Greetings blog readers. Frodo here. Tasked with sharing a blog of happiness and sadness. I believe I was afforded this assignment as I could address it in the most appropriate way. This is a task for a mature canine writer.

Perhaps we should begin with the sadness first. Like a performance evaluation after an obedience exercise, it often helps to get the bad things out of the way first – and then focus on the positives.

Let’s begin with the first minor sadness – the continued demolition of the new dining room carpet. The most recent work occurred while Her Highness went “for a moment” into the bedroom, and accidentally fell sound asleep- leaving the marauding shark free to do as he pleased. She emerged from the bedroom to find a massive rug renovation. She will repair it – but suffice to say she was feeling a tad depressed. Especially knowing that it was her own fault for leaving the Shark unsupervised for more than 15 seconds. Her bad.

But that disappointment was completely trivial related to some news Her Highness received the other day. Some of you long time blog readers may recall some visits that we have had from Mighty Milo – a sweet Coton du Tulear who lives in New Brunswick. Our little friend amazed us with his larger-than-life persona- and we quite enjoyed his company. But he came by his amazing personality not just through genetics – but through the family he owned. Particularly- one of his ownees, Karen. Karen was an old friend of Her Highness’s. She was once a graduate student of Her Highness, then a colleague – and later and most importantly, a friend. Karen was, like Milo, larger than life. She was artistic, funny, witty, bright, caring – and a fierce warrior – willing to protect others – human and animal. She shared the same birthday with Her Highness! She was truly a rainbow in this sometimes cloudy world. She was a bright spot. Sadly, though, Karen lost her life the other day, after almost two decades in a battle against cancer. Her Highness was very sad to hear this news.

When someone dies, human, canine, feline…and no doubt other species in this wide world, it is virtually impossible not to be sad. One obviously misses the individual- and that sense of loss can go on for a long time. There is no “date” when grieving ends. No expiration date like on a box of biscuits. And sometimes, when one THINKS that grieving has ended, and life almost seems “normal” – something will happen to remind one of the tremendous loss. A song. A photo. A holiday. A scent. And the grief comes rushing back in – like PON rushing to his food dish. No point in blocking that feeling – the PON will get through. But hopefully, as more time goes on, one is not just focusing on the sadness and the loss- but on the brilliant luck to have had that individual in your life in the first place. And that is how one rides the grieving train. Look to the beautiful views. And try to ignore the dark tunnels. Look to the bright spot…

Our hearts go out to Karen’s family – and of course, to Might Milo who will miss his therapy dog visits to the hospital with Karen. Karen truly personified a life well lived….

Well. That’s a difficult passage to follow. But honestly, to end on such a sad note would NOT ever be Karen’s style. She would simply say “come on – that’s just depressing!” So in honor of her positive attitude and her continual effort to look for the brightness in any situation- we’ll share one bright note. The changing of my name.

Her Highness has discovered that I no longer respond to my name alone. I also respond QUITE rapidly to the name “Wojtek.” Why you might ask? Because I am astute enough to know that when the imp is called, every time he responds and comes, he receives a treat. So of course, I also respond. And because Her Highness cannot always resist my longing stare – she doles out the treats to yours truly as well.

I am also well aware that she carries treats in her pockets when we go out for a walk. And the other morning, she took yours truly and the imp on the golf course. And she let us both run free. Now the imp LOVES to race, jump, dodge, ricochet and fly around the course. And as soon as he is a good distance away, Her Highness calls him to return. Which he does remarkably well- because he knows about the treats. I prefer not to stray far at all – so I can reach the treats more quickly. I also know that when Her Highness reaches into her pocket, that a treat will follow. So I stay EXTRA CLOSE. Like trip-over-me close. And during our walk the other morning she made an unfortunate mistake. The weather has turned colder – meaning gloves or mittens are required attire for our morning constitutionals. But – in her effort to get the whirlwind imp out the door before he could pounce on me and tangle our leashes, she left her gloves on the counter. So what does one do with cold hands? Why of course one puts their hands in their pockets. And to me, hands in pockets signal treats….

Throughout the walk, Her Highness kept repeatedly saying to me “no – just be free. Move along.” But I wouldn’t unless she took her hands out of her pockets. I stuck to her like glue. So between the flying imp who quite enjoys ricocheting off humans when they least expect it, yours truly acting as a canine blockade, and a pair of frost bitten hands…..the walk was… interesting. To say the least. I am happy to report though, that the imp never strayed, I did not die of starvation on the walk, and after a few hours, her fingers were functioning just fine…

I hope that today, in a time when we know that sadness can be surrounding us – partly due to the challenges of the COVID, that you are still able to look around and find something to make you smile. Hold onto those you love and hold onto good memories. An email, a text, a phone call – you can make a difference in someone’s world. Do it now. Be a bright spot. And if you happen to be owned by a canine, you are lucky to have a bright spot covered in fur.

Except during those moments he happens to be eating your carpet…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy doody blogaroos. It’s me! Squirmy. Also known as prisoner #911. Yup. I’m learning how to enjoy the confines of my crate lately. In fact I think I should do some renovations in it. Maybe some paint…some pictures for the walls…

And why am I spending more time incarcerated than when I was a wee puppy? Ummmmm…. it may have to do with my speedy, razor sharp precision in rug crafting if My Enforcer takes her eyes off me for even TWO minutes. Yup. I’m helping her to perfect her hooking skills. Again. Actually….two more times. That’s what she gets if she talks on the phone and doesn’t pay attention to me. Call me the Ruginator. Plus, besides my rug crafting, my endearing love nibbles which can be more like all out flesh grabbing – have also placed me in solitary at least once. Or was it twice? My list of infractions keeps growing – so who can keep up?! And I’m just a puppy!! But I’m in those Terrible Twos. That’s my excuse.

My Enforcer said she is going to start her own You Tube channel for “How to repair puppy damages.” She’ll make a fortune. She’s got the rug thing down, she knows how to repair scratched decks, she can replace chewed chair pieces – she’s got this!! And I can star in it! I can’t WAIT!

And speaking of starring – My Enforcer did our annual dog calendar. She’s been doing one for herself since before I was born – and she also used to make one for her mother – who was too polite to say she would rather have the free calendar from the Dairy Farmers that comes in the local paper. It had recipes after all. But she took the dog calendar and proudly displayed it in the closet. Just kidding. I’m so funny. No – I hear it was in the kitchen.

Anyway, My Enforcer has been pokey doing things this season, so the calendar was not complete. But then a kind blog reader asked if we were doing a calendar spread again. So My Enforcer finished it yesterday. If you want something to hang in your closet – you can find it here. Next year she plans to add recipes.

https://www.prestophoto.com/bookstore/428051-Boys-2021-Calendar

I had my obedience class on Sunday night and I thought I was pretty good overall. Except for those sit and down stays that we did near the end of class. Yeah – stays are not my thing right now. Plus I think staying still is overrated.

Time to get the party rolling. My Enforcer slept in yesterday until 8:15!!!! Could have been partly due to the fact that she was up late mending the torn carpet. Good thing I’m cute as a button! I wonder if there are magazines that give you different ideas on how to decorate your crate…..

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Hey blogees. Elroy here. Livin’ my laidback life – rolling the giant ball with the ripped cover, going for walks where I still love to stop and listen for ….anything, and finally passing on the title as “busy dog” to the Shark – who I swear must be foraging in the yard for some canine form of catnip. The guy is nuts. Sometimes I like to chase and play with him, but other times, I’d rather play patty cake with a porcupine. Seriously. Who would have EVER thought I would be the “calm dog.”

AND guess who officially began the fine art of rug crafting, not even a WEEK since the new carpet was put down? Yup. The Shark. And this guy, because he truly does things HIS way, did NOT begin by chewing on a corner. No. While Her Highness took her eyes off him for like 10 minutes, he flipped the carpet back and just began chewing from the reverse side in the middle of the rug- pulling as quickly as caninely possible, creating a bare patch on the good side of the carpet. So even IF Her Highness would have remembered to pick up Bitter Apple(cough cough), it wouldn’t have worked unless she sprayed the entire carpet – and not just the edges or corners. When she spotted him from the DFZ, she shouted “noooooooo.” He pulled faster. He left a bare patch about 6 x 2 inches.

He was immediately sequestered in his crate so she could survey the damage, and yours truly was sequestered in the hallway because I kept trying to sit on the area- partly to hide it and partly to get ear rubs. Only the Boss was able to stay and watch what happened next.

As some of you may recall. Her Highness is a hooker. No. Not THAT kind of hooker. The kind who makes rugs. Like the ones safely protected in the DFZ.

Or she hooks pillows – like this one you may remember of Viktor….

So after the latest rug carnage, she pulled out her hook and some scissors and got to work. She wishes she had taken a photo at the beginning- but she was too traumatized to take photos at first. But keep in mind the size I mentioned. Anyway, here it is showing part of the damage in the first two photos, and third showing the repair.

We canines watched in silence as she did her work. It is not perfect, and no doubt she will STILL try to fix it more- but as she said to a friend “Rug repaired. Dog’s life spared.” She was joking of course. At least I think she was. Of course she was. I’m still here after multiple carpet crafting experiences.

Yes. It feels good to enter into the role of “good dog.” It’s only taken 4 years. Mind you….I still wouldn’t leave the front door open because I’m still not sure I have outgrown that urge to go for a walk about. But at least I have passed along my carpet crafting hobby title. At least for now…..

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

I bet you can’t guess who it is?! Yup. Squirmy. Actually you can call me “famous Squirmy.” My windblown photo was featured on a CKC Instagram page the other day. And underneath my photo they put the caption “Does my hair look okay?” Then they wrote the following description about us PONs: “The Polish Lowland Sheepdog is noted for having a lively but tempered disposition. They’re vigilant, intelligent, perceptive and gifted with a good memory.”

Wow. How cool does that make us sound?! And I certainly agree with most of their descriptors. I’m lively. That’s for SURE. I just haven’t figured out the tempered part yet. Maybe it comes with age. I sure am vigilant. I guard against all forms of birds. And blowing leaves. Of course I’m intelligent – I learn new things in the blink of an eye! As long as there are treats involved. Perceptive for sure. I have figured out that if I’m called into the garage, it’s for grooming. And while I AM a good boy during grooming, the thought of having to lie on the table and not run around is kinda difficult. As I said earlier – I’m not tempered yet. Whatever that means. As for a good memory- if I find something gross and inedible while out on a walk, you can be sure I’ll check for it the next day. And the next. And the next…

And speaking of my lively, gregarious, uproarious personality- sometimes I must confess- I DO get a BIT over the top. My leaping, biting and ricocheting off My Enforcer has taken a noticeable uptick in incidence. So much so that My Enforcer turned to Mr Googly for help. And she found this article:

https://www.pethealthnetwork.com/dog-health/dog-behavior/what-happened-my-well-mannered-puppy

Yup. I have officially entered into the Terrible Twos of puppyhood. At 7 months of age. “Sit?” What does that mean? “Quiet?” Well let me explain why I need my voice to be heard. “Stop biting your brothers?” But they started it by looking at me while I was stepping on them when they were sleeping. “Don’t jump on company?” But it saves them from bending down to pet me. “No BITE?” I just wanted to taste that lovely perfume you are wearing. Yup. I have an answer for EVERYTHING. When My Enforcer tried to get my leash on the other morning, she finally gave up wrestling with me as I rolled around like a the giant ball with the ripped cover – and she dropped my leash and her gloves on the floor and walked away from me. Sweet! Gloves to chew on!!!! Not her brightest idea. Yup- if my behavior was ever considered wild before, I have entered into a new level of crazy.

The great news is that our classes are back on again! The Boss went to his last night. Apparently one week without class and he is back into his boredom barking if he isn’t doing something. And, My Enforcer, in an effort to keep him quiet has inadvertently been completely trained by him. First he will lie there and stare at her. If that doesn’t get him a treat in 20 seconds, he starts to wag his tail. If that still doesn’t get him a treat, then he barks. So he has trained My Enforcer to treat him whenever his tail wags – to avoid the next step which is the bark. She is doing brilliantly. I don’t know if that makes any sense but the bottom line – he is an outstanding trainer. He’s my hero.

Time to get this party rockin’! Have a fantastic Friday!!!!! I know I will! I always do!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy do! Guess who?! Yup – it’s me Squirmy for your Wonderful Wednesday reading! I’m not even sure where Terrific Tuesday went! It kind of blends in with Marvelous Monday! Every day is a good day in my view! Even when it’s raining- like it did most of yesterday. But that’s OK. I just got to bug …I mean play with everybody inside instead of outside!

My Enforcer was trying to do a bunch of stuff on her computer yesterday. She also had a LONG talk with her friend in Texas. Nobody can EVER look at me and say I speak too much. She’s got me beat paws down.

She also wanted to write an email- but we were getting just a little bored with all her talking and all her computer work. So yours truly does one of two things when I’m bored. I bark at her. OR I keep squeaking one of my rubber toys until everybody is covering their ears. I won the pest test.

So she looked at the three of us and said “Game Time!!!!!!” She loaded her pockets with treats and announced “ Let’s play the STAY game.” The Boss suddenly got less than enthused. But I didn’t know why. I mean I heard “game” so I figured it had to be fun. But even the Coyote didn’t look impressed. Anyway, My Enforcer lined us all up and said “Sit. Stay.” She then went to the microwave and set the timer for 30 seconds. We all sat and stared at her. Seriously? What kind of game was THIS? Anyway when the timer went off in what seemed like an hour, we each got a treat. She then told us to “Down. Stay.” And this time she set the timer for a little longer. AND she proceeded to write that email. The timer went off – and more treats. She alternated to a sit again and then another down with slightly longer times. That’s when I finally realized that calling this a “game” was kind of a trick. Who knew My Enforcer could be tricky?! She realized after a few minutes (and after a good part of her email was written), that we game players were starting to look restless. So she tried a new game. She told all of us to come in the hallway and sit. By this point the Coyote was starting to rebel so while the Boss and I were facing the same direction, he insisted in sitting the opposite direction. Yup – he plays games by his own rules. He’s so cool. Anyway, My Enforcer told us to wait, she went in the other room and then called all our names and said “come.” I won the race. Every time. I liked that game.

So that was the most exciting part of our day yesterday. Oh. Oh. I forgot to tell you what My Enforcer did the other day!!! She took out the ratty, corner-chewed carpet in the dining room – and put down that new carpet she bought in like March. It looks exactly like the old one. But the corners are intact. We’re getting a lotto license so we can sell tickets where you can bet how long it is before somebody chews a corner!!! I heard My Enforcer say something about going to buy some “Bitter Apple” today. Sounds yummy.

Hey did you hear the news about the President-elect in the US? He hurt his foot. Guess how? Playing with his dog, Major. I’m SURE it wasn’t Major’s fault. Two leggeds are just too clutzy sometimes. Like that day two weeks ago when My Enforcer was trying to get me to go in the house after I had run myself silly in the backyard. Anyway, part of our yard is sloped and somehow when she took me by the collar, I hit the deck, she stepped forward and then ended up doing THE best somersault I have ever seen. Her feet went right up in the air! Whoo hoo it was a sight. And of course I just jumped on her to be sure she was OK! Unfortunately there were no Secret Service agents to pick her up. Don’t worry – she was FINE. I figured it was just an old gymnastics move. Although the Boss told me she never was a gymnast…

OKeedokee. Time to go walking. And see what new adventures I can have today!!!!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.