The NERVE of my human.  Sometimes I think I need to take her back to obedience classes.  She is acting a BIT like SHE is in charge here.  No treats for her this weekend.

It’s May 18. Which according to the crazy calendar is International Museum Day! So let’s take a look at some connections between us dogs and museums.

So we know that my human likes to take pictures of us.  Surprise, surprise.  JUST in case she forgets what we look like.  She currently has 50,455 photos in something called the “cloud.”  Let’s hope it doesn’t rain and she loses all those images.  Just wondering – where IS this cloud…. My guess is that 50, 000 of those photos are of dogs.  I am NOT kidding.

In addition to thousands of photos, my human also loves canine artwork.  So when she saw a posting by an artist on Facebook, advertising that she does digital images of dogs – you KNOW that my human could NOT pass up the chance to get some. And we love the results!

MoonCollie Art does digital portraits, caricatures of your dog, detailed portraits, logos…all kinds of wonderful artwork.
https://www.facebook.com/mooncolliearts/

Kim will be ending all of her different types of custom portraits after this week – SO, if you want to have a quick sketch done – like one of these – contact her TODAY!   And I MEAN TODAY!   This offer is over on Saturday night.  These sketches were each done for $15 US.  Kim also does logos for National Dog events – and she will be busy doing that – so portraits will be put on hold.  IF you contact her – tell her Viktor sent you!  Check us out!

Me:

Einstein:

The FG:

Kim emails you the sketches- so it is easy to do.  You just need a good photo of your dog.  I know that she is quite busy – so you MAY have a wait a bit – but it’s worth it!  And no – I am not getting anything for this plug – just the pleasure of sharing an artist’s work with you!

IT IS FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And we survived four weeks of my human at work.  She has next week off and then she works just ONE more week.  And then we are back to retirement.  More walks, extra snacks, extra belly rubs, more games of fetch….What’s another word for retriement?  Heaven.

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

The other morning, after getting my human out of bed, as we PONs raced into the kitchen we suddenly halted in front of the gate into the DFZ.  For those who may be new to my blog, the DFZ – or Dog Free Zone, is the ONLY area in the house where we canines do not have free access.  That and the laundry room – which contains the garbage can which often contains dryer lint.  Because we KNOW about my appetite for dryer lint.  Anyway, the DFZ, which contains a bunch of “stuff” that my human would prefer NOT to have destroyed, is blocked by a custom designed black aluminum gate.  It has proven to hold up just great – and even PON-dini (Einstein) has not been able to breach the secure entrance.

As we were running past the gate – we suddenly put on the brakes and started barking into the DFZ.  It was 4:35 AM – so it was still dark outside – and we pushed our noses through the bars in the gate and started sniffing.  My human flipped on the lights in the DFZ, with fear that maybe a mouse had run by.  We haven’t had a mouse all winter – but she couldn’t think what else it could be. Surely a squirrel had not gotten into the house – we would have heard that, right?  She looked around and saw no traces of an intruder – and then remembered that the window in the DFZ was open.  We must have been sniffing something which had enough scent to come through the window.  Right about the then, the FG wandered in from the bedroom.  He sauntered past us, not paying attention to our interest in the DFZ, and walked into the dining room.  At which point, HE suddenly woke up and jumped up on the door to the deck, barking.  OK – clearly there was SOMETHING in the backyard.  My human flipped on the outdoor lights – but couldn’t see anything.  Besides, our place is surrounded by woods – so anything that MIGHT have been out there could have taken off in the woods.

When we went out for our walks, Einstein wanted VERY much to go in the backyard.  My human dragged him up the driveway to the road, wearing her trusty headlamp with new batteries.  She was glad she could see more than a foot in front of her.  That will last for all of a week.  She made noise to scare off any intruder – and wondered if it had been the porcupine in the backyard.     We marched along and spotted no creatures on our walk, and neither did the FG.

A day later, one of our neighbors posted a photo of a thick metal post in their yard that holds a bird feeder.  It had been bent like a blade of grass.  Another neighbor had their green bin raided and dragged several feet.  Which pointed to one thing.  Pooh is back.  It was almost a year to the day that we spotted that big black bear in our yard at sunset. 

Sure enough – the next day, another neighbor actually spotted him.  We will be sure to make extra noise on our morning walks.  Not that we don’t ALREADY make our presence known.

And speaking of bear news – did you hear about the dog in Northern Ontario who is taking bribes from a bear?  It seems that the bear “offers the dog deer bones” to keep him from barking, while the bear destroys the garbage.  It has reportedly happened three times.  Here’s the story:
https://www.wthr.com/article/bear-bribes-guard-dog-deer-bones-get-familys-trash

I’m just putting that out there  to any bears that might be reading this – because I want to mention that I CAN be bribed… Just sayin’.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 2

May 15. And it’s Nylon Stockings Day. Now THAT is the biggest waste of money in this household.  AFTER holiday attire from the Dollar Store.

In this day and age of technology and invention, why can’t they create dog-proof nylon stockings/pantyhose? And it doesn’t matter what my human pays for the stuff – whether she buys “good stuff” at a department store – or the stuff from the dreaded Dollar Store – NOTHING can withstand us canines.

When I was searching for a link between us canines and hosiery – I of course found horror stories of dogs who ate them.  Now I like to eat things – but ONLY edible things.  Pantyhose is more in line with the appetite that Paxton had. Obviously, the consumption of pantyhose can have serious results. 

I also found that around 2013, there was a BIG trend in China for DOGS to wear pantyhose.  I am NOT kidding.  I was going to post a video – but frankly, it was just TOO weird.  Wearing antlers for a quick photo is one thing.  Pantyhose – well I’m not even SURE how you would manage to get them on us.  Trust me – even my human draws the line there!

I did find a GOOD use for used pantyhose – you can make a rope tug toy!  That’s one way to reuse all those pairs that have runs in them.  Which is pretty much every pair that is currently in this house.  My human always has one or two damaged pairs – JUST IN CASE, she needs them –  if the run is in a location not visible.  For the time being.  Anyway – if you have a dog who won’t CONSUME the toy – here are the instructions:
http://kelseyskreativekorner.com/braided-pantyhose-dog-tug-toy/

I also found this short video with another use for pantyhose – they can be used to create a muzzle for a dog in an emergency situation.  Seems like a reasonable idea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S45-4PIvqFI

Apparently, if you use pantyhose as a glove, it can remove dog hair from fabric.  Now THIS one we have to try out.  I don’t think my human owns a piece of clothing that doesn’t have dog hair on it somewhere.  We can make our hair stick to silk.  It’s an art.

I also saw that if you put a piece of nylon over a brush (with the bristles poking through) it makes cleaning the brush easier.   I say skip the brushing.  That makes cleaning the brush unnecessary.

So those are my nylon/pantyhose suggestions for today.  Wasn’t that was riveting info?

On another note….thank you for all your kind messages and concern about my seizures.  My human is anxious to be home with me – to get this hopefully, under control again. We are eternally optimistic.  Some days.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days:  1

So happy belated to my quirky, crazy, fussy, funny, wild adopted sibling. He has truly grown on me.  I can chew on a bone and he can be literally 10 inches from my face, and I don’t care.  He wags when he sees me and the feeling is mutual.

This past year, he didn’t accomplish much in the show world – probably because he wasn’t shown much!  My human was waiting for him to mature – and she is thinking he is almost there.  In body anyway.

He did have an introduction to one new sport – the rat thing.  And while it initially appeared that it wasn’t going to be successful (like me and sheep) he DID get the idea of the game within the hour he was there. They plan to try it again.

He has definitely matured overall – although if given the opportunity to bust through the screen door and go for a solo run, he will still grab the chance.  The irony is that when he is going for a walk with my human and he is on a leash, he stands in the doorway like he doesn’t know how to go out.  Seriously.  Some mornings she has to push him out the door.

I have trained him how to countersurf – mind you he never actually TAKES anything.  He just goes up to “inspect” the counter.

He has acquired a taste for yogurt – standing in line each morning to lick the lid and the container.   He’s still not crazy about bananas.  Some days he takes a piece – other days he recoils like the banana is a poisonous snake.  Or a lint roller.

He likes carrots – but he WILL fling them around the room.  Which can have several results: a.  he flings it under furniture or appliances, making it impossible to get;  b. he flings it and Einstein grabs it before he does.

He is still not crazy about retrieving – even after he watches me and Einstein doing our thing.  He does it once or twice – after that he thinks humans should pick up the toy themselves.

He LOVES people.  And he has been able to visit stores and has been well behaved.  I think my human should take him and let him off leash.  Now THAT would be entertaining.

He is NOT crazy about having his picture taken.  But he WILL give in when it is clear my human will not give up.  But he is a pouty model – he rarely smiles for the camera.  That being said, my human has been able to capture some candid shots of him – and those are the best kind.  He also DID smile for his birthday photo at the top.  Here are some of our favorite shots from the last year….

So happy belated to my big little brother. I really AM glad that you joined our family.  Now.  Can I have that biscuit?

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 0. Back to the drawing board. I had two yesterday.  One while my human was at work.  And one just as she turned off the lights to go to sleep…it was a long night.

I have a question.  Do any of you live with a dog who likes to do fashion reviews?  We do.  It’s the FG and he is famous for it.

First off, a huge Happy Mother’s Day to all the human Moms out there! I hope your kids are as good to you as we dogs are. Well – at least sometimes we are good.

It’s here.  The second Saturday in May. AND what day is this?  Why it’s National Dog Mom’s Day!!!!  A day to honor all those women out there who are proudly “owned” by us canines.  Tomorrow is a day to celebrate HUMAN Moms – but today it’s all about crazy dog women.

My human has been “Mom” to nine canines in her adult years.  And each one of us teaches her something new. Her first dog – Barney the rescue terrier-cross, taught her how to avoid dog bites. He was her “first” and he taught her about things like resource guarding, obedience (and lack thereof) and about how some dogs like to steal – and bury food.  In places like sofa cushions.  But he also taught her about unconditional love. 

The four Bernese that she was owned by introduced her to the world of competitive obedience – and the world of draft.  No – not beer draft.  But pulling a cart draft.  She even entered a HUGE obedience competition in the US for something called a Bernese Specialty show.  Specialties are when dogs of the same breed come together to compete in beauty pageants and performance events – like obedience and draft and rally.  Anyway, it their very first obedience trial ever – and in that big show, they placed first in their class.  It was a moment she will always remember.  Harper worked his heart out for her.  He always did.  And all her Bernese did whatever she asked.  That’s just who they were.

Her Labrador, Beamish introduced her to the world of field work.  She suddenly found herself in fly infested fields and swamps, throwing retrieving toys for the energetic Lab – to prepare for competition. They competed and passed the first level of field work – and although my human had HUGE doubts that they would actually pass – Beamish didn’t let her down.  His tail never stopped wagging.

We PONs have taught my human a LOT.   She has learned that some dogs NEVER forget – and dogs who are food motivated are EASY to train.   VERY easy to train.  She has also learned that she must always be one step ahead of us because we are SO clever.  In addition, she has learned a LOT about grooming.  Einstein also introduced my human to beauty pageants – the first of her dogs to get a conformation title.  Even after he pooped in the Group ring the first time they went in…

And then we come to the FG.  He has taught her that some breeds are TRULY comedic.  And they never fail to put a smile on your face.  And fussy eaters.  And quirky.  And FAST.  AND HUGE cuddle-loving monsters.   And people loving machines.  And they DO like sheep!  And every day is a new adventure.

I’m sure no matter what breed or multi-breed that you have been owned by, you have learned what it is like to share a piece of your heart and soul with that canine “kid”.  I guess in some ways we are rather different from human kids – we are ALWAYS happy to see you, we generally do not sulk, our favorite thing (even when we are teens) is to be WITH you, and we don’t leave our laundry lying on the floor. 

I suppose we are similar in that we don’t pick always up our toys – although I HAVE seen canines put toys away.  But not in this house.  You have to feed us.  And pay for our education.  You see to it that we get medical attention when needed.  And helping with homework is pretty critical.

Anyway, we are so happy we picked our human.  And we will happily let her sleep in today.  Until 6AM.  We plan to bring her kisses in bed.  Einstein has agreed that today he will not bark out orders – as is his usual routine.  We have all agreed no pulling on leashes.  We will not countersurf.  And we will be generally well-behaved.  I say “generally” because I want to be realistic.

So happy National Dog Mom’s Day to all the Moms out there.  We are SO happy (and lucky) we share our lives with you!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 9