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Frodo here. You humans. You DO require a LOT of training. Yesterday it was a case of training her highness to say the correct words…

Yesterday morning was notable. We all slept in until 7:30. 7:30! Half the day was over. Anyway, we got up and her highness looked outdoors because by now it was fully light outside. It was windy. And grey. But the temperature was above freezing. Which meant that the public trail would be one big muddy trench. It was a bit like that the day before, combined with icy patches. A perfect recipe for much grumbling on the part of her highness. I, personally, try to avoid water and mud – as I know the combination will later result in a trip to the tub. So I stay on any snowy patches I can find. Meanwhile, the beatnik forges through anything. He doesn’t care. I suppose that is one of the advantages to his easy care coat. Lucky him.

But I digress. So yesterday, given the late launch time and the grey day, her highness announced we would go down to the lake instead. It’s a shorter walk and frankly that was fine by me as I knew I would get breakfast sooner. So off we went. We made our “deposits,” looked at the lake, and headed back to the house. Yours truly was off leash – but the potential escapee was on leash. We went in the house and her highness announced that she needed to go up to the road to get the paper. I immediately went to the door. I quite enjoy the paper routine. She feeds me treats if I heel alongside, and when she tells me to sit and stay half way up the driveway while she goes to the road, I am happy to comply. It means more treats when she returns. So yesterday as I was sitting and watching her, I noticed her looking down into the ditch at the side of the road. It appears we have a new paper delivery person who does not bother to put the paper in the box, but rather tosses it on the driveway. And if it’s windy, as it was yesterday, it easily lands up in the ditch. I could see her highness trying to figure out how to get down into the ditch. Do to do without actually climbing down would require her to walk back down the driveway and walk down where the slope is less steep. But then she had an idea. She thought she would attempt a “Lassie” move. She called yours truly to come to her aid.

I, of course, raced to her knowing her pocket was loaded with treats. She rewarded me for my recall. Then she pointed at the paper, wrapped in plastic, down in the ditch and said “Get it.” I looked at the paper and ran right down into the ditch. Stepping on the paper as I went. I went right past it. Her highness said “get it. Get it.” I raced around in circles. And I raced back up to her. Without the paper. She tried again- saying “get it,” and yours truly did the same thing- as if I didn’t even see the paper. Her highness figured she would just have to go down herself, so she looked around to see if she could actually try to climb down. She called me back to her. And then, in a moment of brilliance, which she doesn’t always display, she thought she would try the Lassie move one more time. But this time, she told me what to do, with different words. THIS TIME, she said “take it” which is what she would say when training me in obedience to retrieve a dumbbell. And, of course, I went right down and got the paper. She showered me with treats. It was a joyful reunion. Why didn’t she simply say that in the first place? Humans. They can be quite entertaining- once you have them well trained…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Frodo here. Well. I have now witnessed another example of strange Picard behavior. The beatnik never ceases to intrigue me.

In her highness’ bedroom there is a crate. A crate that is large enough to house a small pony. Actually- a large pony. The door is always open – in fact it should just be taken off. The beatnik LOVES that crate – and if you can’t find him, that’s where he is. Outstretched with his feet in the air. He thinks it’s his condo.

At night, if he isn’t on her highness’ bed, he is in the condo. And one might think that is all good and cozy. And it would be – if it weren’t for his unpredictable thrashing about in his sleep. He moves around and sometimes make such a loud racket, that he can awaken her highness from a sound sleep. Bam. Boom.

Because his nocturnal crate moves can be quite loud, her highness decided some time ago that perhaps she should get a padded crate mat to damper the sounds. And of course, it would be more comfortable for him. She had been looking at a particular mat that is sold at a big box store. Every week she watches the flyers to see if it is on sale. But alas, the one she wanted never seemed to be a bargain.

The other day when she was at the store, an employee saw her looking at the mats and asked if she needed assistance. Her highness bemoaned the fact that the mat she wanted never seemed to be on sale. The woman said “let me see what I can do.” Her highness was quite surprised as she didn’t think a big box store would offer a possible deal on an item not marked as a sale item. But low and behold, the woman returned and said she could give her highness a 30% discount. Her highness said “sold.” She paid for the mat and couldn’t wait to get home.

When she came home she held out the mat for us to see. She was SO excited. She put the mat in the pony condo. The beatnik and I watched with great interest. She then invited him to go in. He stood at the door and looked in like one of those home makeover TV shows where the people return to see their newly decorated abode. She told him to go in. He ran in. And then he ran out. He did it again. He looked as thrilled as those makeover people.

So a wonderful happy story. Correct? Alas, not so much. You know how the beatnik will do things like stare into the distance- at nothing. Or he will stare at his food bowl like it is the first time he has been fed from that bowl? Well. That night he stared into his condo. But he wouldn’t go in. Her highness told him to go in and told him to lie down. He did. But as soon as she walked away, out he came. He refused all night to go in the crate. Same routine last night. He would sleep on her highness’ bed or on the floor. But he had NO interest in going in his condo. Not with that new mat in there.

Her highness was SO disappointed. We can only hope that he will get used to it and will return to condo living. I wish he would – he takes up a lot of space on the bed.

He’s an interesting fellow. Oh and he gives me an excellent haircut….

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Frodo here. Yesterday morning her highness had some errands to run, but she was home early in the afternoon. The beatnik and I were rather bored, even though she had taken us for a long walk early in the morning. Because we are bored, we deliberately do things to irritate her. We lick each other. And we chew on each other. Despite her pleading that we stop.

Finally, when she could no longer tolerate the chew fest, she announced that WE were going out. She opened the door to the garage and opened the rear hatch on Ludwig. The beatnik and I flew in.

We initially thought we might be headed to the public trail, but she drove past the parking lot as we shmeered olfactory art all over the side window. When we got to the end of the road, we fully expected her to turn right, to take us to the fenced ball diamond. Well – I thought that’s where we were going. The beatnik didn’t have a clue. As he sat there squeaking. But much to my surprise, she turned left. The last time I turned left, I was going to the vet. But given that it was Sunday, and I know the vet is not open on Sundays, I calmed my fear.

We drove for hours. Hours in dog time. Ten minutes in human time. And the next thing you know, she was pulling into the parking lot of a pet store where she gets some of our food. Now we WOULD have been allowed inside, but she knew what a gong show it would be to take both of us in. So she opened the windows a crack and abandoned us. Of course, yours truly immediately climbed into the driver’s seat. Proper thing. We all know who is in the driver’s seat in our house.

She returned after what seemed again like hours, and at a point where yours truly was trying to figure out how to open the door. She returned like a hunter with her game- a large bag of food AND some treats. In order to extricate me from the driver’s seat, she pulls this “trick” which, I am embarrassed to admit, I fall for every time. She “pretends” she is going to open the rear hatch – so I jump into the back. At which point she races to the driver’s side and opens that door. Clever move. When she sat down, both of us had to inspect her bounty. Imagine our delight when she opened the bag of dried sweet potato crisps. Well. My delight. The beatnik was disappointed we weren’t getting out so he spit out his crisps. Pity for him, good for me. I immediately inhaled his portions.

After that “excitement” we returned home. Big deal. She could see the disappointment on my face, so she agreed we could take a walk to the lake. We stepped out onto the lake and although we had again seen snowmobiles on the lake the day before, we all agreed with the temperature well above freezing, that the lake ice will soon be breaking up. The beatnik stood on the ice and looked around. And then he looked down. And listened. As if he could hear something below his feet. Her highness reeled him in. But of course, he proceeded to do the same thing standing in the snow. He listens. Like he hears something. The snow is not so deep that it could be a rabbit below him. Maybe a mouse? Sometimes I think he does it just to make her highness wonder. And it works.

As we walked back to the house, we were both on bunny alert. I had seen one during our morning walk – and I had attempted to catch him. Mind you, I didn’t try THAT hard, and I didn’t go far. But on my way back to the house, I would stop every 20 feet, and bark a single warning bark to alert any rabbits in the vicinity. I did that repeatedly.

Sometimes her highness just shakes her head. If I wasn’t doing that, I was rolling. Every single walk is a new adventure. One must make the most of all opportunities. To live large.

I hope YOU live a large Monday.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Yo. Elroy here. You know, we got to thinking that it’s been pretty quiet since the wild grey whirlwind is gone. I mean not that he ALONE was the “naughty” dog. I’ve had my own share of carpet eating and “illegal escapes.” But let’s face it- we’ve been pretty well behaved the last couple of weeks. But that was bound to change…

Yesterday morning we had short walks because the temperature was very, very cold. Her highness announced that we were to go “quick, quick, quick” – which means poop fast. I wonder how she would feel if someone said that to her? Mind you, the Boss still continues to bark probably every second or third day when she goes into the bathroom. So that’s his own way of saying “quick, quick, quick.” He doesn’t do it EVERY time – that would be too predictable. He believes in intermittent barking – so you never REALLY know if he’s faking.

Anyway, we were a bit annoyed with the short walk. We were bored after breakfast. And after our daily yogurt container licking and our banana bites. Her highness had her breakfast while yours truly walked around squeaking and the Boss tried to hide behind a table leg so he could lick his feet in peace. Licking drives her highness crazy – and he did it partly in retaliation for the short walk.

After she had her breakfast, she announced that she was having her shower. She tells us everything she is going to do. It’s not like we are going to respond with a commentary, but she does it anyway.

We followed her into the bedroom, but she closed the bathroom door. After she was in there for a few minutes, the Boss tried his barking trick. This time she didn’t come running out but she shouted “Frodo if I come out there and there is no one there I am going to kill you.” He fell silent – knowing full well she wouldn’t “kill” him but also recognizing that when he barked the day before, and she DID come running out, he didn’t get any extra treats during the day.

So all was quiet. She took her shower and got dressed. She came out and I was curled up on the bed, near the foot. The Boss jumped off the bed and was suddenly headed out of the bedroom. She thought that odd, but as she walked by the bed she saw the reason for his hasty retreat. A giant hole in her pillowcase. I mean giant. Like baseball sized. AND a smaller hole in the duvet. And yo – what magic words did she say? “What did you do?” I never picked up my head – and she knows I’m a carpet chewer and not a bedding chewer – so she held the pillow up and ceremoniously showed it to the Boss, who was standing by the bedroom door. He turned and walked away.

She announced that she was going to meet some friends for coffee and then “maybe she would go pillowcase shopping.” She looked at the Boss when she made that announcement. Still, she DID give us treats when she left. She always does. SHE’S so predictable.

I think that was the last set of intact pillowcases – except for the ones in the guest bedrooms. Any wonder why those bedroom doors are always closed?

I guess it’s clear that the Boss’ teeth aren’t bothering him. Yup. Good times have returned.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Greetings blog readers. Frodo here. Well it has been quite the turn of events here. As you may recall, yours truly had an unfortunate dental incident last week. I broke my canine tooth. It now matched the other canine tooth which I broke several years ago.

In the aftermath of the “explosion” as the beatnik would call it, I felt a bit odd. I could tell that something was “different” in my mouth, but I didn’t know why. It literally left me speechless. I was silent. I would not bark – even when encouraged to do so. Which signaled a problem to her highness. Much as she is continually telling me to keep my opinions to myself – or at least to whisper when I do so, she interestingly became concerned when I was suddenly silent. So off we went to the vet.

Our vet looked at my tooth and suggested we remove it. Well, not WE – she would be the one doing the removal. And her highness agreed. The appointment was made for today.

Since then, of course, I have felt much better and the tooth is no longer bothering me. I have returned to my previously chatty persona. I eat anything (although that was never really a problem) – but I did also start chewing on toys again.

As a result of my miraculous recovery, her highness began to worry about my surgery. You see, in dogs such as myself who have cardiac issues, a different type of anesthetic is used. Now I had it for my unfortunate testicular surgery and my subsequent surgery for necrosis- but her highness was still concerned. No surgery is without risk. And perhaps she is still feeling overly worried – given the passing of my brother. As a result, she decided to consult with our vet to see if we could take a “wait and see” approach. Our vet felt that since it is not bothering me, and it did not appear to be infected or swollen in any way, that it was reasonable to wait. She teased her highness by saying she knew her highness wouldn’t miss any signs of a possible problem. Is that not the truth? So my surgery was canceled.

So there you have it. No canned food or ice cream for yours truly today. I’m not certain I would have actually had ice cream – but I like to think it would have been possible. If her highness sees ANY signs that I am bothered by the tooth, or I am behaving oddly, we will be right back at the vet’s office. Now much as I like our vet, I would prefer not to go back. Frankly, after the “orb ordeal”, I now “put on the brakes” when I have to go through the door of the clinic. That ordeal was not pleasant. And we PONs do NOT forget…

Well, time for our constitutional. And I will savor my nonsurgical freedom AND I will enjoy my breakfast – which I would not have been able to have. Yes. Thank goodness for small miracles. Oh and I do enjoy the name White Fang…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Elroy here. So on Sunday we were all relaxing in the DFZ. It’s true. Her highness has been letting us in. More and more. But ONLY when she is in the room.

She was working on this rug hooking thing. The Boss was next to the fireplace and yours truly was lying on one of the rugs her highness made a long time ago. I learned the other day that one way to be quickly evicted from the DFZ is to pull fabric out of the rug that took her 27 years to make. I won’t do THAT again. You would have thought I peed on the sofa or something. Jeepers. It’s not like she couldn’t fix it.

Anyway, on Sunday I was NOT doing any rug reconstruction and we were all nice and quiet. And suddenly we heard a strange sound. The Boss and I got up at ran to the other room. It was the sound of snowmobiles. On the lake. There must have been a dozen. Her highness shook her head. Because remember how she put her foot through the ice the other day? Well she did a repeat performance on Saturday after we had a super cold snap. She figured it would be frozen again. And she tried to get a photo of the Boss. There’s this saying about doing the same thing over again and expecting different results. Well guess her highness doesn’t learn. She stepped in the same spot. And ploosh. With a different pair of boots. Not too bright if you ask me.

Anyway, when we saw those snowmobiles, we wondered how safe it is. Ya sure wouldn’t catch me out there on one. Now admittedly we did step out on the lake yesterday- but her highness is careful not to step near the hole in the ice. And we don’t go far out. Good plan. But I still wouldn’t ride a snowmobile out there.

Meanwhile besides the dangers of thin ice, we also have to be on the lookout for coyotes! Apparently at this time of year, they are looking for girlfriends. And they can get pretty nasty. About 30 km from here, two beagles were attacked in their own yard! They will be OK – but they were both injured. Of course her highness read that posting late at night- just before our last pee of the night. We ALWAYS go out with her on a leash. Anyway, I decided to play a little trick on her. We went out – and I stared and barked at the woods. I barely got to pee as she dragged me in the house. I was just JOKING!

The Boss seems to be back to himself since the great tooth explosion. He’s barking again. At everything- just like normal. He doesn’t seem to be making any strange faces. He’s eating anything and everything like normal- mind you that never stopped. So NOW her highness is second guessing whether the tooth should come out after all. I think she’ll need to call the vet today. Or tomorrow at the latest as the surgery is booked for Thursday. Oh what to do. What to do… Dr Google can give you a bunch of things that can go wrong with surgery – so now she’s worried. I guess our recent veterinary track record with rare and unique conditions has made her a bit gun shy. If anyone has experience with tooth extraction in a 10+ year old dog who is on cardiac medication, feel free to message her. She would love to know your experience.

Well time to go for our morning constitutional. Yesterday we had a dusting of snow – so it was very pretty. We’ll see what adventures today holds.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Yo everybody. Elroy here to tell you about an awesome time I had yesterday. No. I didn’t see any sheep. No herding this weekend. But this is my next favorite thing. A date with my girlfriend, Willow. Except this date was different because there was a third wheel. Nope- it wasn’t Farley. This time the Boss came along. So that made for an interesting date.

The Boss had met Willow before, so after barking his greetings it was time to get some exercise. She and I did our play bows and then we took off. Well SHE took off. The Boss and I concede that we cannot catch up to her. Here’s a shot of how things start out…

And then she would take off…

She can turn on a dime…

Here’s a shot of the Picardy speedway being monitored by the PON police…

But she’s way too fast for me and I lose her every single time..

Even the Boss tried to chase her. Here you see her egging him on and he takes the bait…

But he can’t catch her either…

Even when he tried to direct her toward me (you can see me watching the proceedings in the distance)- I still couldn’t catch her…

So the Boss and I spent a lot of time forlornly watching her in the distance…She was zooming all around.

One time I tried to pounce and catch her when she wasn’t prepared.. (thanks to her human for the first photo)…

But she still got away…

There’s just no catching that girl.

Sometimes the Boss and I just ran around in our own circles. Chasing no one.

When she got a bit tired after running circles around us, she did take a break.

We came together and posed for a photo together…

Then she let me stare into her eyes…

She DID give me a little kiss…and you’ll note the Boss is ignoring us because her highness took out some treats. So much for the romantic moment – turns out she was more interested in the liver bites than she was in me (thanks to her human for these trio shots!)

All in all, despite the fact that she ran circles around us, we all had a great time. Even the 10 year old guy with the “heart issue” had a blast. I think we both have a crush on her! Can’t wait for the next time!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

It is Valentine’s Day. The day to say you appreciate your loved ones. Human or canine.

Frodo here. I must confess I am a BIT embarrassed because I discovered this week that our neighbors know us dogs all too well. You see, her highness received some Valentine flowers – from us boys. That’s what the card said. But it was REALLY from the neighbors. How nice was THAT?! We really DO live in the nicest neighborhood around. And speaking of which, there is a house for sale in our neighborhood. If anyone comes to look at the house, I must meet them as part of the interview process. We cannot have anyone living on MY road who does not like dogs. I must contact that real estate agent today to let him know my availability.

Her highness didn’t get any new “props” or attire at the Dollar store this time. So we were forced to use props from previous Valentine photo shoots. It was a rather miraculous shoot. It literally took only minutes. For some odd reason, the beatnik was cooperative. He actually LOOKED at the camera. The fact that her highness was balancing fluffy squeaky toys on her head may have helped.

And speaking of photos…. her highness saw the following video on Facebook the other day. So she was watching it – and suddenly realized that yours truly and Brother Viktor are in the video! Now we would get all excited, however we also noted that there is an Old English Sheepdog in the video – and they have tried to pass him off as a PON. So much for credibility. Anyway, watch the video and see if you can count how many times Viktor and/or I appear. There won’t be any huge prize if you guess correctly- other than knowing you are a brilliantly observational human. Good luck.

https://youtu.be/azAWQppGuWY

Well time to go and be nice to her highness on this day that celebrates a martyred guy who was the patron saint of love, happy marriages, beekeepers, the plague and epilepsy. I’m not joking. Hallmark decided to capitalize on the love part. No one wants to send plague cards.

Happy Valentine’s Day. Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Yo. Elroy the herder here. The Boss said I shouldn’t get so cocky calling myself a herder just yet. HE says it is beginner’s luck. I say he is just jealous. I have found my niche (whatever that means – I didn’t realize I lost it) – and I look forward to more meetings with the woolies.

Meanwhile, White Fang had to go to the vet. Yup – the broken tooth fiasco. Now, as far as I could tell, it wasn’t THAT big a problem. And ya know what? If her highness had not been present when the tooth exploded (I love using dramatic descriptions), she would probably not have even noticed that the Boss now had a a symmetrical smile. But no – she saw it happen. And because she becomes neurotic about us, she started watching every move he made. If he licked his lips – it must be the tooth. If he twitched his face – it must be the tooth. Add to that – Dr Google can present humans with a HOST of catastrophic ailments resulting from a broken tooth. Never mind the fact that his other canine is broken and it never caused a problem. That must have been before Google.

Anyway, she decided to take him to the vet – just to be sure. She even took the tooth in a little box to show the vet. Like our poor vet has never seen a tooth before. Let me tell you – our vets spend a whole lot more time treating her highness than they do us. They are VERY patient. The vet said the Boss COULD get a root canal with a cap – but she didn’t really think that was a good idea. She felt it would be best if the tooth came out. Along with a cracked molar in the back. They made the appointment for next week. The vet asked her highness if she wanted an estimate. Her highness said “no”- she loves surprises. Besides – she can double dip – our vet gives air miles AND if she puts the bill on her VISA she gets MORE points. Gotta look at the silver lining. She said to her vet, “not sure what I’ll do with this tooth.” The vet wryly suggested making a pendant. Brilliant idea. What a great conversation piece when she wears it. Just kidding….

Yesterday, for our afternoon jaunt, we went down to the lake. And guess what we discovered? Well her highness discovered. The ice along the edge of the lake LOOKS solid. But it isn’t. Well – it’s solid enough to hold me. Or the Boss. But it isn’t solid enough for her highness. It all goes back to too much Halloween candy. In 2018.

Anyway, I was about 8 feet from the shoreline on the ice ( and of course on a leash). The Boss was out there too. The Boss came back and her highness decided (surprise surprise) to get a photo of yours truly. So she stepped out to position me. And that’s when we heard the splooosh. Her left foot went through the ice and into the water. Now before you get panicky, the water along the shoreline is about 20 inches deep. And even at 8 feet out it’s only about 36” deep. So nobody was in any danger of drowning. We never really go far out – even when it’s super cold. But we had some warmer weather the past few days – so clearly, parts of the lake melted.

So here she has one foot down in the water over her nice leather boot. The other foot is on the ice and she is balancing so she doesn’t get the other foot in too. So she kind of throws herself backward into the shoreline repeating a series of phrases I cannot write here. The Boss and I just looked at her. She stood up on the shore, and said we had to get back to the house. Her foot was cold and wet. The Boss just rolled his eyes.

We had to move quickly – I BARELY had time to stop and poop. She got in the house and quickly took off her boot. She positioned it so it would dry out. Probably by June.

Never a dull moment. Ever.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

We survived. And so did all the sheep…

Elroy here. I went for my first sheep herding lesson yesterday. We got up at 5:45 so her highness could take us out, feed us, shower and be ready to hit the road by 7:30. Ludwig pulled out of the garage at 7:26. Her highness wanted to be sure we didn’t turn up late for our first lesson. The roads were clear and the temperature was a crisp -14 Celsius. Her highness was wearing so many layers of clothing, she could barely move. I almost didn’t recognize her.

We arrived at the farm by 8:30 – and our lesson was booked for 9:00. Perfect. It gave me time to have my new arrival poop. I had already pooped at home, but whenever I arrive somewhere, I almost always poop again. Some folks roll out a red carpet on arrival. I announce my arrival in a different way.

We met our instructor, Heather, and I immediately liked her. I also quickly spotted three sheep in a pen, and became a little “excited.” Heather explained that she would work with me to introduce me to the wooly trio.

So. This is what I learned. These are the rules in sheep herding.

1. It is OK to go with a stranger, if your human says you can go.

2. In race car driving, a waving flag may mean speed up. The same is NOT true in sheep herding. When the instructor waves the flag or hits in on the ground, that means back off. Or do something else. It does not mean run at the sheep like your tail is on fire.

3. IF the instructor waves or hits the flag, don’t take it personally. It’s basically the language of herding 101. You can’t get your knickers in a twist about it. You can’t be overly “sensitive.” Herding is not for sensitive introverts.

4. Barking to alert your human at home that there is an intruder – like a squirrel, is OK. Incessant barking at sheep is not OK. I guess the woolies are “sensitive.”

5. Lambchops in the freezer are edible. Moving Lambchops are not. And attempting to sample moving Lambchops will get you a waving flag. That hits the ground. Repeatedly.

6. Woolies or moving lambchops leave delectable treat balls. Sampling treat balls will also get you a waving flag. That hits the ground. Repeatedly.

7. Humans are generally left or right-handed. And we dogs prefer one side or direction over the other. For me, when I move clockwise, I am happy and I move beautifully. When I must move counterclockwise, it’s not as comfortable for me, so I go crazy and try to sample the moving lambchops. I have to learn to feel comfortable going both directions. My Jekyll and Hyde personality must be under control at all times.

Those are the basic rules. First and foremost, one must RESPECT sheep. They are not rabbits to be chased. While there IS some prey drive involved in herding, that drive must be under control. Always. There is a difference between herding and lure coursing. Big time.

So. Given all those rules, how did I do? My first round was OK. But I didn’t KNOW the rules initially so I got lots of waving, slapping flags. Which was justified. But by the end of the first half of my lesson, I was STARTING to catch on.

We took a little break and went for a little walk to decompress my brain. And then it was time for round 2. And that’s when the proverbial light bulb switched ON. I remembered the rules. I didn’t become offended if the flag waved and my sampling of treat balls and moving lambchops essentially disappeared. I started figuring out how to go both ways when I was instructed to do so. The instructor no longer needed to hold onto the long line I was attached to – like she did in round 1. I started getting the point of this exercise- and I LOVED it. I mean I LOVED IT. Here is a very short video in round 2. Her highness didn’t take a lot of photos or video because it was -14. And she couldn’t take her gloves off for long to hold her phone. But interestingly, despite the cold temperatures – she never felt cold! Must have been all those clothes – and the fact that she was so intent on what I was doing that she didn’t have time to THINK about the cold. In the video, you will see me going both directions here. And you’ll see me slow down to smile at her highness to let her know I was having great fun.

https://youtu.be/AbBo_-qBPmU

Heather said she never worked with a Picard before. And she said I did some things that can sometimes take several lessons to do. She said her highness should be proud of me – I worked very well. Both her highness and I were beaming. Well. She was beaming. I just kept watching the sheep. Even when I was out of the pen and our lesson was over. Her highness was thrilled – and relieved that Heather’s first exposure to a Picard was not a total embarrassment.

As Heather predicted, I was pretty tired afterwards. But ya know what? I can’t WAIT to do it again! We will be back!!!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.