Churchill

April 9.  Yesterday, according to the crazy calendar, was Dog Farting Awareness Day.  And I missed it.   Not that you REALLY need to be AWARE of dog farts.  Let’s face it- some of us can clear a room.  No one needs a promotional day.  Anyone in the room is WELL aware.  It just reminds me of Bucket Head – who could have won a prize.  If there was such a thing as a fart meter.  I miss Bucket Head and his farts….

Anyway we missed that auspicious holiday talking about rat enthusiasm instead.  Oh well. 

Today, according to the crazy calendar, it’s National Winston Churchill Day.  I can’t believe I haven’t talked about the “Bulldog” before.   He is the famed British Prime Minister who led Britain to victory in the Second World War.  Not only was he a wartime leader, but he was also an artist and an author, winning the Nobel Prize in Literature.  And do you know what ELSE he was?  An animal lover.
Lots of people think he was a Bulldog guy- because of his tenacity and hmmmmm…. his physical appearance which kind of matched the breed.  He actually is reported to have owned a Bulldog when he was young, trading his bicycle for one.  But do you know what breed he owned as an adult?   Poodles.  Miniature chocolate poodles.   When his first one died, who was named Rufus, he quickly got a second one – Rufus II.  Churchill was quoted as saying “the II is silent.”
The Rufuses reportedly had a pretty sweet lifestyle.  One source said that the dog would have his meal served on a cloth on the carpet in the dining room – next to the head of the table.  No one could eat until the Butler first served the dog. JUST like in our house. Minus the fancy cloth. And the Butler.
Besides dogs, Churchill had cats, pigs, butterflies, horses and swans.  A real menagerie.  And although he was quoted as saying he was “fond of pigs” I doubt the pigs ate in the dining room.  Just sayin’.
So that’s the day.  Cheers to Churchill.
Today We have no snow in the forecast  – although we DID have snow late yesterday and overnight.  We woke up to sounds of the plow guy.  Today the forecast is good.  Tomorrow we are ignoring the forecast other than to say there is a contract out on the Groundhog. Given the FG’s new interest in rodents, maybe we will send him to visit the springtime prognosticator…
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!
Seizure free days: 6

Find a rat. Maybe.

As predicted, it was an entertaining afternoon….

My human, Marg and the FG arrived early for the Barn Hunt lesson. My human figured she would have time for the FG’s calming drugs to start working.  JUST KIDDING!!! But she did know that even though he had pooped twice before they left home, he would need to go when they got there.  He’s so poop-dictable.  He did.  Not 10 minutes after they arrived. 
The goal for the session was to introduce dogs to the sport of Barn Hunts and Brush Hunts.  My human learned that in Barn Hunts, there are three tubes.  One holds a rat.  One is  empty.  And one contains dirt and rat droppings.  The dog has to indicate which tube holds the rat.  In a brush hunt, the tube with the rat  is hidden in bales of hay and the dog needs to find it.
To start the session, dogs were introduced to rats in cages.  The instructor sat by the cage and showed the dog the rat.
 First try.  The FG had NO interest whatsoever in the rat in the cage.  None.   Nada.  My human pointed to the rat.  She tapped on the cage.  She told him “find it.”  The instructor pointed to the rat.  He was 1000% more interested in giving kisses to the instructor.  He would have stepped on the rat cage to get to her. My human walked out of the enclosure with flashbacks to me sitting like a stuffed dog in a pen with sheep during a herding instinct test.  Deja vu.
Other dogs had their turns with the rat.  Everyone was interested.  One terrier would have crawled in the cage with the rat.  A Karelian Bear dog went CRAZY.  
Second try.  They put the cage behind a hay bale.  My human walked hin up to the cage and AGAIN- he totally ignored the rat in the cage.  The other dogs would have jumped over the hay bale to see the rat in the cage.  At this point, my human started thinking about the hike that she and Marg had planned after the workshop.  Maybe they should just leave – and give the other dogs more time.
Third try.  Well.  Isn’t there a saying “three times a charm?”  This time, the rat was introduced in the tube- so it couldn’t be seen.   The tube had holes in it, but was opaque. NOW the FG took an interest.  It was like he now had to THINK because he couldn’t SEE the rat.  So he started intently sniffing at the tube.  BINGO.  The targeted behavior.  
After that, he got the idea.  He would actually stick his head in between the hay bales where the tube was located.
In this video, there are two tubes.  One with the rat and the other is empty.  You see him as the video opens and he has stopped and is smelling at the first tube, where the rat is, but he then is not interested in the second tube.  When he goes back to the first tube, he is again interested.
The instructor was VERY kind and encouraging.  You see her happiness that he found it.  And my human’s!
I’m not sure he’s quite ready for a test. Who are we kidding – he’s far from ready.  At one point my human managed to circumvent a possible hay bale pee.  She learned that peeing on hay bales is not a “fail” on a test- but it results in a time fault.  Which is not good.  She figured her distraction during training was probably a good thing.  No point in starting a behavior that would be hard to break! Like peeing on tires….or the deck….
He may not have been the best ratter there, but he certainly made lots of friends.  He thought he was supposed to do his “Meet the breeed” gig.  Kisses all around.
So by the end, my human figured it was worth it.  As I mentioned, the instructors were very helpful and supportive- and never made my human feel like they were the remedial students.   The FG did provide comic relief.
Given his “success” with this endeavor, she has signed him up for ANOTHER sport at the end of the month.  In this one, his wicked fast running ability will be tested.  If he doesn’t actually run away…. Stay tuned…
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!
Seizure free days: 5

Wordsworth

I am a creature of habit. But I do adapt quickly – especially if a change means that I will be fed earlier.  So when my human changed her schedule last week because she was working, and we were getting up at 4:30, that was fine with me.  Early up means early breakfast.   So, when yesterday arrived, I promptly woke my human up at 4:30.   Even though it was Saturday.  And despite the fact that she said “Viktor – it is Saturday,” I still felt it was my duty to lie down on top of her – because I thought she might be faking.   FINALLY, when she could no longer stand my breathing in her face, and licking her pillow, she got up at 5:30.  You know my motto – Carpe Diem – and breakfast.

Today is the birthday of William Wordsworth – the famous English poet.  He wrote that well known poem – “ I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” – which is all about daffodils.  And signs of daffodils here were covered in snow yesterday.  Yup.  It snowed.   Springtime in Nova Scotia.   We were not impressed on our morning walk.  Anyway, it seems that Wordsworth liked dogs.  He wrote a couple of poems that talk about dogs.  Here is one, but it’s kinda sad.   So read with tissues.
Here’s a painting of Wordsworths’s dog. He reportedly got his dog from the novelist, Sir Walter Scott.   Scott bred “Pepper and Mustard” Terriers – or what became known as the Dandie Dinmont terrier (which is the name of a fictional character in a Scott novel.)  It doesn’t LOOK like a Dandie Dinmont to me – but maybe that’s what they looked like back then. 
So happy birthday to Willlie.   Hopefully those daffodils will soon be blooming here.
It’s the big day here.  All the media outlets have been alerted.   The FG is going to learn about BARN HUNTING .   Stay tuned tomorrow for the review.    My human has coerced her friend Marg, to come to watch the entertainment.  Remember Marg?  The one who slipped on the ice and could have been trampled by the FG in his attempt to “help” her?  Hope she brings her barn boots.  And a helmet.
Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 4

Raphael. And tartans.

April 6.  And it’s the birthday of the famous Italian Renaissance painter, Raphael.  Raphie to his friends. OK.  I made that up.  But not the birthday part.

Anyway, I couldn’t find any Raphael dog paintings.  He was more into religious art.  I DID find a painting he did of Saint Francis of Assisi- and we know he is the patron Saint of Animals.  Of course we know that – who could forget the scene we created during the blessing of the pets on Saint Francis’ Feast Day?  Bet they don’t schedule that again this year. Anyway, that’s the closest connection between dog painting and Raphie that I could find. 
Since I wasn’t having a lot of luck finding paintings OF dogs, I decided to look for some paintings BY dogs.  Check out these Pupcassos.

https://www.womansworld.com/posts/dogs-who-can-paint-111444

I watched the video links for Jumpy. There was a video of him doing 20 stunts in a minute.  That dog is crazy.  Serious crazy.  And then I watched him painting a sunset.  He gets lots of instruction on how to do the painting.  So it’s not REALLY his own impression. OK – who am I kidding.  It’s not like I would ever want to hold a brush that long.  The guy is amazing.  He can even sign his name.  Good thing they didn’t call him Bartholomew.  He would need a REALLY big canvas.

Most of the other dogs listed in this article are into abstract art.  I did like the painting that Chloe did.  Well – she participated in painting.  Her human did a stencil, and then Chloe added the paint.  That finished work is very cool.

I think my human really has to let us try painting. We already leave lovely olfactory art on windows and doors.  This is just the next step.


April 6 is ALSO Tartan Day.  I’ve written about this holiday before, but if you’re new to my blog, you may want to go back and take the Scottish dog quiz:

Even though I decided not to write about it again – you KNOW my human HAD to get a photo of all three of us wearing our tartan scarves that she bought us last summer.  When she went away.  Sure – we appreciate the handiwork.  But frankly, biscuits would have been a BIT more exciting.  Mind you we did get lots while taking the photo… Happy Tartan Day!!!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 3 

Tires

Some days when we dogs behave, or nothing wild has happened at our home, which I realize is not all that often, I rely on the crazy calendar or historical facts that somehow tie into dogs to write in my blog.  Well, today was a bit of a stretch- but I did it!

According to the crazy calendar, on this day in 1923, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company started producing inflatable tires.  So what do tires and dogs have in common?  

A lot!  First off- we like to pee on them.  Yes, there are actual websites that discuss why we canines like to pee on car tires.  I’m surprised no one has obtained grant funding to do the research on it.  Some theorize that once one dog pees on a tire, the scent stays a long time on the rubber.  And you know us boys – if someone has been there,we need to overmark him!  
Some theorize that because tires travel through all kinds of great scents – like roadkill, they are particularly interesting and pee-able.
Well here’s the real reason.  They are there. They are a vertical surface.  Tree, fire hydrant, wall, fence, tire, newly planted shrub – it’s all the same to us boys.  Heck, we’ll pee on a human leg.  It’s kind of like asking why the chicken crossed the road…
But back to tires.  I found several websites that show how to make dog beds from old tires!!! You basically take an old tire, clean it well, paint it with a paint that will adhere to rubber, stuff the center with a pillow and voila – a dog bed.  It would obviously work well for smaller dogs.  To make one for the FG, my human would need one of those tires off a huge truck.  Then, knowing this household, after she went through all the work, including 14 cans of spray paint, none of us would want to use it.  It would make such a nice addition to our home which has a Kuranda Dog bed (best money ever spent according to my human) in the dining room and the FG pony-sized crate in the bedroom.  Perfect. A truck tire bed….
The dog toy maker Kong, does make some rubber chew tires for dogs.  I must confess, we are not really into Kong stuff. And don’t worry- it’s not because we don’t have probably every Kong toy ever produced.  We even had a Kong bed.  Remember that one?  It lasted less than an hour.  And the toys?  Not interested.  But the tire is nice to look at. 
A crazy story came out of Australia several years ago about a stray dog that attacked the tire on a police car.  The dog punctured the tire.  The officer left to fix the tire, returned, and Fido again punctured a tire.  This time the officer called for another police vehicle.  Fido also punctured a tire on that vehicle.  They called for more back up.  They called animal control.  Guess what Fido did to a tire on the van of the animal control officer – before Fido ran away? Yup.  Tire number four!  The story went on to say that they finally found and captured the dog, at his home, and he couldn’t be returned until his owners constructed a safe enclosure for him.  I want to see that dog’s teeth!!
So that’s the story on tires and dogs.  Hope you didn’t get tired reading it. Sorry.  It’s Friday.  I couldn’t resist.
Have a good one. Peace and paws up!
Seizure free days: 2

Rats

It is April 4th and according to the crazy calendar, it is something called World Rat Day. A day to celebrate rats.  

Now rats do have their redeeming qualities.  Some people keep them as pets.  I read that they can be therapy animals.  And they can even be trained to sniff out explosives.  But wild rats often have a bad reputation- especially in urban areas.  Tell someone you have a mouse in your house, and it’s no big deal.  But a rat- and it IS a big deal.  Not only because of the size difference – but also because of the amount of damage they can cause and because they are known to carry a number of diseases.  Here in the city of Halifax,Nova Scotia, we had an outbreak of leptospirosis a few years ago- and there was said to be a direct link to the rat population.   My human knows someone whose dog died because of the outbreak.  So rats can be a BIG problem.  
I read that in New York City, multi family dwellings and commercial businesses must use specially licensed rat catchers. I also found this video- where dogs come into the story. Most terriers were initially bred for catching rats. And in New York, there is a “vigilante “ group of citizens who goes out with their dogs to catch rats.  WARNING:  If you do not want to see rats being caught, and/or you are offended by strong language, skip the video.  But if you want to see dogs with a job, check it out.  
I’m not so sure about picking up those rats without gloves.  Einstein said he would want gloves too.
And given that we are talking rats… I must tell you about something that the FG will be doing on Sunday.  He is going to a Barn Hunt Workshop.  No – he is not hunting FOR barns.  Barn Hunts are an opportunity to see if your dog has the instinct to hunt out rats.  And ANY breed can participate- not just terriers.
Now before you picture a scene like you saw if you watched the video, rest assured that Barn Hunts are NOT for actually catching rats.  NO RATS ARE INJURED IN BARN HUNTS.  The rats used are raised in homes and are essentially pets.  The rats are placed in secure plastic tubes.  And the tubes are hidden in bales of hay.  Dogs never physically come in contact with the rats.  But they DO indicate where the tubes with the rats are located.  
Dogs can actually compete and get a Barn Hunt title.  There are even different levels of titles.  But in none of the levels are the rats ever injured.  There are strict regulations and rules to ensure the safety of the rats.
My human does know of Picards who have Barn Hunt titles.  And given the FG’s attention to sounds and smells, maybe he will find his passion.  Nah.  My bet is that he pees on the first hay bale and is dismissed.  I hope someone can video him.  He is in the “beginner” class, of course.  
So Sunday is sure to be an entertaining day.  Good thing my human doesn’t work next week – she’ll need the time to recuperate.  This is going to be SO interesting…..
Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 1

Rarities. And good and bad news….


My human was having  some useless moments scrolling through the internet the other night.  She had already studied lumps in dogs, had looked at what happened on the day in history, had skimmed the on-line clothing sales, had searched for her favorite dog walking shoes (which look to be discontinued), had checked our Instagram account, had looked at a particular dog food contents – when she suddenly saw an article about the “rarest and most stunning dogs in the world.”  Possible blog material?   She clicked on the link and all of us awoke from our naps when we heard her loud groan.
She expected to see pictures of PONs, Picards, Finnish Lapphunds, Otterhounds, Mudis….but the first dog listed was an Aussie Pom.  You have it – a cross between an Australian Shepherd and a Pomeranian.  And the list got worse…the Corgle/Beagi (I guess it has two names),  the Pomsky which they called the most popular “developer canines” today – half Husky and half Pomeranian, the Golden Dox – a Daschund/ Golden Retriever cross ; and the Whoodle – a Wheaten/poodle cross.  There were more – but that’s enough to give you an idea.  And indigestion.
My human stopped looking at the site, but just like rubbernecking at an accident, she couldn’t resist going back and seeing if every dog listed was a multi-breed.  And low and behold – there WERE some real breeds – including Salukis, Newfoundlands, and Komondors.  Listing real breeds with the multi-breeds is probably worse than just listing all multi-breeds as there may actually be some TRUTH to the article.

You will all be thrilled to know that yesterday…..drum roll…..ALL of us pooped!  Honestly, if someone was listening from the bushes at the side of the road, they would be calling someone to “have a talk” with my human.   The joy when I did my thing yesterday was embarrassing…..

So that was the good news.  The bad news?  Seizure counter reset.  The day started off so great and although my human again left early, she was also home early.  Only to see the telltale seizure clue.  Someone had peed.  She went through the tape- and sure enough.  

My human wracked her brain with all kinds of reasons.   Is it because she has gone back to work?  Is it because of the change in schedule?   Who knows.  She was feeling pretty bummed out so she called my vet and they had a great long chat.  The vet reminded my human that I had a very long seizure free streak last year- when my human was working long hours. (And my human isn’t even working long hours right now!)  She said that it is hard to know an exact cause- that’s the challenge of epilepsy.  They decided to tweak my meds for a few weeks to see what happens.  My human felt much better after the call.
Last night we got out for some awesome games of fetch.  Well- Einstein and I fetch.  The FG runs out and stares at the fetch toy.  He went for a long walk instead.
Spring is definitely in the air!!!
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 0

Drama. Part 63.

Yesterday morning my human’s alarm went off at 4:30.  Yes.  You read that correctly.  4:30 AM.  OK, we knew she was going back to work – but this seemed like overkill.  Unfortunately, April 1st did not only mark her return to work – but it also marked the beginning of a MAJOR road construction project in the city.  This road construction was going to include the closure of a major route into the city.  A route that my human, and 24,000 other commuters take.  The detour option was NOT a good idea as it was going to funnel cars into an already busy road.  She KNEW that this was going to spell trouble and even went so far as to write a letter to the editor of the paper to warn people about the impending traffic doom.   She wasn’t the ONLY one who wrote about it – but it didn’t appear that any other plans were made as a result of public input.   So she KNEW she would need to leave extra early to be in work on time.  Her plan?  Get us up and out the door for the first walk by 4:45.  Have both walks completed by 5:45.  Then she could feed us, eat her own breakfast, shower and leave at 6:40.  I usually take my medication like clockwork at 7AM – but she figured she could give it to me 20 minutes early and not throw me off.  But she couldn’t give it to me much before that.

So the alarm went off and she jumped out of bed.   She posted my blog for me and got dressed.  Einstein and I were raring to go – we are happy to get up whenever.  The FG needed to be summoned from his crate.  He is NOT a morning dog.  He slowly got up and crawled out, looking disheveled.  Mind you – he always looks that way.  My human got her coat, stuffed her pockets with treats and poop bags, donned her headlamp, and Einstein and I were off.  It had rained during the night, but had stopped.  We walked ALL the way down the road.  We walked to the head of the public trail, but my human said it was too dark and muddy to go that way.  Being the obedient dog that he is, Einstein promptly pooped in the parking lot.  She scooped and put the results in the can at the head of the trail.  She looked at me and said “Viktor – hurry up.”  I trudged slowly behind her all the way back home.  Her K9POOPOCD was building.  She pleaded as we walked along.  No results.  She walked PAST our driveway and onto the golf course at the end of the road.  Keep in mind it is STILL dark out.  She is SURE I will go.  Nope.  We didn’t go far because she knew she still needed to walk the FG.  I was TOTALLY screwing up the schedule.

We went home and I was instructed to wait outside.  I was going for ANOTHER walk – with the FG.  I trudged along.  Down the road we went.  And BACK we went.  And NEITHER of us pooped.  She was certain it was a conspiracy.  Want to know WHY we didn’t poop- it was JUST TOO EARLY.   Anyway, again we headed for the golf course.  And NOW the rain started.  Not just a LITTLE rain.  We are talking the skies opened and it was like Niagara Falls.  Of course, now the FG starts LEAPING in the air trying to catch the raindrops.  And I’m trudging along.  He pooped when we got to the course and my human picked up.   No results from me. We headed for home. 

When we got there – she put him in the house and took me out in the backyard for one LAST attempt.  By now it was after 6AM.   Which meant NO breakfast for her.  I trudged along and stared at her.

No results.  

She came in the house and announced “No breakfast for anyone.  You will all get extra large helpings at dinner.”  Seriously?   NONE of us could have breakfast?    Einstein thought he was headed back to the vet.  The FG didn’t care – half the time he just stares at breakfast anyway.  And yours truly was  appalled.  We did get treats – as she ran to jump in the shower – and to get dressed. And then Einstein gave me a dirty look as he figured this was all my fault.

When she emerged ready to head to work, she let us out for a quick pee.  We raced in thinking our bowls would be full when we came back.  The dream was shattered.   She gave us another treat, gave me my medication a bit early – and headed for the door.  She “said” she wouldn’t be LATE – but we know what that means.  And she was gone.

All day long we were STARVING.  Now I know what it feels like to be a stray and not knowing when you will get your next meal.  OK.  OK.  So she DID feed us a big snack the night before when we were going to bed.  But that was HOURS before…..

She DID surprise us though, and she WAS home early.  She took me out and begged me to poop.  I looked at her, quickly trotted outside and produced one of those picture perfect poops that all K9POOPOCD humans love.  I wonder how far away people could hear her shouting “GOOD BOY VIKTOR, GOOOOOOOD BOY!!!!!!!!”  I’m surprised she didn’t take a photo.  We walked in the door and Einstein rolled his eyes.

And then, as she promised, we got a double portion supper.  Perfect. 
So NOW, all of us will be off our poop schedule.  Can’t wait to see what happens today at 4:45…. Someone suggested you K9POOPOCD humans should form your own support group.  I think that’s a brilliant idea.   “Hi I’m Linda and two of my three dogs had picture perfect poops today.  But (insert dramatic pause) , the third one didn’t go.  At all…..”
Hey it’s just about that time!  Time for walkies!!!!!!
Don’t ya just love us?!
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!
Seizure free days: 10

Drama Queen

OK.  Now I understand why Einstein is the Drama King.  We live with the Drama Queen.

On Saturday, as you may recall, I didn’t want to poop on our morning walk.  In fact, I didn’t want to poop all day.  So at 8:30 Saturday night, when I still hadn’t pooped, my human’s blood pressure was off the charts.  You humans and your dog poop obsession.  There should be an actual psychological term for it. K9POOPOCD.  I finally went, when I was starting to worry that she would pass out from high blood pressure.
Sunday morning, I again would not poop.  She walked me and Einstein and no results from me.  It was a bit ridiculous- because I HAD just gone the night before.  But because Mr. Poop Machine, Einstein, went TWICE- she figured I must need to go. The K9POOPOCD kicking in big time.  She just needed coffee.
Anyway, we came home and instead of leaving me with Einstein, I went for ANOTHER walk – with the FG.  He of course did his thing, but no results from me.  We walked and walked.
She didn’t want to take us on the public trail, as she knew it would be muddy.  But when I didn’t produce results, she begrudgingly went that way.  That’s what I wanted all along.
The only problem?  The trail was beyond muddy.  There were puddles and thick soft mud.  I walked along the edges, but of course the FG didn’t care where he walked.  He plodded right through it and my human tried desperately to avoid the worst patches because she didn’t want her favorite walking shoes all covered in mud.  She was mumbling what a bad idea this was, and thought about turning back, but we were already half way through our loop.  There was no way out, so we might as well continue. 
FINALLY, I had a poop.  She was OVERJOYED and offered LOADS of treats.  The FG just stared at the two of us like we were aliens.  Muddy aliens.
So we continued on the trail, with a much happier human.  And guess what?  I pooped again!!! But this time, the results were hmmmmm….soupy.  All over my butt.  Sorry to be graphic but you are dog people.  And at this point, all of those dog owners who have short coated breeds, like Dobermans or Weimaraners are breathing a sigh of relief for their choice of canine…
We got home and I was whisked into the tub for a clean up.  After me, the FG went in to rinse off the mud.
So you would THINK that’s the end of the Drama Queen’s story.  The drama of poop and mud.  But no. 
Humans tend to overthink lots of things- leading to more drama.  My human now started worrying WHY I had some soupy poop.  I’m telling ya – K9POOPOCD. Did I eat something I shouldn’t have?  Did I have a blockage?  Seriously.  A little bit of soupy poop and she’s already got me in surgery for a bowel obstruction.  But what could I have eaten?  Suddenly she remembered “the mitten.”  When she was getting ready to walk us, she realized that one of her mittens was not with the other.  
She remembered “something” about the mittens on Friday morning when she threw them on the counter as she grabbed her car keys to capture the escaped Picard. She hadn’t worn her mittens on Saturday because the weather was warmer.  But now there was only one mitten on the counter.  So only ONE thing could possibly have happened.  I ate it.  Causing the soupy poop.  A serious K9POOPOCD flare up.  But first – she should search for the mitten- on the off chance that it was somewhere else.  Not in the yard.  Not in the garage where she thought it would be.  Not in the car.  Not in the closet.  Wait!  Why not look at hours worth of video recording on Big Brother- to SEE when I had stolen the mitten from the counter.  (As an aside, I have never eaten a mitten.  Yes- I did eat the bananas – peels and all.  But I have never stolen mittens from the counter.). I am not a Bernese.
All the time she is obsessively searching for the mitten, Einstein is shouting for breakfast. She finally had to feed us – and went back to her search.
Just as she was contemplating my after blockage surgery care, and I think just after she invoked the intercession of the wrong saint to help her find the mitten ( St. Anthony is the patron of lost things.  I think she mistakenly prayed to Saint Jude who is the patron of lost causes – which in this case was probably not that far off), she moved a winter hat that was on a table in the garage and low and behold, saints preserve us- there was the mitten!!!!  A glorious discovery!!  Time for singing and dancing!  That which was lost has been found!!!  Tragedy averted.  Treats for everyone.
So there you have a typical morning in our household. And although this is April 1st,  none of this is a joke.  Drama Queen at her best.  Saints preserve us indeed.
Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 9