Another birthday

June 10.  And it’s the birthday of the Duke of Edinburgh- or better known as Prince Philip – husband to Queen Elizabeth.  He turns 98 today.  98!!  And it appears he is as witty as ever, although his driving skills may have deteriorated just a bit!  But it’s not like he can’t find somebody to give him a lift. 

We have talked about the Queen’s love for dogs – and her years of breeding corgis.  I searched for Prince Philip’s opinion about canines and couldn’t find much – but from photos it appears that he has enjoyed being surrounded by four legged friends. Dogs and royals appear to go together- here’s a cool site with lots of photos of royals throughout history with some of their canine kids:
So we wish Prince Philip a very Happy Birthday today!  Cheers!  We’ll be sure to celebrate here and have an extra treat just for him.  
OK.  Let’s face it. Every day is SOMEBODY’S  birthday – and we canines are ALWAYS ready to party….We never need an excuse for extra treats…Have a happy Monday!
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up .
Seizure free days: 2

Happy birthday MJF

June 9.  And today is the birthday of the famous television and movie actor, comedian and producer- Michael J. Fox.  He also happens to have Canadian roots!  But besides his notable professional career- he is also known for the work he has done through the Micheal J Fox Foundation – in finding a cure for Parkinson’s Disease – a condition that Michael himself was diagnosed with when he was just 29 years old.  To date, his foundation has raised over 800 million dollars for funded research in this challenging neurological disease.

So what’s the link to dogs and Parkinson’s disease you may wonder?  Well there are three…
1.  Recent research has been investigating whether our supersonic canine noses can help in the early detection of the disease. With early detection, individuals can possibly have an early diagnosis and can receive early treatment.  Yup our noses are good for more than just olfactory art.
2.  We canines can be Service Dogs for individuals with Parkinson’s Disease.  We can help with everyday tasks for the disease which can affect movement and mobility .  You may recall that former President George W Bush had a form of Parkinson’s Disease – and he had a Service Dog named Sully.
3.  Did you know that dogs can get Parkinson’s Disease?  I didn’t.  But in researching this topic I found that we can.  While in humans, Parkinson’s is USUALLY seen in the elderly (but clearly not ALWAYS- as in the case of Michael J Fox), but in  dogs it is usually seen in younger animals.  The degenerative condition results in tremors and difficulty with mobility.  Medications can treat the symptoms- but as with humans, it is not yet curable.
So there you have our medical moment.  Michael J Fox has done so much to raise awareness about the condition- and has been willing to be a spokesperson- despite the challenges that the disease (and the medications) have on his ability to communicate.  We commend him for his efforts and wish him a Happy Birthday- and the hope for a cure in his lifetime.
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 1

Bad news

Jeepers I hate to share this news…I had another seizure.

My human kept thinking that once she finished with work, we would get my seizures under control.  Well I guess we have more work to do. 

But you know something- she had a “feeling” I was “off” yesterday.  You see when her highness gets up in the morning, I am ALWAYS the first one to jump up.  I’m usually the one to GET her up.  But yesterday it took me 3 seconds to get up.  The difference would be totally unnoticeable to anyone.  But SHE noticed.  I went on my walk, and instead of being in the lead ( because my leash is longer than Einstein’s), I was trotting right alongside him.  Again- no one would notice.  But her highness did.
She had to go out to run some errands and other than those two TINY signs, I seemed  like myself. So she gave us our treats and off she went.  
She was gone 3.5 hours. And when she came home, someone had knocked down the gate to downstairs.  And peed down there.
Sure enough- she checked the video footage for confirmation.
I have an appointment at my vet on Tuesday to get my blood taken and to check my medication levels.  Since her highness was off this week, she did lower one of my pills by a tiny amount.  We had RAISED it back in the beginning of April – with the idea that it would be lowered when she was done with work.  Guess we have to re-evaluate.
The other thing her highness will do in the future is to trust her gut.  If she has a “feeling” not matter how tiny and insignificant the signs, she will give me extra medication to possibly ward off a seizure.  You humans KNOW us SO well.  That’s why you become poop obsess-aholics.  You’re always watching EVERYTHING we do. 
We know that dogs pick up on human stress, but since her highness has been off work, she is NOT stressed. So we won’t blame this seizure on stress !  In fact Tuesday was a rainy day, so we relaxed all day – and even had several rounds of “find Lambchop.”  We all had a GREAT time – although by the time it was the FG’s turn, Lambchop was rather soggy. He didn’t care, though.
Paws crossed we get better control.  I’m optimistic.  But then, we dogs always are.
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 0

Triplets

Her highness was on the phone the other night, talking to her old friend Janet, in Texas. No sooner did she comfortably situate herself on the sofa in the DFZ, when Einstein and the FG decided to start playing Poke-a-PON.  We know what that entails…the FG pokes Einstein in the butt, Einstein swings around as if he is about to kill him – but instead he just barks at him.  And barks.  And the FG leaps back and squeaks. And he goes back to poke again. And so it goes. Poke. Spin. Bark. Squeak.  Poke. Spin. Bark. Squeak.

Her highness shouted “knock it off” because she couldn’t even hear Janet. Even Janet commented about the melee.  Her highness said “welcome to my multiple dog world.”
Oftentimes, when she meets someone for the first time, the subject of dogs comes up. Surprise, surprise.  And people comment and say “Wow- three dogs-what’s that like?”
She has thought about life with multiple dogs and depending on the day, she has a variety of analogies:
  1. Picture two year old triplets who didn’t sleep for two nights and have just each eaten a chocolate bar after they got into your purse.  
  2. Picture a tank of three hungry sharks after a bunch of fish have been thrown into the tank.
  3. Picture three Girl Scouts (or Boy Scouts) who accidentally step on a bees’ nest while out hiking.
  4. Picture three Capuchin monkeys who get into a big bottle of molasses.
  5. Picture three cats who get their tails caught in a doorway.
  6. Picture those two year old triplets again – this time getting into bottles of nail polish.
Now picture those triplets, sharks, cats and monkeys running to the fridge door, every time it is opened. Picture them under your feet as you prepare a meal in the kitchen.  Picture them waiting outside your bathroom door.  Picture them waking you up at 5 AM.  Just because.
Picture walking all of them in the rain- when they don’t want to go out.  Except the sharks.  They don’t care.
Picture saying names repeatedly throughout the day – to which no one responds.
Picture the fact that they have learned pack mentality and they KNOW that you only have two hands. And if one is getting pets, they ALL WANT PETS.  At the same time.
Picture windows covered in original olfactory art.  Especially in your vehicle. 
So have you got the picture?   The best analogy is two year old triplets.  Triplets who pretty much stay at two years of age – for MANY years.  
So what do you see?  Chaos?  Insanity?  Unbearable, sleep deprived craziness?  
Yup.  That’s all true. But what you also need to see is that pure, unconditional love and devotion that we canines ALL provide.  That longing for you when you go away.  That excitement when you return.  That wish that we could be with you all the time.  Because YOU are our human.  Picture all of that – times three.  
Yup – we live in a WILD household.  And want to know a secret?  My human wouldn’t have it any other way! 
Happy Friday!
Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 10

When nature calls

When ya gotta go, ya gotta go…

After her highness and the FG had their abbreviated golf course walk on Tuesday, her highness decided she would make it up to him that evening.  So she loaded him in Ludwig, threw us a pile of kibble and off they headed to the boardwalk downtown. 
She always tries to park in the same area because there is a patch of grass there, and she KNOWS Mr Predict-a-poop will go before they hit the boardwalk. Sure enough- within 39 seconds of disembarking from Ludwig, he delivered.  She scooped and they were on their way. 
The boardwalk is reportedly about 4 km long (2.5 miles for my American friends).  It was a beautiful night – so the place was busy – lots of people eating at outdoor cafes; lots of people walking, jogging; lots of bicycles and baby carriages; kids running everywhere; street performers- in other words a very active place.  And the FG behaved perfectly.  He didn’t jump on anyone nor steal anyone’s ice cream.  He ignored other dogs – unless THEY jumped in his face- and even then, he was able to “leave it.”  He was a good ambassador for well-behaved dogs.  They trotted along through the crowds and had a great time.
When they reached the end of the boardwalk, they sat for a bit and watched the boats in the harbor.  It was lovely.  And then they headed back to the car.
All was going perfectly.  They took a bit of a detour at one point to bypass some crowds. And they were keeping a good pace.  The sun was shining.  The ocean was calm.  When suddenly, just outside the windows of a restaurant, the FG suddenly halted.  And nature called.  Right there on the boardwalk. 
OK. I won’t be graphic but let’s do a little story for comparison.  You’re walking along the boardwalk, eating some French fries. When suddenly – you trip and a few fries go flying.  No big deal.  You just pick up the fries.
Later you decide to get an ice cream.  Soft serve.  And you are loving every lick of your extra large cone, when someone bumps into you and your cone hits the boardwalk – in several places.
The clean up, when you are only outfitted with Dollar Store poop bags – and no tissues or napkins is….not so easy.  You try your best and then slink away -praying for a sudden downpour.  Which luckily it did.  The next day.
When nature called, the FG just looked sheepishly at her highness.  Like I said, when ya gotta go,  ya gotta go!  Next time, her highness will be armed with a pocket full of baby wipes.  Now THAT would be photo worthy! 
I just wonder what those people in the restaurant were saying….Let’s hope they were owned by canines too…
Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 9 

Hazards

Well it has only taken three years – but the FG has FINALLY figured out something important.  He has FINALLY realized that IF you want to eat something, like a piece of banana, or a small piece of toast, or a carrot or a treat- you do NOT put it on the floor.  IF you think you like it, keep it in your mouth and run.  To the other room.  Even then – it is critical that you do NOT take time to examine the edible.  If it hits the floor, the shaggy Roomba suddenly appears out of nowhere, and your edible disappears. 

I have talked about how the FG likes to toss his treats-which usually results in him losing the treat.  Einstein is fast.  Lightning fast. He will even follow the FG to wait for him to drop it.  Usually, her highness will call Einstein away, giving the FG time to inspect the edible. 
But in the last week or so, the FG has finally figured out that he MUST chew any treats immediately.  And he CANNOT drop any pieces.  He has learned manners – how to chew  with his mouth closed.  He can now go to any fancy restaurant.  He has FINALLY realized what it’s like to live with two PONs.  And it only took three years.
My human took him for a walk yesterday and ran into Pig Pen and his human.  We haven’t gone for a walk with him in ages.  I always wait by his driveway to see if he is coming out.  And sometimes, he does race out to greet us, to do the obligatory sniffs – but we haven’t gone for a walk.  Probably because we were walking at 4:45AM.  Anyway, yesterday the FG got to see Pig Pen.  So her highness agreed to accompany them down the road to the golf course .The FG was on leash because his exuberance for seeing Pig Pen and his human could have resulted in injuries.  
They JUST started their walk and her highness noted something- they were spraying the course.  With something.  Well.  You would have thought they were walking through Chernobyl 20 years ago.  She promptly announced that their walk was over – much to the disappointment of the FG.
Her highness had talked with the guy who is the course manager.  Apparently, they spray fertilizer twice a year.  But when that happens, my human will not take us in the course for weeks after.  The FG had a total rinsing when he got home.  It may be a bit of overkill, but the effects of herbicides and pesticides CAN be bad.  So she’s not taking any chances.
Yup.  Between ticks, black flies and chemicals, she is looking to create doggie hazmat suits. There probably (sadly) is a market for them….
Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days:  8

Shopping carts.

On this day in 1937, a guy by the name of Sylvan Goldman in Oklahoma, designed the first shopping cart.  So you guessed it – today is Shopping Cart Day.  I’ve been waiting all year for this day.  Sure I have.

Well, as you might expect on such an auspicious day, I would have to find some info on dogs and shopping carts.  And my old friend Google did not let me down.
First we have the story about a grocery store in Italy- where the owner has designed special carts so Fido can go along to pick out his own steak.  Mind you, Fido cannot be too large- or he wouldn’t fit in the cart.  The cart has a panel to separate it from the food section, and it is cleaned after each use.  We PONs would need bigger carts.  And picture the FG in a cart… Now THAT would be entertaining!
And of course, I had to find some videos – like this one of a dog who CLEARLY gets excited about shopping:
And if you REALLY want canine shopping cart entertainment, this video is pretty funny: 
There ARE stores in our area that allow pets. Remember the FG’s day of shopping.  The key is that we canines MUST be on our BEST behavior.  My human would never attempt to take more than one of us at a time. I’m not sure why….
And speaking of her highness, (that’s my new name for my human), she has a new project.   I should first mention that I started thinking that since Frodo and Elroy have nicknames- so should my human. I don’t have one – since I always write this blog – but you can call me either Your lordship, Oh Supreme being, Balthazar or Hank.  Your choice.
But back to her highness’ latest idea.  One of our great neighbors is helping her highness to construct raised beds.  To plant veggies and herbs.  Stop laughing.  She really is doing this. So once it is finished, we will be taking bets as to who will be the first dog to pee on the tomatoes.  Her highness says we will not be allowed around these boxes.  WHO is she kidding?  What dreamworld did she step into?! Looks like she retired and turned off her brain.   IF she manages to grow ANYTHING, it will be nothing short of a miracle.  We are talking about a woman who can kill artificial flowers.  I kid you not.  So THIS will be entertaining.
Times for walks.  We have been letting her highness sleep in until 6AM.  Well… that’s not entirely true. I TRY to get her up at 5, but she refuses.  I need to get back to training with her…
Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 6

In the stars

So I was scrolling through  the internet and found one of “those” sites that lists the “best dogs for”….people who work at home….for emotional support animals… for people who are active… for people with blonde hair….OK – I made up that last one.  But you get the point. I have talked about this before.  These “scientific” sites.   But of course, I couldn’t RESIST looking at the “best dog” for humans with different Zodiac signs.  Now I am NOT a big follower of Zodiac stuff and neither is my human – although I HAVE caught her reading her daily horoscope in the paper.  If the prediction is good, she believes it.  If not – it’s just a bunch of hoohee.

So what did these sites say? According to the first site I found, my human, who is a Leo,  should have a Rottweiler.  That’s not even CLOSE to a PON or a Picard.
https://www.cheatsheet.com/culture/the-best-dog-breed-for-you-based-on-your-zodiac-sign.html/

So I thought I would double check to see what another site says. Here they suggested a Cairn terrier, a Pomeranian, a Dachshund or a PUG!
https://www.rd.com/culture/dog-breed-zodiac-sign/

Let’s check one more.  Here they suggested Chow chows – or PUGS again. That’s two votes for Pug…
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/zodiac-signs-dog-breeds/

And one LAST site.  Here they said a Golden.
https://www.bustle.com/p/the-best-dog-breed-for-you-based-on-your-zodiac-sign-8536653

I didn’t see PONs or Picards as a suggestion for ANY Zodiac signs.  What Zodiac sign has a LOT of patience?   And a sense of humor.   And I repeat – a LOT of patience.  Mind you – we PONs and Picards ARE smart – so we can train ANY Zodiac sign.

Speaking of which – time to take out our Leo. Oh – and tune in tomorrow to find out about my human’s latest crazy project…heaven help us….

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 5

The cat burglar

Everybody in our neighborhood (which basically includes a single road), knows that we are crazy. Whether it’s the distant incessant barking of Einstein from our yard, the repetitive shouting of one of our names when we have gone on the lam, the sounds of Cujo as he approaches neighbors on the road (even though he IS friendly) or the witnessing of an unexpected bunny chase through a neighbor’s yard – they know we are crazy.  And it appears we are in good company.

As you may recall, a week or two ago, there were “signs” that a bear was in our neighborhood.  It seems that it is becoming a spring ritual.  The annual knocking over of green compost bins and the shredding of regular garbage in the hopes that someone did not recycle.  We had our huge compost bin knocked over and found it when we awoke one morning – with banana peels and dog hair (from the vacuum) spread in a lovely display on the driveway.
One of our neighbors had a strong pole – which held a bird feeder, bent like a blade of grass.  They posted the photo on Facebook – warning others that we had a large, HEAVY intruder in our midst. They thought it unlikely that it was a porcupine – because although they DO climb things, it was unlikely that a porcupine would have bent the pole. 
To identify the intruder, the neighbor installed a “trail camera” – one of those outdooor cameras that can capture images of wildlife – and can be triggered by motion.  Here is a cool video of a tree in Italy, that was filmed for a year with one of these cameras:
If you want to watch wildlife all day – all around the world, you can get a free app called explore.org.  My human was surprised at how many places you could view animals.  It says “Live” but she wondered if some were recorded.  Anyway, there is everything you can imagine – from Service Dog puppies to tigers in a sanctuary. 
Anyway, back to our neighborhood wildlife.  Our neighbors installed one of those cameras.   They set it up in a good location – near the bird feeder to see if they could “capture” on film, the mysterious intruder.
And capture they did.   It was morning, and they hadn’t reviewed the footage for a day or two.  They sat down to review the images.  What they saw nearly made them spit out their morning coffee.  Before I continue – no – it wasn’t one of us.   For a change, we can’t be blamed.  The neighbors were SHOCKED to see the following image on the film….”. 
Get ready.  Its’s pretty shocking.   
Here it comes…..
Here it is…..

Spooooooooooky.

It seems one of our OTHER neighbors on the road decided that he couldn’t pass up this opportunity when he heard about the trail cam.  The identity of the cat burglar was a mystery for about a week but was finally solved at a neighborhood get together last weekend.  As I recall, the neighbor who owns the camera used words like “Game on.”  I don’t think he is talking about fetch.   
I’m not sure what we would have done had we seen the neighbor with that attire.  Wonder if he got it at the Dollar Store….
Anyway – with trail cam still set up…remind me not to poop in their garden – at least not in view of the camera….
Yup.  We are crazy – but it appears we are in very good company! 

Have a good one!  Peace and paws up!
Seizure free days: 4

Choking

According to the crazy calendar, today is Heimlich Maneuver Day.  In 1974, Dr. Henry Heimlich came up with this procedure-which is also known as abdominal thrusts- to help individuals who are choking.  By properly performing this procedure you can save someone’s life – including your own.

Although the important procedure was designed for humans, it can also be performed on us canines – in the event that we swallow something “the wrong way.”  Here are two sites outlining the procedure in detail:
The likelihood of choking while eating goes down IF we eat slowly.  Tell that to a PON.  We are like little vacuum cleaners when it comes to mealtime.
There ARE ways to slow us down – like these fancy bowls seen on Amazon:
This article also describes other ways to slow us down:
We have never tried one of these bowls. My human has this suspicion that we PONs would figure out how to dump the bowl to get the food more quickly.  Kind of like that story about Einstein and the treat ball dispenser.  He figured out that if he picked it up and rolled it on the raised bed, the kibble would still come out, and he didn’t need to go chasing the ball all over the house. 
We still do enjoy our Bob-a-lot – and if it’s a rainy evening. It’s a good way to entertain us (one at a time) for at least a few minutes. And nobody chokes.
Well. Today my human is officially retired.  She very much enjoyed the past few weeks- working with some inspiring, motivated individuals. She was grateful for that time.
And now it’s time for new adventures.  And I fear she has a few planned for us. Although, I also know she’ll be just happy to hang out with us at home. And trust me-we’ll be equally happy!!!!
Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 5