February 2019 – Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter.

A lucky dog. A very lucky dog.

February 28, 2019Leave a Comment

OK. Enough of this cold weather. Yesterday with the windchill, the temperature was like -36. Cold enough to instantaneously freeze treat drool. My human could barely see where she was walking us – so needless to say, the walks were short. OK, Mr. Groundhog – we are coming to get you. Fair warning.

You know I got to thinking about the FG’s escape the other day. I’m thinking it wasn’t JUST because he was shack wacky. I think it was also because he’s thinking a lot of himself after his Meet the Breed gig. I forgot to mention that a local TV station was there when he was doing his thing – and a .00008 second clip of him appeared that evening on the news. If you blinked – you missed him. But it was enough to make him feel like a star. Albeit a falling star the next day with his runaway.

And speaking a runaways, there was a good news story out of Newfoundland. A few days ago, a family was traveling, and sadly was involved in a 15-vehicle collision – due to snowy weather. The family had some injuries – but luckily none were life threatening. They escaped their vehicle just before another vehicle hit them from behind. In the confusion, their 3 year old Shih Tzu, Obi was lost. He was nowhere to be found, despite their search efforts. They were not from the area – and sadly had to fly home without him. They put a post on Facebook about their lost buddy, but after 4 days and windchill temperatures some nights below -35, they had pretty much given up hope. But on the fifth day after he went missing, someone contacted them and said he had been spotted. One of the humans grabbed a flight and arrived that afternoon to search for Obi. He was joined by another family member who lived in the area. And miracle of miracles, around 8:30 that evening – the searchers heard a bark in the distance. With a flashlight, and a LOT of luck – they found poor Obi stuck in a snowbank. They say he likely would not have survived another night. His name has been changed to Obi One So Lucky.

You may see that we added a new link on our blog – you can see some of our Instagram photos. Oftentimes the photos are also posted on Facebook, but I think it’s time we mix things up a bit. So there will be different content in different places. We have not become Instafamous by a LONG shot. I think I need to hire an agent. There seems to be some kind of strange algorithm to getting Instagram followers – and we certainly don’t know it. I do know that some of the most famous Instagram dogs are into wearing attire. I’m not that interested in fame.

I thought my human was going to be making us all kinds of biscuits since she retired. I have yet to see her take out a baking sheet. If she even knows where it is….

Well it looks like we have a balmy day today – up to -6C. Break out the swimsuits. Just joking. Everybody knows I hate to swim.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 18

Reward. For bad behavior.

February 27, 2019Leave a Comment

In the past few weeks I have written about how well the FG has been behaving. He went to stores. And he behaved. He went to the dog show and he behaved. It was starting to look like the FG was maturing. Wrongo. The wild immature gazelle-like DEAF rocket dog still lives.

Yesterday morning, after the wild rainy weather the day before, the temperature had dropped and we were greeted by sub-freezing Arctic temperatures combined with high winds. Add to that a nice coating of crusty ice.

The FG went out first for his morning constitutional, but they didn’t go far before my human turned back to go home. It was brutally cold. He was not impressed despite the fact that he was limping from the cold. She brought the cranky Picard in the house and now it was PON time. She decided to just take us in the woods behind the house. Einstein quickly made his deposit, but yours truly decided that I wasn’t ready to go back so quickly. We walked along, with my human begging “hurry up Viktor. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaase hurry up.” No question – I needed to go, but sometimes I just like to hold out for a longer walk. Meanwhile, Einstein was heading back to the house. He was too cold. My human went to put him in the house, and told me to wait outside – because she would take me up to the road. She went to get my pills before we went. Only problem – she left the front door open just a crack. A crack wide enough to fit a Picard. Imagine her horror when she looked at the door and saw him standing outside. She slowly approached him. And it was at that second that the deaf rocket dog realized he was FREE – and he was going to go for a much needed run – away from home. He sprinted up the icy driveway and my human knew that she had a major problem.

She fired me in the house and ran into the garage. She jumped in the car, and immediately called Jackson’s human. Luckily, one of his humans was home and available, so she said she would throw on her coat and head out with Jackson. Meanwhile, my human had just driven up to the road. She parked the car in front of a neighbor’s driveway and was about to walk down to their house when she spotted the runaway – racing along the road ahead of her. She drove toward him and slowed down as she approached. Of course Mr Sociable came over to see who was in the vehicle. She opened the window and in her cheery voice that hides the “I could scream right now” voice -she got out of the vehicle. And grabbed him by his collar. Busted. She put him in the vehicle – her heart still pounding. She called Jackson’s human and said that the escapee had been captured. She explained that his escape was probably because he just hasn’t had enough exercise with the weather – and Jackson’s human commiserated that Jackson was the same – and he had even put on a few lbs. My human said she should probably take the FG to the ball field – despite the sub freezing temps. Jackson’s human asked if they could join them – and my human happily agreed. So she picked them up and off they went to the field.

So the dogs ran around while the humans fetched toys and shivered in the brutal icy wind. After about a half hour, the humans had had enough so everyone was loaded back in the vehicle to go home. My human thanked Jackson’s human for coming to their rescue. Jackson’s human didn’t mind – thank goodness for good neighbors!

So, in essence, the FG was rewarded for bad behavior. Go figure. But truthfully, he was just answering the call of the wild. He HAD to run.

My human will sure be glad when this winter is over so we can get back into our regular walking routine. We ALL need it.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 17

Our poor human….

February 26, 2019Leave a Comment

So we had some SPECIAL weather Sunday night. When we went to bed, there was snow/freezing rain and a wind warning. We peed very quickly for our last pee of the night.

My human, much to our surprise, decided to sleep on the couch in the DFZ. She was super tired and for some odd reason didn’t want three dogs jumping on and off the bed all night. She does that every now and then – when she wants a good night’s sleep. Personally, I think sleeping is overrated- but then I do get to sleep for hours every day.

Anyway at 2:30 AM, my human was awakened by a sudden beeping sound. Einstein jumped up and started barking. The beeping stopped. She had to put on her glasses because she can’t hear without them. I know- glasses are for seeing- but she needed them to determine where the beep had come from. Silence. Silence. Silence. She decided to let each one of us out in the dog run for a quick pee. Not all of us at the same time. I have this new loud attack game with Einstein when we go out there- and we can be heard for a long distance. So my human figured the neighbors didn’t need a 2:30 AM PON alarm. So out we went. One by one. When we came back in, she went to investigate where the beeping had come from. She was starting to think maybe she had dreamed it. But Einstein heard it too. She took him on patrol downstairs- to check the smoke alarms, the furnace and the water filtration system. Which sometimes beeps if the bulb burns out. No signs of anything odd.

As they were coming back up, she heard the beeps again, three in a row. Like the beeps from our house alarm. She went in the garage and looked at the smoke alarm there. Does it ALWAYS flash green? She figured that was the problem. So she got a ladder and went to take it apart. Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep. The house alarm went crazy – just like it would before the sirens would go off. Meanwhile we canines were racing around wondering what to do. She jammed the smoke alarm back together and raced down the ladder. She quickly put in the alarm code. The beeping stopped. So she called the alarm people to let them know it was a false alarm. That’s all we needed – the fire department or police at our door in the middle of a storm. She also realized she had never changed our phone number with the alarm company – so if they tried to call, they wouldn’t get anyone. She told the dispatcher that all was fine.

She hung up, and she heard the beep again. The panel on the security system. Why she didn’t check that in the first place, I don’t know. Mind you, humans at 2:30AM cannot be trusted to make smart decisions. I should have taken advantage and pretended it was breakfast time. I suppose she wasn’t THAT dozy.

She looked at the panel and it signaled something with the bedroom window. So she went to check and sure enough, the window sensor was not touching the contact. This happened once before. She jiggled the thing, came back to the panel, and all was good. And no more beeps.

By this time, it was 3:15, so we figured we might as well just stay up. Imagine our utter disappointment when she said “Go back to sleep.” Mind you, we PONs were not in a huge hurry to go out – we heard that pouring icy rain.

We did go back to sleep – and we actually let my human sleep in until 7AM!!!!!

But my human’s day did not exactly get better….

The plow guy had come in the middle of the night. It continued to snow/rain after he was here. When we went out for our SHORT walks at 7 AM, we found a driveway covered in two inches of heavy HEAVY slush. Frankly, we PONs were appalled. Who likes wet slushy feet?! Not us. The FG didn’t care. So after breakfast, my human went out to try and move the 4000 tons of slush around. She figured the plow guy had come once, so he wouldn’t be back again. We barked out instructions as she struggled to stay upright on the slippery, slushy surface. She thought for .06 seconds about letting us run around outside while she was working, but she had visions of chasing us in the woods. I’m not sure why she didn’t just let us out in the run. Could be because Einstein would have been barking nonstop – so she decided we were better off indoors. She pushed, pulled and dragged slush. Her socks were wet in her waterproof boots. She was sweating in the cold damp air. She used up all the salt she had. She worked for close to two hours. She came in and collapsed. Just as the plow guy returned….

We were very nice to my human for the rest of the day….Isn’t winter fun?

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 16

More false advertising.

February 25, 2019Leave a Comment

So the FG got to do his political paw shaking yesterday. And from what I hear, there was a whole lot of false advertising. He totally behaved himself.

When they walked in the door, one of the Boy Scout leaders – who help out at the show – shouted “It’s Elroy!!!!” She had to come right over and tell my human that the other leader sent her good wishes – as she couldn’t be there – and figured Elroy might be there on Sunday. He has his own mini fan club.

Meanwhile he sat on the grooming table giving kisses to most people who wanted one. And a few to people who didn’t want kisses.

Everyone remarked how calm and extremely well behaved he was. They didn’t see him when my human had to wrestle with him as he got out of the vehicle. He was a whirling dervish. But they somehow managed to get from the car and into the venue. Meet the Breed was right by the entrance and in a move like something out of a Wonder Woman movie, she quickly hoisted him onto an empty grooming table before he even knew what happened. And the parade of spectators began. My human held onto his collar – when well intentioned but somewhat naive people would suddenly come over and stick their face in his. Luckily he has a super temperament-,but she would then explain that not all dogs – including other Picards would necessarily appreciate an up close and personal greeting. Her mind kept uttering other comments- but just like we dogs are expected to be good ambassadors, so are our humans.

When their hour was up, they were quite happy to head out. But not before a stop at the baseball diamond- where my human played fetch with herself while the FG burned off some steam after his docile political appearance.

So all in all, a good dog show. No ribbons – but we were big winners just the same. Even with a bit of false advertising….

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 15

The FG. A frozen dog and a stinky dog.

February 24, 20191 Comment

Today the FG gets to go to the dog show. Lucky him. I shouldn’t really complain though, I got to go Friday. Einstein should be the one complaining.

The FG’s grooming will take all of 10 minutes. Again. Lucky him. We’ll see how it goes…

So in the meantime, what’s new in the world of dogs? Well every now and then you hear about some poor dog who goes out onto ice at this time of the year. And sadly needs to be rescued.

That happened in Estonia. So two good Samaritans risked ther lives and brought the almost frozen dog to the vet. Turns out the dog wasn’t a dog! It was a wolf!!! They ended up treating the wolf and then released him back into the wild. That was one very lucky wolf. And two lucky Samaritans!

Then there is the story of the 12 year old dog who was lost when the tragic forest fires raged in California. His family was devastated but never gave up hope that he would be found. Well 101 days later, he was reunited with his family! A group that was rescuing cats captured him – and brought him home. Wonderful news. But one tiny downside. They figure the dog survived by eating his favorite delicacy. Skunks. He smelled strongly of skunk, even after several baths. Still – it was a very happy reunion. Even though it was a bit stinky!

Well time for me to give the FG his pep talk before he goes on the Picard political gig. My human will extol the virtues of the carpet eating, picky food eating, crazy runaway. And with any luck, he will demonstrate his very best behavior.

I’ll let you know how it goes!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 14

Polish Lowland Politician

February 23, 2019Leave a Comment

Well from the photo, you can see who got to go to Meet the Breed. Yup- yours truly got to play Polish Lowland politician. And we had a fair number of visitors. We were set up right near the entrance- so we were hard to miss. Lots of people came by -asking questions and just wanting to pet me.

Now let’s face it- we PONs are NOT Labradors or Goldens- who immediately treat everybody like they are long lost friends. We PONs are aloof by nature- like lots of herding breeds. So while I am fine to have people petting me and I do NOT shy away at all, I pretty much just sit and look at people. I’m not a kisser. I don’t jump up on people. Except for the one woman whose pockets contained food. I tried very intently to get in her pockets. Otherwise, I’m pretty much like a stuffed dog. Which is a BIT deceiving- because people were remarking what calm, easy dogs we must be. One guy even said we must be “couch potatoes.” My human had to further discuss energy levels and the fact that we DO need exercise- and activities. Bored PONs are not happy PONs.

But there was ONE person I was actually interested in. She came by, said my name and I jumped right up to say hello. And I sniffed her face- and wagged my tail. It was my treasurer! Remember – I call a group of puppies a treasury – not a litter. ( Dogs aren’t garbage..) And so breeders are treasurers! Yup I recognized her – even though I haven’t seen her in years!! We dogs don’t forget!

So my human told everybody the pros and cons of being owned by a PON. And for people who seemed really interested- she gave them a business card. It had info about PONs on one side- and Picards on the other. And it had a link to my blog. Where they can connect with my human for more info.

She used to print off info sheets, but let’s face it – most people search on-line once they have some basic info. So my human printed the cards- which don’t kill as many trees- and are easier to carry around.

So all in all, a good gig. I put up with the grooming before we went and the “cute barrette and Nova Scotian tartan scarf “. I could have done without those – but anything for treats…

Today, nobody is on duty – but tomorrow morning it’s the FG’s turn. My human had two people ask where to find the Picard- they didn’t know she was the owner. So I think Mr Kisses will be busy Sunday. And he doesn’t even want treats for doing his gig…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 13

Dog Show!!!!

February 22, 2019Leave a Comment

Well, well, well. She certainly kept this one a secret. But the cat’s out of the bag. Make that dog. Who knew that this weekend is the Halifax Kennel Club Dog Show….

It seems that this retirement mode has really made my human rather hmmmmm… dozy. She already doesn’t know what day of the week it is, let alone the date. If it weren’t for helping with my blog, she would still think it is January. No wonder she frequently makes errors with my seizure count.

So because she is living in the newfound retirement fog, she missed the closing date to enter the FG in the beauty pageant. By the time she realized, the shows were closed. Well. Two of them were. (There are four shows this weekend). She COULD have entered the other two – but it would have meant driving her entry over 30km to the secretary’s house before 10:00PM ( when she realized her dilemma after 7:30 that evening). She was all comfy in our toasty house, and she was too lazy to face the elements. So no entry.

But not to worry – we can still participate in Meet the Breed. That’s where you sit on a grooming table, you’re fed copious amounts of treats and you get to meet your adoring public. It’s a good gig. There are displays of all the breeds represented. And my human added a new feature for us this year. But I’ll wait to tell you about it- because she’s not finished. She clearly has too much time on her hands.

So now the Great debate. Me. Or Einstein. And of course the FG has his own time slot. Whoever it is between us PONs will require some grooming- because it is tonight. The FG goes Sunday. We’ll see who wins the coin toss…oh the anticipation…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 12

Poop bags. The sequel.

February 21, 2019Leave a Comment

One of the big challenges faced by humans these days (and really ALL of us) is what to do with plastic bags. They don’t break down in landfill sites and can last a long long time. Many cities are actually banning them. They are talking about doing it in our area- and most stores that still give them out here charge a few pennies to buy them. Which brings me to my favorite topic…poop. If plastic bags are banned, what is one to do with dog poop?

We know the drama in this household when our local Dollar Store discontinued handled poop bags for a while. We resorted to stockpiling what we could find and friends even gave us bags. Bags even arrived in the mail. The problem with many poop bags – they are not biodegradable. So we add to the plastic bag dilemma. And did you know that not all bags labeled as biodegradable are really that? For something to be called biodegradable, it should break down in a year. In the US in 2015, 20 poop bag manufacturers were warned that their bags were not really biodegradable. To truly break down, they need to be made of maize flour and vegetable oil. And these bags do exist – but of course, they are very pricey.

Composting poop or using the methane from poop has been done (to power lights in dog parks). Those are great ideas – but they still don’t really solve the poop transportation problem when you are out on a walk. Sure you can use a scooper at home – but who wants to carry a scooper on a walk around the neighborhood. My human burst out loud laughing when she read that a zero-waste Facebook group suggested using junk mail, leaves or toilet paper to transport the deposit to a toilet. CLEARLY the people in that group do NOT own dogs. All my human could visualize was her friend who has a Saint Bernard. Take a walk carrying THAT poop in toilet paper. The image seems like something out of a comedy skit.

Given that this blog has an audience around the world, I would be curious to know what people are doing elsewhere. Can you use plastic poop bags ? If not, are you using leaves? Sorry but this image is really pretty funny too. Biodegradable is truly the answer – but there must be a way to make them more affordable. We canines need to start a global movement. For cheaper access to biodegradable bags. To help save our planet. A movement about movement. Sorry. I couldn’t resist. Perhaps that could be my election platform….

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 11

MMOA

February 20, 2019Leave a Comment

February 20. And on this day in 1872, the Metropolitan Museum of Art opened in New York City. So I decided to go and visit the museum. On-line. And just for fun, I did a search for the word “dog.” And I got 2459 results. All kinds of works of art that have something to do with dogs. Or at least have the word dog in the title.

There are dogs from hundred and hundreds and hundreds of years ago. Dogs made of everything from elephant ivory to terra-cotta to bronze to gold to jade to bone and to fine porcelain. Dogs depicted in sketches, photos, water colors, oils and tapestries. Dog collars. Dog beds. If you do a search yourself, you will be amazed at the variety of works related to dogs. There are even some dog mummies. Really.

I was going to send you on a scavenger hunt…but there are so many options, I thought it would be crazy. Instead, let me share a few of my favorite works. When you go to the main page,

https://www.metmuseum.org/

click the search and then type in the Accession number. These are some of my faves:

1972.9. I love these two! I think it really depicts the love between the boy and his dog.

1977.44. OK. I know it’s supposed to be a Maltese, but it’s the closest thing to a PON I could find. Which leads me to the next one – and a mystery solved…

2014.568. The Maltese was also called a Shock dog. So the mystery….My human has a print from 1793 with various dog breeds. And she always wondered about this guy – labeled as a Shock dog.

So now she knows the answer. Mind you, she still thinks all of us could also be called Shock dogs. For obvious reasons…

93.6.2. My human thinks we should have got her this for Valentine’s Day. Maybe next year.

07.122 I like this because what’s not to like about a Renoir?

OK. And now leaving our favorites- let’s take a look at some others…with my personal commentary…

1974.356.416. My title? Serious bed head. Or Grooming gone bad.

62.635.493. Walking Elroy. (OK – he IS getting better. But still…moments like these DO still exist).

2012.136.440. Early obedience class.

68.750. Happy Henrietta and Happy Harry. Who ate too much spicy food.

57.559.36. Proof the Dollar Stores existed in the 18th century.

29.100.104. This has memories of an old Far Side cartoon. Of a missing dog…Google it…

So that’s your tour for today. If you have loads of time, you can scroll through all 2000+ works. I think I did about 874. But I never did find a PON or Picard….let me know if you do!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 10

Adventures

February 19, 2019Leave a Comment

I’m not sure how the FG got so lucky – but he went on an adventure on Sunday. Meanwhile, yours truly and Einstein got special treats- and stayed home to do guard duty.

The FG is a quick learner. Despite the fact that he still doesn’t always sit when asked to do so. He looks at my human like he has never heard the word.

Anyway, he could tell she was getting ready to go somewhere so when she opened the garage door, to let us go out for a pee, instead of going out into the run, he just stood by the car. He figured, based on the fact that he went out the other day, that he would be going again. She had to drag him out to pee.

She then loaded him in Ludwig, and gave us our guilt treats. And off they went. They only drove as far as the end of our road to the beginning of the public trail. She took him out. Why? Because remember, he is poop-dictable. She KNEW he would want to poop when they got to their destination, so she decided to do some pre-destination elimination. Sure enough, he was out of the vehicle for less than 5 minutes and they had results. My human scooped and deposited the bounty in the big can at the trail head. And back in the vehicle they went.

Before they had left the house, my human had checked for dog friendly stores on-line. She had also called one – to be sure the web info was up to date. Let’s face it, walking in with the FG is not really an inconspicuous move- especially if dogs are NOT allowed. But this place – a building/home supply store said they allowed dogs. “But they had to be on leash.” Can you imagine the FG OFF leash?! That would be the end of the pet friendly policy.

Anyway, my human went in with the FG to get some kind of adhesive for some new craft project that will probably never amount to anything. And it can join the cupboard of dried up supplies from other nonproductive projects. Ya gotta love her.

While she was deciding what she wanted to purchase, she told the FG to sit. He actually did, but when the decision making process took more than a minute, he slid down and made himself comfortable. Next stop- light bulbs. Again my human asked him to sit. If you haven’t bought lightbulbs lately- the process can be daunting. So as my human tried to decide what she needed, she heard someone say “Is that Elroy?” She looked up and it was our neighbors – the humans who were owned by our old friend, Hudson. They actually have a new companion in the household- a kitten named Phil. We haven’t yet had the pleasure- but my human has, and she says he’s awfully cute. But back to the FG. He greeted them, and they were frankly surprised at how well behaved he was. Personally, I think it was the novelty – he was in shock. So his normal insane, check-it-out, chew-on-it, pull-the-leash behavior was calmed. And no – my human did not give him any of my CBD before they went.

They chatted with the neighbors and went to the check out, where he again behaved. Good enough to try another store. The pet store.

That one was pretty much a no brainer. He goes in. The staff know him. He’s pretty much under control- unless he sees a fellow canine shopper. Best to avoid those aisles. But again, he was well behaved overall.

Back in Ludwig. Do they DARE try a third store? My human sat in the car and called the establishment- to see if they REALLY allowed pets. Yup. Chapters – the BIG book store -which is like Barnes and Noble. She was a LITTLE worried about this one. Walking through a concrete warehouse type store or a store that caters to canines is one thing -but a library-like environment which also sells snacks and toys and other “stuff” – she just wasn’t sure how the FG would react. But they paraded in – with more than one surprised look.

She approached a clerk to ask for a book she needed – and low and behold, it was the same person who had answered the phone and had said “we love pets”. So she was quite happy to meet the FG, who again behaved quite respectfully. He waited patiently in the line up to pay- and only knocked over two magazines while my human was checking out.

So the FG was very successful in his adventures!! My human didn’t have to tell anyone he was a coyote-doodle. That’s what she says when he doesn’t behave.

When they got home, she took me and Einstein down to the lake. Or should I say she slid us down to the lake. After all the rain, and then the freezing-well we have NEVER encountered such bad ice. Einstein quickly figured out how to stay in the snow on the sides of the path to keep from sliding. Me? I like the sliding- it builds muscle. My human? She almost resorted to crawling. But she somehow stayed on 2 feet.

So all in all a “good dog” day. The FG behaved and we PONs didn’t run away on our walk. Not as if we could though, with all the ice.

Let’s see what other adventures we have this week. And whether she REALLY starts that craft project!!!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days: 9