Hey hey hey blogaroos! Squirmy Wormy Crash Test Smarty here to report on some Major trouble. And for a change – it’s not ME! I’m reporting on Major – one of the two dogs who call the White House home. Or they DID call it home – until they were “moved” to a new residence for “a while.” And why the move? Well it seems Major got a little too rambunctious with a guy in security- and well – it sounds like he kinda bit him. Oopsie! I’m not one to make ANY judgement about accidental injuries, but that didn’t seem like a very good idea.

According to several sources, Major is not the first First Dog to get a little nippy. Reportedly Obama’s Portuguese Water Dog, Sunny, nipped at a White House guest, and George W. Bush’s Scottie, Barney, nibbled at a reporter.

I guess I understand about being in the doghouse – and getting a timeout by having to leave the White House, but I feel sorry for Champ. He didn’t do anything- and he had to go too!!! That doesn’t seem fair.

Mind you, that whole “unfairness” thing happens here too. For example, when somebody comes to visit, all of us are sequestered on the deck or in the bedroom during the “arrival time”. And really, the Boss is good with guests (except for the incessant barking ) so he really doesn’t need to be sequestered. But it’s all for one and one for all. Whatever that means.

On a different note, yesterday My Enforcer had to get her hand rechecked at the hospital. It’s getting better but she still has to wear her splint most of the time for the next week. Then she can start going without it all the time. Unless she’s playing with yours truly. When she plays with me , she should be in a full body cast. Or at least armor. That’s what the doctor said. I wonder if he reads this blog…

Well it’s Friday and it’s also supposed to be a warm day with balmy temperatures near 13 Celsius or 55 Fahrenheit. Which also converts to a plashy yard. If you don’t know the word “plashy” it means marshy or wet. It was the “word for the day” between My Enforcer and two of her besties the other day. They find and exchange words 6/7 days each week. It’s strange the things that the COVID does to people who are distancing ….but it IS looking like the COVID is slowly getting better. Someday, humans may not have to wear muzzles any more!

Anyway, hope your Friday is fantastic! And may your floors be minimally muddy.

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

Hey everybody! Squirmy here again. On this wonderful Wednesday. No new broken bones or cracked phones- so the week has been good so far.

Today’s blog is a mishmash of sad, happy and informative. Let’s start with the sad….

We learned the other day that a very pretty Picard by the name of Flicka, went to that place they call the Rainbow Bridge. Flicka would have turned 14 in June. And in her 13+ years – she packed in a LOT in her life. Her humans were forever traveling with her on adventures- and they have hundreds of beautiful photos showing her living her large life. Flicka even visited Nova Scotia (before my time) and came to our house! The Beatnik was completely smitten with her.

They even danced together…

She was a very lovely girl. I hear that every dog takes a special place in his/ her human’s heart. And some dogs take a special place in MANY peoples’ hearts. That was Flicka. Everybody who met her, liked her. We feel very sad for her family – but we know that they have many wonderful memories of a dog whose life was well lived..

It’s hard to write anything more after that story, but I’ll give it a try. I guess I’ll call this part the informative section.

I’m sure we’ve written a blog post on blueberries before, but this is just a good reminder. Blueberries, in case you didn’t know, are very good for us dogs. Here’s an older article which talks about blueberries and dogs.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16520073/

We dogs get blueberries every day in our house. My Enforcer even had a little song she made up to sing while feeding us the tasty blue orbs. But she had to stop singing it because the Beatnik refused to eat them while she was singing. He prefers blueberry dining in silence. And he’s 50-50 on whether or not he really likes them. I always stand next to him because if he’s in a spit out mood, I grab the castoffs. Works for me.

And lastly I have a funny video. Check out this super smart Aussie.

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/australian-shepherd-appears-to-outsmart-owner/

Now I’m smart, but no way would I have done what he did. Seriously? If I could get into the drawer, I could perform magic. Every one of the treats would vanish into thin air. Forget about putting one back.

So that’s it for me today- that’s all I have. I wish you a Wonderful Wednesday.

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

Hey everybody! Squirmy Wormy here on another marvelous Monday! The start of another week of walking, playing, eating, biting, ricocheting and causing chaos!

Now we know that I’ve been getting a bit of a bad rap recently because of the broken hand thing and the chipped iPhone. But really – neither of those actions was done deliberately. Well- I guess the jumping and ricocheting were deliberate, but I didn’t do them to cause trouble. It’s just my joyful personality that explodes from within and I can’t control what my body does. I didn’t anticipate the outcomes.

So imagine how nervous My Enforcer was yesterday- when I was going to my first ever Rally Obedience class! We were joining a group that had previously been meeting – so we and one other team (a pretty Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and her human) were the class newbies. I think I might have been the youngest one there too.

My Enforcer was kinda glad we were newbies and I was the youngest – because she had an excuse if I was my regular wild self. I came in and was a bit inquisitive about the other dogs for like 10 seconds when suddenly, My Enforcer pulled out her secret weapon. A cheese string. One whiff of that thing, and she pretty much had my attention for most of the class. When we had to go up and practice a course, I stuck to her like dog hair on a fleece jacket. I strutted my stuff and almost looked like I knew what I was doing.

A couple of the girl dogs didn’t know quite what to make of me. The class has 4 girls and one other guy, They were no doubt impressed with my rugged shaggy appearance- because thankfully, My Enforcer forgot my barrette. I like going without a barrette because with my hair over my eyes, nobody can tell when I’m staring at them. And trust me, I did check everyone out!

There was just one problem in the class- which is the typical problem in all this training stuff. The handler. We dogs just listen and wait to be told what to do. And 9 times out of 10 – it’s the handler that makes the mistake. And yesterday, my handler made a big mistake. She forgot I’m a newbie and was treating me like The Boss – who knows all this stuff- and doesn’t need lots of rewards. But I’m a baby – and I need rewards. Even our teacher told My Enforcer to give me a treat!! I later realized she had only brought ONE cheese string – so she was trying to ration it. Don’t worry – she had plenty of other treats – which of course I like too – but those cheese strings are THE best thing I’ve ever had. She’ll have to stock up on the cheese strings the next time.

So all in all, My Enforcer was very pleased with how I did in my first class. She told me she was proud of me! So I guess I have redeemed myself. For now. We’ll see how long I stay in the good graces. It IS just Monday…

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

Greetings blog readers. Frodo here for your reading pleasure today.

The imp has been fairly well behaved the past few days – although any improvement is notable as the bar is set underground. He still has moments of total insanity – like yesterday when he grabbed Her Highness’s left sleeve and would not let go. He is well aware that she could not use her wounded right hand to pry open his jaws, and she repeatedly (and rather unsuccessfully) told him to stop. She envisioned dragging him to the treat jar – (which clearly is ridiculous given the bad behavior ) – but she thought he might at least sit on command. Thankfully he let go before that.

He HAS learned that throwing oneself against the door will not make it open. He now sits and stares at it. So he is somewhat trainable. When he wants to be.

Since things are relatively quiet here, I will turn to the news for some relevant material. Two stories of lost and found…

The first is the well-reported story of the horrible dog-napping of two of Lady Gaga’s French Bulldogs and the atrocious shooting of her dog walker. After a day or two of worry over the medical status of the dog walker and the whereabouts of the dogs, everything ended well. The dogs were returned and the dog walker will make a full recovery. The singer had offered a $500,000 reward for the return of her two precious pets. I dare say Her Highness would offer a substantial reward should I ever be dog-napped. Which is highly unlikely as I would put up a serious resistance. The other stooges, I am not so sure. About the resistance and about the reward money. I say that in jest. Although I do believe I am the “favorite” around here. I am relatively well behaved- and quite reliable. The Beatnik’s behavior over all is not bad, but he still remains a flight risk. And as for the imp- I believe any dog-nappers would pay Her Highness to take him back.

The other lost and found story involves a dog here in Nova Scotia by the name of Jasper. Seven months ago, Jasper escaped from a boarding facility, the day after his humans left him there to go on a little vacation. So much for that holiday. They returned to look for him – with many people assisting in the hunt. But alas, Jasper was gone. BUT he was found, as I mentioned, 7 months later at a location over 240 km (or approximately 150 miles) from where he escaped. IMAGINE his surprised and relieved humans when he was returned to them. I can certainly empathize with Jasper’s annoyance when his humans left him to go on vacation, but I think he took his protest a bit too far. Yes. That was an attempt at humor.

And lastly in the topic of dog news, there is some interesting research going on in the study of coprolites. What are coprolites? Fossilized animal feces – and in this particular study – dog feces. I might suggest that they come to our property to collect samples as the snow has melted and Her Highness has yet to remove the frozen artifacts. She needs her special boots for the job – as one cannot simply pick up frozen poop. One must kick it first. But I digress…

Why would one study fossilized dog poop? To see what dogs once ate, of course. This provides information about the health of ancient dogs, and also gives insight into human diets and health as well – as dogs likely ate some of the scraps that humans provided them. Interestingly, researchers found that the dog diets included duck, fish, walnuts, and grapes. The grapes and walnuts are particularly interesting because today, grapes and black walnuts are considered toxic for dogs. If you would like to read more about the poop study, here is a link:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210224120338.htm

We dogs would be excellent at studying coprolites – as we are excellent at reviewing even more “fresh” samples. Perhaps they could use some canines in this research….

Well that is my review for today. It must be almost time for our morning constitutionals. Since Her Highness injured her hand, she can only walk one of us at a time – and I must say, I do enjoy the individual attention. I think we all do. AND Her Highness is getting plenty of exercise – which will finally, hopefully address those Halloween candies which she ate in 2018. I purposely put my paw on the scale when she stands on it – so our walks keep getting longer and longer. She’ll thank me. Because, after all, I am her favorite….

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

Hey hey hey blogaroos. Squirmy here. Getting ready for another terrific day! EVERY day is terrific in my eyes! I’m just a joyful kinda guy. Even in my crate…

And speaking of which…. remember how I was granted the status of “big boy” – and I was allowed to sleep out of my crate – and free in the bedroom? Well… that lasted all of three nights. I guess it ended when, for the third night in a row, I decided it was party time. At around 4AM. I put my paws on the bed and stared at My Enforcer- with my butt wagging – and ready to play. She said “go to sleep”. Since she was an unwilling participant, I decided to bug the other guys. I think sleep is overrated. So I’m back in my crate again.

The other thing which I feel is overrated is grooming. I mean it’s not like I’m going in any show any time soon. They’re all canceled- for now. BUT the problem is – if we PONs are not regularly brushed, we get fuzzettes. That’s what I call them. Actually, I suppose I should call them fuzzickies. That sounds more Polish. They’re kinda like the “m” word – but not totally as bad. The “m” word (in case you don’t know) is mat. Mats (for those who either don’t have a dog – or own a wash and wear easy care breed like a Doberman ) are basically hair that tangles together and gets stuck in a big glob. And they usually show up in the most uncomfortable spots – like under your front legs or (just thinking of this makes me shiver) around your private areas. And oooo eeee. Getting those things unglued is not pleasant. So. The key is to not getting them in the first place.

So you need to be brushed. Now mats don’t just appear. First you get fuzzickies. Fuzzickies are kinda tangling, but not totally stuck. They are the precursor to mats.

Anyway, since My Enforcer had the hand episode, I have not been brushed. And while I was enjoying my rugged shagginess, it began to drive My Enforcer bonkers. She was forever feeling all over my body and shaking her head every time she ran across a fuzzicky . So on Tuesday, she couldn’t take it any more and “invited” me into the garage aka grooming torture palace. But remember- she’s still wearing a splint on that broken hand.

Somehow she managed to get me into the table and like a one-armed cowboy managed to wrestle me onto my side. But THEN the challenge began. It started with her brushing me with her left hand. Remember she’s right-handed – and that’s the one with the splint. To say she’s uncoordinated with her left hand is an understatement. My hair was going in all different directions and she was making a real mess. And then she got to the fuzzickies. In my private areas….

One clumsy brush move in that area and I was ready to head for the hills. It was at that point that she realized she had to TRY using the three available fingers on her broken hand to hold the brush. This whole thing was not pleasant for either of us. She kept giving me treats – and I WAS very tolerant- but after 1.5 hours, she only had half of me fuzzicky free before her three fingers cramped up. She had to stop. She should have done the other half of me yesterday, but she wasn’t ready for another round. Fuzzicky fighting is not easy. I expect we may go into battle again today. And then it’s The Boss’s turn. He’s miserable with grooming at the best of times so this should be interesting. As for the Beatnik – no problem. His coat doesn’t really tend to get mats and he’s generally fuzzicky free. Plus he’s easy to brush and when you finish after 10 minutes, he looks exactly the same. Lucky guy…

Anyway, keep your paws crossed that I have fewer fuzzickies on the left half of my body. Just keep those treats coming and we’ll hope that we don’t have another hair raising experience.

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

Yo readers. Elroy here. Finally getting to write a post. The two mops seem to enjoy writing- so I let them do their thing. Kind of like the whole “find the smelly, soggy stuffed animal” game. You need ways to keep yourself busy – go for it. I really don’t get the huge “frenzy” over searching for an arbitrary thing that is deliberately hidden. Now finding Her Highness’s car keys – THAT would be functional. Mind you, you know our Picard attitude. You lost it. You find it. I’m content to just watch her rifling through her coat pockets and that suitcase she calls a purse. Same thing with the soggy stuffed toy. When I DO find it, I do it to humor her. It’s called intermittent reinforcement. She actually THINKS she’s training me. But trust me- it’s totally the other way around.

The mops get excited about doing ANYTHING. If there’s food. In fact, their eagerness can sometimes be borderline nuisance. I’ve seen it with my own eyes when I walk with The Boss. He will suddenly start going into this formal heel work routine – like he’s in a competition walking down the road. He trots RIGHT NEXT TO Her Highness. Looking up at her like she’s some kind of goddess. And it’s fine for 100 feet of walking but then even Her Highness tells him to stop. She says “Enough. Free.” Yeah well the mops are pretty stubborn. If they decide it’s game on – it’s game on. He’ll practically trip Her Highness. And if she stops, the guy stops and sits. Which is lovely if they are training or competing. But he expects a treat each time. And he literally won’t stop heeling like Velcro until he gets that treat. And you would think that would end the routine. Nope. He starts up again. Man he has her so well trained. And get this – the little guy does it too now! He prances along like he thinks he’s a Lipizzaner stallion or something. The other day they did all their obedience practice as they walked down the entire road. I should be selling tickets. Wait until she starts carrying the traffic cones for the Figure Eights….

Meanwhile, yours truly would much rather sniff and stare at things on a walk. I’m an environmental kinda guy. But the other day, I decided to try a mop imitation….

I suddenly nuzzled right up to Her Highness as we were walking. She looked at me like I had three heads. Her words were something like “Seriously- you want to strut?! OK – sit.” I figured I would show her- I literally threw myself back into a sit like I had hit an invisible brick wall. She started giggling- as it was a bit over the top. She looked at me and said “strut” as she stepped forward. Well, in an over-exaggerated mop move, I leapt up and started prancing like a pony. Head tilted back and looking at her – with legs flying. She laughed out loud, gave me a treat and told me I was brilliant. She decided to try the routine again. And I did a repeat performance. She kept telling me how brilliant I was as my legs were flailing along, and as I again threw myself into a sit when she stopped. She gave me a treat and a hug. I love hugs. But honestly, when she tried the third time, and she said “strut” I just sat there and didn’t move a muscle. I mean come on. She knows I think treats are overrated. How many times did she expect me to do it? Wasn’t two times enough?! She looked at me with the “oh I get it – it’s Picard rules” look and said “free.” I made a dash for the ditch on the side of the road to sniff. And stare. Because let’s not forget – I’m no mop.

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