doghouse.  Of course his name had to be Bud.  Here’s one about a skeleton.  Yes. A skeleton.  But it’s an interesting story:

https://akc.tv/watch/19/1361/video-3/belgrave-joe/?ctx=%2Fwatch%2F%2F4%2F1224%2Fseries%2Fbud-buccone-in-the-dog-house&fbclid=IwAR3ZPCysnA3AzjjjueJy4e6pyv1Zuq0eqSNMQ8fHa-2QRylYamWD8fA-SKQ

Below that story you will also see some other short videos.  You can also learn about different breeds on the site and some breeds even have videos.  I see the Picard has a video.  But the PON does not.  Who do I talk to about that?  I’ll make a video for them.  Sure I will.  Anyway, it’s resource I thought you might find interesting. 

It’s Saturday.  Long walks.  Lots of fetching.  And we all have a pact – Say NO to ANTLERS.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
 Seizure free days: 6