They are from from every group of dogs.  Yup – but that’s not the link.  They are all Westminster Best in Show winners.  Nope.  They are the most popular breeds in order.   Nope. Give up?  They are all breeds that have been owned by US Presidents!  And given that today is President’s Day in the US, I though we could talk a bit about Presidential pets.

Not ALL Presidents had dogs – but MANY did.  For example, Andrew Johnson had no pets – just some white mice he found in his bedroom.  In the WHITE House. 

 James Madison had a parrot.  Named Polly.  Of course.

Theodore Roosevelt had a great variety of “pets” including a macaw, a lizard, guinea pigs, a pony, hen, rooster, piebald rat, garter snake, badger, black bear, cats, hyena and an owl.  And of course a variety of dogs including a number of terriers, a Saint Bernard, a Pekingese, multi-bred dogs and a Chesapeake Bay retriever.  Some of those more unusual animals like the bear and the hyena were gifts – and understandably ended up living in zoos.  Mind you, some might call the White House a bit of a zoo.  But I digress.

Calvin Coolidge also had a unique menagerie as well – including raccoons, a donkey, canaries, a bobcat, a wallaby, another black bear (seemed to be a popular gift back in the day), lion cubs, a duiker (google it) and my all time favorite – a pygmy hippopotamus- whose full name was William Johnson Hippopotamus.  His call name was Billy.  Coolidge also had lots of dogs including a Chow chow, bulldog, sheltie, Airedale, Wirehair Fox terrier, Collies, an English setter and a Groenendael.

In terms of interesting Presidential dog facts, here are a few sourced from Wikipedia:

• George Washington was an avid dog lover, who was instrumental in starting the American Foxhound breed
• Abraham Lincoln had a dog, who was sadly killed after Lincoln was assassinated.  The dog’s name was Fido. The name is said to be where the generic dog name originated.   So when I refer to “Fido” it dates back to Lincoln’s dog. Who knew?
• Jimmy Carter’s daughter, Amy, was given a multi breed (mostly Border Collie) dog  by her teacher.  The dog had to be returned when it snapped at several White House guests.  It didn’t say if the teacher was a Republican or Democrat.
• William Howard Taft’s only “pets” were cows.  When the opera singer, Enrico Caruso performed at the White House, he decided that Taft’s daughter should have a REAL pet.  So he gave her a dog.  Who was aptly named Caruso.
• John F. Kennedy received a puppy, Pushinka as a gift from the Soviet Union.  The puppy’s mother, Strelka, was one of the dogs who traveled in space.   Pushinka was later bred and it is said that her descendants are still living.  Who knew that one?
• Lyndon Johnson had beagles, Him and Her (I’m not kidding) and a multi-breed dog named Yuki, who was famous for signing duets with the President.  The pair were said to be inseparable – with Yuki even dancing with the President at his daughter’s wedding. Johnson was said to love dogs.  However  a photo in which he appears to be lifting one of his Beagles by the ears was met with outrage.  Some say that’s part of the reason he lost re-election.  He apologized and said he had been doing that to his dog forever – and the dog did not appear to mind. Hard to know.  I found this audio where he talks about dogs which was released after his retirement from politics… it seems like he did have affection for his canine companions…but as I said – hard to know….   http://youtu.be/BqdkeI5KwWI
• George H. W. Bush’s Springer Spaniel,  Millie, wrote a book that reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.
• George W. Bush’s Scottish terrier, Barney, had his own official webpage, and released a series of films called Barneycams.
• Barack Obama’s First Dog, Bo, a Portuguese Water Dog was chosen because one of Obama’s daughter has allergies – and the breed is said to be hypoallergenic.   The President got backlash for not adopting a rescue.  Because there are SO many hypoallergenic dogs in rescue.  OK.  That was sarcastic.  Anyway, the Obama’s made a donation to the Humane Society – to keep the animal rights people happy.  And then they got a second Portie, named Sunny.  They had also initially considered a doodle.  Thank goodness for the correct choice….

So that’s your Presidential canine trivia for today.  Note I didn’t say anything snide about the current pets in the White House.  Oh wait – there aren’t any…

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 8

So what do the names King, Rudy, Verb, Winky and Heart all have in common? Well – they all competed at Westminster- and each one was a winner – in his or her own way.

First we have King – the 7 year old wire fox terrier from Brazil who won Best in Show. The beauty pageant supreme winner.  Counting his win at Westminster, he has won 47 Best in Show titles.  That’s a LOT of showing! According to stats, wire fox terriers have won Westminster 15 times – the most any breed has ever won. Anyway, I guess it’s an example of picking a good name for a dog – he lived up to it!

Then we have Verb, the border collie who won the agility competition.  Check this out…

Seems to me he could have gone a little faster.  JUST KIDDING.  Wonder what HE eats for breakfast?!

I couldn’t find a good video of Heart, the four time obedience champion in the actual obedience competition, but here is a video of him doing a freestyle obedience routine.  

OK.  The whole ballon thing would make my mind explode.  But he didn’t care!!!!!  Now that’s obedience!

Then we have Rudy.  Rudy is a bulldog.  And when Rudy lined up to run the agility course, I think some people had some preconceived notions about what that would be like.  I think they envisioned this slow moving, lumbering dog who would hardly make it around the course.  Wrongo.  Never judge a book by it’s cover!

And last but not least, we have MY favorite competitor.  Winky.  The bichon frise who competed in agility.  Winky should be a PON.  Because he does it HIS way.  And he LOVES his adoring public…

Isn’t he the BEST?!!!

And this video is different.  It’s also a Westminster video.  Without the dogs.  Check it out!

Is that not crazy?   And really,  that’s what the world would look like if there weren’t any dogs!   You humans would be running around looking daft.  Aren’t you lucky you have us?!

Now pass the treats.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 7

Now my human thought for .005 seconds about taking all three of us- as she would have another set of hands. She actually thought about taking all of us to the ball field.  BUT – the snow had a fine coating of ice – and she envisioned one of us tearing a muscle in our typical crazed ball field state.  So she suggested to Marg that they go to the boardwalk on the waterfront downtown- and she would just take one of us. The FG’s name was drawn.  Einstein and I got extra treats while they headed out.

They picked up Marg and drove downtown.  They parked and headed for the boardwalk.  As my human predicted, the FG pooped within 5 minutes of starting the walk.  He is so poop-dictable.  EVERY time he goes downtown, he gets SO excited, he has to poop.  Right in front of the Farmers Market.  Every time.  

Anyway, my human was prepared with 45 poop bags, so no problem with scooping. They walked down the waterfront and had a lovely time.  Until they headed back.

The boardwalk was clear of ice and snow.  But at one point, they cut through a parking lot, and found they needed to walk across a snowy area.  An icy, snowy area.  Marg started walking one direction while my human went another direction, plotting her route, and trying to keep the FG from pulling on the icy surface.  She was busy looking down and she heard a clunk.  She looked up and saw Marg sprawled out on the ice.  “OMG – are you Ok??????” she asked, “did you hit your head?????” Marg said said no but lay on the ice- for a few seconds – although it seemed like minutes.  The FG, seeing the downed friend, suddenly decided he was Lassie and wanted nothing more than to go over to her.   He was squeaking and pulling and my human could barely hold onto him.  She felt helpless- she couldn’t approach her friend for fear Lassie would add to her injuries.  So she just stood there like a useless statue, trying to stay still on the icy surface with the crazed Picard, asking again if her friend was OK and if she thought she broke anything. 

THANKFULLY, Marg was OK.  She got up slowly – and will no doubt be bruised, but they didn’t need to call 911.  The FG was quite happy to see her get up.  And of course, so was my human!!!  Thank goodness for big puffy coats. 

 

They continued on their journey back to the vehicle and Lassie actually behaved quite well.  He DOES try to say hello to pretty much everyone who passes by – he would make a good politician.  When Marg went into the market to get some fish, the clerk had to come out to meet him.  Yup – he’s a pretty good ambassador. When he’s not chewing on carpets. Or pooping in the most conspicuous locations.

Marg has offered to come with all three of us to the ball field when the ice clears.  My human explained that even without ice, she will be required to wear a helmet and sign a waiver. Oh – and she needs to wear ear protection – for barking.  She still said yes.  Let this be evidence that she has been forewarned.

Today we have rain which is supposed to last until this afternoon.  It’s Saturday- but every day feels like Saturday now.  My human says that we need to let her sleep in until after 5AM.  I still say Carpe Diem….Speaking of which – time to go out.  Although… I do hear that rain….

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 6

Well the cable guy came yesterday.  So he could fix the TV channel that Westminster is on.  Or should I say WAS on. At this point it’s moot.  Unless some Royal decides to get married, my human probably won’t have the TV on again until next Westminster.  I know – we shouldn’t even BOTHER with cable TV.  But it was a “bundle” when we got our new internet service.  It was cheaper to get “the bundle”.  Go figure. Kind of like buying dog biscuits in bulk.

Anyway, as he made his way around the house, we were pitifully sequestered on the deck.  Not to worry – it wasn’t THAT cold.  But we smashed our faces against the deck door, and when Einstein barked, and the FG continually scraped at the screen door ( which will definitely need replacement this spring) and I squeaked like someone forgot to feed me breakfast – my human had to let us in. The unfamiliar repair guy said “oh that’s ok- they can be inside.”  My human said “ummmm I think I’ll just put them in the bedroom.  Do you need access to that TV any more?”  He said no- so while he was in the garage, she corralled us and tricked us to going into the bedroom.  She put a raggedy gate against the door and told us to settle down.  As IF we could.  Come on.  There’s some stranger who has never been victim to our over exuberant welcoming behavior?!  (Read: incessant barking and bouncing off said victim). We all stayed like sentries at the gate, while the FG made an incessant squeaking sound. Kind of like nails on a chalkboard.  Every now and then he also let out a big dog bark. Just to mix things up.

So buddy left and we did a thorough inspection of all his work.  He claimed they needed to change some wiring to the house which would require several guys and a bucket truck.  Now THAT would be fun.  We LOVE the sound of big trucks.  You should see what happens when Einstein hears the beep-beep-beep reverse sound of a truck -even a recording of that sound.  It reminds him of the oil delivery truck.  So he goes CRAZY.  The idea of a bucket truck was so cool.  We got all excited about the idea.  And then buddy came BACK. 

He said he figured out another idea as he left.  I think he called someone for help.  And they told him what to do.  So back in the bedroom we went.  He went back in the garage and did something.  “There he said- the problem is fixed!”  “Great” my human said.  “So no bucket truck?!”  “Nope” he said, as we canines all frowned.  

He was ready to go out the door, and now my human realized the Internet was not working.  Good think she noticed before he left.  I’m not kidding.  You can’t make this up.  He did the highly technical procedure of unplugging the modem and plugging it back in.  Nope.  No WiFi.  By this time, my human was starting to lose faith- and wondering if she should have just left the TV alone.  Westminster was over.  

The good news was that we settled down.  We realized this could be a long process- and by now we were  getting tired. We watched him as he made numerous trips to the garage and then downstairs. After about 20 minutes he announced that everything was working- and no need for the bucket truck.  Darn.

After he left, the FG walked around squeaking- he was crushed that he didn’t get to say hello. We PONs were just glad he was gone.

So all of our technology is working.  For now anyway. Paws crossed it stays that way…Personally, I think Einstein could have probably repaired it himself.  He’s smart enough….

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days: 5

What happens when you are having a special weather day, you have all been groomed, and it is the day before Valentines Day?  You guessed it.  Photo shoot.  

Now while you get to see the best results,  you have no idea what it is like to get a good group shot.  NO idea.  It is like trying to get a group of toddlers who just ate chocolate cake to stay still.  Or it’s like herding goldfish in a swimming pool.  Or catching falling leaves during a hurricane.  You get the picture.  And while we didn’t video the process, here’s a snippet of the dialogue.  Or is it monologue since we don’t do a lot of talking.  Then again, Einstein does…

“OK.  We are going to take some photos.  And we will behave civilly.  First, Frodo you come in the garage.  OK Viktor since you just burst through the door, you come too.  Now, sit on this cloth.  Viktor sit.  Viktor sit.  Viktor sit.  Now, let’s put on these hearts.  Viktor stop chewing Frodo’s heart.   Viktor sit. OK. Frodo sit.   Now  Frodo you know how to sit.  Let’s get a shot of you two.  Viktor stop sniffing.  Look up.  Viktor look up.  Sit.  Staaaaaaaaaay.    Staaaaay.  OK.  Treats.  One for Frodo and one for Viktor.  Now sit and STAY while I get Elroy…

Hey.  I told you both to stay.  Elroy sit here.  Viktor.  Viktor.  Viktor, come here.  Sit.  Frodo sit here.  Frodo move closer.  Elroy sit.  OK everybody….staaaaaaaaaay.  OK smile.  Really.  Smile.  Frodo speak. (After Frodo speaks he always smiles.  And Frodo LOVES to speak.  Any other time.). Frodo speak.  Frodo speak.  Good!   Viktor look up.  Sqeeeeeeeee.  (And other assorted sounds all of which we have heard before.) Viktor sit.  Excellent. I think we got 73.  Here’s a treat.  Frodo. Viktor.  Elroy.  Now sit again.  Elroy get up.  Viktor sit.  Frodo speak.  Speak!  (She throw s a treat in the air. ) OK…….loooking goooooooood.   Got another 48 shots.  Free.  Here’s a treat. 

Hmmmmmmm.  These aren’t very good……Let’s try ONE more time.  

(Now she resorts to physically picking us up and placing us in position. Elroy sit.  Viktor sit.  Frodo come here.  Frodo (who has gone to search for the treat).  Frodo – you ripped your heart off.  Awwwwwww.  Seriously?   Here.  Put on this sign.  OK we can’t see the word Happy, but who cares.  Viktor sit.  Good sit Elroy.   Try not to look like you are being tortured.  Frodo sit.   Staaaaay……..Bumf, bumf, bumf (She’ll try any sound).  Nice!  Treats.  Frodo.   Viktor.  Elroy.  OK. Lets’s try one lying down.  Down. Everybody down.  Good down Elroy.  Sorry Frodo – you can’t go down with the sign on.  Oops.  Viktor down.  Viktor down.  Frodo down.  Elroy good down.  Viktor down.  Forget it.  We’ll go with the sitting shots.  Treats all around.  And a drink for me!”

Yup.  That’s a typical group shot.  Doesn’t it sound like great fun?  We get treats for pretty much sitting there.  When we actually sit.

So I know I’m plagiarizing parts of my own stuff, but sometimes I can do that.  So here’s our annual poem:

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

We three dogs are so happy

That we picked you.

You groom us and feed us,

And take us on walks,

One of us eats dryer lint,

The other one talks.

You walk us in the morning,

You walk us at night,

When it happens to be raining

We may put up a fight.

If we are sick 

You take us to the Vet,

You buy me my medicine 

Some that’s difficult to get.

Having three dogs 

May not be economical

But our antics entertain you

We REALLY are comical.

We may be unruly

And sometimes just plain BAD,

But we really DO love you,

And hate if you’re sad.

We wait by the door

From the moment you leave,

And when we hear your car

A HUGE sigh we heave.

And when you return

No matter how long,

We break out in tail wags

And bark out our song.

We’re so happy to see you

When you come in the door, 

Although happiness fades 

When bags read: Dollar store.

We wear antlers and bunny ears

With all of our pride,

If you run out of treats, 

That’s when we hide.

You help with my blog, 

Every single day

Would you ever believe 

A dog had so much to say?

Oh human, OUR human

You’re our Valentine sweet.

We love you and adore you.

Now give us a treat.

Have a good one! Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days: 4

So Westminster is over for another year.  The big winner this year was the Wire Fox Terrier.  And the Reserve Best in Show went to the Havanese.  The line -up was missing a dog – the Schipperke was not allowed to compete for Best in Show because the judge for Best in Show’s partner had owned dogs with owners of the Schipperke. Confusing?  It would  basically be a conflict of interest for the judge to judge that dog.  So to “maintain the integrity of the sport” the Schipperke was pulled.   I won’t talk about the overall objectivity of dog shows and figure skating.  Anyway, it was the right thing to do.  And no Schipperke had ever won the Non-sporting group at Westminster, so that alone was a HUGE accomplishment.

I’m glad the show is over – now we can get back to looking our regular scruffy selves.  I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the recent spa treatments here coincided with the big dog show.  Einstein was the final victim yesterday when my human got home from work.  It must be a sign of spring- because his coat was a furry mess.  He looked like a dog who had never seen a brush.  Like some kind of wild stray.  So before the bath, he had some serious brishing.  Once upon a time, when he was in beauty pageants, my human would NEVER cut his hair if it was tangled.  She was careful to remove any mat or tangle by gently breaking it up with a comb and her fingers.  Which was always a challenge with the drama king.  Heaven forbid you gently tug on a tangle.  It’s like he is being murdered.  Unlike yours truly, who couldn’t care less.  

But now that Einstein is no longer on the pageant circuit, my human’s best friend (of the grooming variety) is a dematting comb. I’m sure there are people who just cringed as I say this and  I wouldn’t recommend using these if you are planning to show your dog- as they can remove hunks of hair.  But, if you want to keep a long coat, and you just have the odd mat or tangle, these things get through anything!  

I see there are other dematting devices – and they probably work ok too – but this is her go to.  Not all the time.  But just for those times when really needed.  Like when you are playing dog show while Westminster is on. When we played, Einstein won the breed, the FG won his breed and I won Best in Show.  Because I was the most cooperative at being groomed. Our rules are a little different than Westminster’s.  We follow the current rules for some kids today – everybody’s a winner – everybody gets a prize.  Works for me.

Well time to venture out in the special weather.  I must say, my human had to contain her joy about not having to drive in to work today!    And of course, so did we!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 3

Einstein escaped the bath-a-thon because my human was too tired after giving both me and the FG the treatments.  Einstein just smiled.  As we proceeded to lick his ear.

A little search of the net revealed that there is such a thing as a dog umbrella.  Here ya go:

OK.  I must say we laughed hysterically in this house when we saw this.  Clearly this is for smallish dogs.  Imagine walking a Great Dane with one.  You would need really long arms.  But the better vision is of my human walking us two PONs – with one for each of us. The walking alone would be a challenge- but picture stopping to pick up poop.  On a windy day.  Oh the image…. She’s big on trying new things – but we are definitely giving this one a pass.  Mind you – it COULD make an entertaining video….

Umbrellas and dogs have another link because they are actually used as part of canine Temperament Testing.  Temperament testing gives insight into a dog’s behavior and measures things like shyness, aggressiveness, and friendliness.  During the test, the dog is exposed to a variety of situations- and the dog is evaluated on his reaction to each one.  Situations include greeting a friendly stranger, reacting to loud sounds (like someone banging on a pot), walking on uneven footing, encountering an unfriendly, threatening stranger and reacting to a surprising stimulus – which is an umbrella opening before the dog.  The test looks at the dog’s reaction to these things and his ability to recover without excessive shyness or aggression.  Depending on the breed, the evaluators may  have slightly different expectations- but the bottom line is that all dogs must be under control at all times.  Here’s a link that tells you about testing and even has a video of a dog being tested. 

When we searched for other Temperament Testing videos, we found one that was labeled as Failed.  Can you imagine having your failed video on-line for all the world to see?  And here it is (I know – I’m sharing their embarrassment too).  But REALLY – he isn’t that bad.  He needs some work, and practice.  He failed because he wouldn’t walk over the uneven surface.  He also had no reaction to the threatening individual- who you can’t see in the video.  The dog was more interested in the water.  He didn’t shy away from the umbrella at all.

I’m not sure how we would do in the test.  We would probably be fine with the umbrella.  But pull out a lint roller – and we would be GONE.  We all have a dislike for the lint roller.  And not because my human has used it on us.  It started with one of us sniffing it, not liking the sticky feeling, jumping away – and now we ALL have that reaction!  Hold up the lint roller and it’s a bark-a-thon.  Give us an umbrella any day!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days: 0

Sadly the counter has again returned to zero.  I have an appointment with my Vet on Monday morning.   We have to figure this out…

February 9.  And on this day in 1895, a guy by the name of William G. Morgan created a game called Mintonette.  It soon became known as volleyball.

Now while I couldn’t find any dogs actually PLAYING a game on their own, I did find this guy who is assisting on a team:

Then I found these guys playing with a balloon.  They certainly have the moves:

But probably the most notable when it comes to the moves, is this dog.  Or as someone said in a post yesterday, it’s not a dog.  It’s a Border Collie!

Now that’s determination.  Or obsessiveness.  And I bet he wasn’t even a LITTLE bit tired at the end.

My human would like to try it with us – with a balloon.  How long before it breaks?  I’m betting 3.8 seconds.  

We had a rainy day yesterday.  But that didn’t stop us from getting up at 5:30.  To say that this was one of the worst icy days so far is an understatement. When we went out at that point, it was freezing rain.  And the driveway and lawn were the worst yet.  Where’s a guy supposed to poop?  And HOW do you poop when you can’t stand still. It was a case of G&P.  Glide and poop.  It could be a new sport. How long can your poop trail be as you glide along ?  And try peeing with three legs on ice.  Deadly.

 My human attempted to drive up to get the newspaper.  Big mistake.  She didn’t even get 1/4 of the way up the hill and she couldn’t move forward.  The car started sliding backwards down the hill.  We were all barking out “Turn the wheel!!!” As we watched from in the house.  Luckily she did – or she would havs smashed into the island in the middle of the driveway.  She couldn’t get the paper until around noon after the real rain started.  Good times.

Today is Saturday.  But every day is Saturday now.  I’ll have to tell you about the new trick my human played on us to get a few more minutes of sleep….

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.

Seizure free days: 7

February 8.  And it’s Boy Scouts Day.  The Scouting movement originated in England in 1907, founded by a man named Robert Baden-Powell.  By 1910, the Boys Scouts of America was formed and two years later, the Girl Scouts of America was founded. Today, over 200 countries and territories have scouting programs for boys and girls.

In the US, the first merit badges were started in 1911. You basically had to show that you had knowledge about a certain subject – and you could demonstrate some skill in the area.  I checked back to see what the subjects were for those earliest badges – and was a bit surprised. For example, one was bugling.  And it appears to still exist.  When is the last time you saw a kid bugling?  Other early ones included horsemanship, forestry and first aid.  Which aren’t all that surprising.  But another early one was electricity.  Wonder how many wavers have to be completed for that one today…

In 1938, they added a Dog Care badge.  It was revised in 2003 and more info was made available in a pamphlet in 2008.  I decided to see what is involved- I mean HOW HARD could it be.  Well.  No wonder they call it a MERIT badge.  It involves WORK.  Check out the requirements.

In 1995 they added a Veterinary Medicine badge.  You probably have to perform surgery to get it.

Today the topics and themes range from moviemaking to programming to sustainability. I also saw that there is even a way to obtain a badge on-line.  My human could get that one.  An on-line shopping badge.

She was in the Scouts from a young age right up until she was a teenager.  It helped to have a mother who was a Scout leader for some of those years. 

I actually found a Pet Care badge on her sash. Clearly the requirements were not as stringent as the current Boy Scout requirements.  And clearly no one knew about how she dropped the gold fish bowl in the sink- with the fish still in it.  He reportedly went to the fish rainbow bridge shortly after the trauma.  And she obviously has forgotten any knowledge of dog obedience training she might have known back then.  Wonder if they can take badges back?  Wonder what the Statite of Limitations is on rescinding badges…

I could get badges- for countersurfing, paper shredding, dryer lint eating…Oh and photo modeling. Here’s a hint – Easter is coming. And my human has already begun taking pictures….

I could really get a badge for patience..

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days: 6