Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here from Christmas central. All the elves have emerged and the herd of reindeer are grazing on a shelf. The tree is decked out in a bunch of glass ornaments- which apparently would not stand up well against raucous canines. So that’s why it’s in the DFZ. We will no doubt be drugged to take photos in front of it. Just kidding. I think.

The Warden is trying to catch up with her tardy Christmas task list – and she completed one project just yesterday. Our annual calendar. One of our loyal readers – Jim from Florida reminded us that it should be done. The Warden sequestered herself with her computer and after much moaning and groaning and the odd word which I can’t write here, she figured out some computer glitches, and completed the calendar. And this year, it has lots of Where’s Wojtek photos! You can find it here:

https://www.prestophoto.com/bookstore/517816-Where-39-s-Wojtek-2023-Calendar

The postage is kinda crazy – we don’t control that. We make enough money from the sale of each calendar to buy a bag of dog biscuits. Well – more like half a bag. Last year, I think we sold two calendars. The Warden bought one and Jim bought the other – so we got a full bag of biscuits. Clearly this isn’t a money-making scheme!

Tomorrow, the Boss is entered in a Rally trial. He has passed two trials at the Master level and he needs to pass one more to get his title. The Warden has been studying the signs – because it’s more likely that she will fail than he will. He knows what to do. But if she takes him the wrong direction or tells him to do the wrong thing, it’s game over. Paws crossed he passes. He’s entered in a trial in the morning and another in the afternoon. They need ONE pass. Send them your good passing vibes – they’ll need it.

OK. Time to get out for a walk. We’ve had three days of rainy weather, and even I didn’t want to go out. I’m becoming like the Boss. I put the brakes on at the door. I think today we may see that thing called the sun. Here’s hoping!

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

Howdy doody blogaroos. Squirmy here on December 8. The Warden keeps thinking that someone took days away from November. She says she is way behind in everything. Bla bla bla. So here’s the deal – SOMEHOW she got all her Christmas decorating and gift buying done when she was working full time. And now that she’s retired, she has no time for anything. Mind you – her tardiness does seem to coincide with my arrival in the world. Surely I can’t take more time than every dog that has ever lived in this house. Wait. Don’t answer that.

Anyway, today, according to the crazy calendar is National Christmas Tree Day. And I’m pleased to announce that we do have a large balsam buddy sitting in the DFZ waiting to be dressed. The Warden went to a tree lot yesterday and picked one out. She wandered around looking at all the trees standing there, waiting for a new home. We weren’t allowed to go along. Picture us (or at least the Coyote) leaving pee mail on every possible purchase. She wandered around the lot looking for the perfect specimen for our home. She didn’t want a big tree this year. She didn’t want a fat tree. She didn’t want a pine tree. Yawn. Bottom line – she’s a fussy tree shopper. On a tree farm she can wander for HOURS. Apparently some guy who worked there saw her wandering and zig zagging through the pop up forest. Poor guy – he asked her if she wanted help. Big mistake. She sorta knew what she wanted but not totally. He started untying trees and spinning them around like tops. When he started climbing up the pile of untied trees to find her the perfect tannenbaum, she started getting nervous that he might fall down. She figured that would be her luck – tree salesman injures himself climbing trees to assist picky shopper. When he pulled a tree out of the pile, jumped down from the tree mountain, untied it and spun it around, the Warden barely looked at it and said “I’ll take it.” She didn’t want to be responsible for a tree-mergency.

When she arrived home, she sequestered us on the deck while she brought it in. Let’s face it- dragging a tree with three curious canines would not be an easy task. We’re busy, inquisitive guys – what can I say? Once the tree was safe from us in the DFZ, she let us back in the house. I watched as the Warden wrangled the tree in the stand and after it was secure, she took fish line and tied it to the wall. Apparently there’s some story about a fallen tree many years ago – before my time. So now trees are extra-secured. I watched with great curiosity. The other two guys didn’t care at all. The Boss said this is the 13th tree he has seen – so the process is pretty routine. He’s waiting to sit in front of the finished product for the obligatory photo shoot – with treats, of course. You’ll note I DID get to take one photo with the new green guy, much to the consternation of the other guys. Hey- that’s what happens when you pay attention to the proceedings.

Yesterday the Warden just put on the lights. So today will be the day to fully deck the halls. But not until after my training session this morning. We can’t miss that!

I guess I had better start working on my letter to Santa. Surely in this day and age, an email should be good enough. Maybe I can even text him. Still – I need to come up with my wish list. I’ll do that while the Warden is decorating today.

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

Howdy blogaroos! Happy St. Nicholas Day!!! It’s a day to celebrate a guy who was an all around good fella – who gave to the poor and did nice things. He was the model for the modern day Santa Claus and for many of my readers in Europe, today is a day you really do celebrate! Hopefully you put out your shoes last night and no canine chewed on them – and today you awoke to footwear full of goodies! Left by St. Nicholas of course.

The Warden didn’t leave her shoes out. She knows better. I MAY have told you the story of someone actually chewing on a boot that was in the closet. And it didn’t belong to the Warden. They were a nice, new pair of rather pricey boots, that somehow Joanie left here one day. Anyway….someone who has never been identified, decided to get a boot out of the closet, and leave a little artistic carving right along the edge – where the little tab was to help pull on the boot. Someone thought it looked like the tag didn’t belong there – and chewed it off. Along with a tiny bit of leather. The Warden bought Joanie a new pair- before she actually showed her what happened to her original pair. Yeah -St. Nicholas wouldn’t find any shoes or boots handy in this house.

So the Christmas explosion has happened here. More Santas than I can even count. The last thing to complete the explosion is “the tree.” Last year the Warden went to some tree farm to cut a tree – and she nearly collapsed trying to cut the thing down with her little hand saw. Thankfully some family came along and they had a chainsaw, so the Warden was saved. Yesterday she went looking for tree lots close by – and the closest one was out of trees. How can a tree lot in Nova Scotia – home to Lunenburg County – the self-proclaimed Christmas tree capital of the world, be out of trees on December 5? Anyway – there ARE plenty of tree lots and farms around – but the Warden was too lazy to drive around. She was exhausted from hauling 589 Santas out of hiding.

She figured she would put the tree up today – since we are sequestered- and she can’t go anywhere. Ludwig is in the shop – getting new footwear (snow tires). So the Warden is car-less. She may resort to cutting down a Charlie Brown tree on our property. I hope we get to go along to pick it out. Then again, she probably doesn’t want a tree that’s been peed on. I think she could just consider that part of the selection process.

Hey. What do you think of my photo taken at the match on the weekend?! I look like I know what I’m doing! Remember – this was BEFORE the stay exercise where I went to visit my Borzoi babe. So I CAN be good sometimes. Now if I could just get the Warden to take smaller steps. What does she think I am – a Great Dane? I’m flying to keep up!

Well, time to go celebrate St Nick’s Day. Thank goodness the Warden couldn’t find any bishop hats for us to wear. Because you KNOW what would have happened. We’re waiting for the antlers to come out any day now. The Coyote is already planning his escape….

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

Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy here on a sunny Sunday.

Well. We had a day yesterday. The Boss and I were in a FUN match. He was in Rally and yours truly was in Obedience.

So. The Boss did well. Some minor bobbles – but no major problems- which is remarkable given that he hasn’t t been to a match or a trial or a class in like…10 months. Tell him what to do and he says “how fast.” So he did a great job – even though the match wasn’t scored.

And then we have yours truly…..Now I keep reminding tbe Warden that she cannot compare me to the Boss because he’s 10 years older. So let’s start on that note…

So I was in Novice Obedience. Which, for non-obedience people means a bunch of things or “exercises” that your dog must do – when asked to do so. Without a lot of praise. Or treats. Or coaxing., You tell your dog- and he does it. Or not. Like heeling closely on leash and sitting when you stop. You heel at different paces like normal, slow and fast. And then you get to do it around two people in what’s called a Figure 8. And you can’t sniff, or stop to say hello or pee on them. And then you also heel OFF leash. And then in another “exercise “ you have to stand like a statue and not move when a stranger comes over and pets you. Finally you have to come when called and sit in front of your person after they leave you in a sit at the other end of the universe. Phew. How intense is THAT?’ And that’s just the basic intro level.

Well. Yours truly did pretty OK. Just like I do in class. No fireworks. But I did the job. In a real trial, your performance is based on points and you have to score a minimum number of points to “pass” or “qualify “. I MIGHT have qualified in the first part which included the heeling and recall parts- but then we had the the last part – the dreaded “sits and downs.” At the junior level (like me) all the dogs in the class, line up next to each other and have to sit and stay for one minute while our person stands and stares at us from across the room. Then we have lie down and stay for three minutes.

Here’s the deal…if a human is told they have one minute do something, they freak because it’s not enough time. But leave your dog alone in a line up of other dogs and one minute feels like a year. And the three minute down stay? It feels like a decade.

Now I’ve been PRETTY good on my stays in class. So in the line up when the Warden said “stay” she thought I might behave. But here’s my side….

So I sit. She leaves. I look at her. And then I glance to my left and notice Chloe- my Borzoi bestie from class. Well. What can I say? She’s pretty. I like her. I know her. So I just HAD to go over and say hello. Big no no.

Holy moly. I have never seen the Warden move so fast in all her life. She raced over to me and promptly told me to leave my girlfriend alone. Who KNEW you weren’t supposed to be sociable?!

I sat for the remainder of my minute, and when it was time to do the down stay, I plopped my head on the ground in total exasperation. And I never moved for the required three minutes.

So let’s just say I’m not entered in any REAL trials any time soon. There actually is one next weekend- but I’m not QUITE ready. Maybe next Spring. Or Summer. Or Fall. Or in 10 more years…

Good thing I’m cute…..

Oh. And so maybe I’ll eventually learn some basic heeling and stuff. But not sure I’ll ever be able to do this, which happened at a competition earlier this year. It’s called Dancing with Dogs.

https://youtu.be/TtjY_YgZEzo

Yeah- I’m not ready to try that. Not to mention the Warden isn’t that coordinated either….

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

W

Yo. Blog people. Elroy here on this the first day of December. The countdown to Christmas craziness has begun. I’m not big into writing a list for the guy in red because there’s not much I want. Toys? Nah. I get bored after 5 minutes. Food? Nah. Necessary evil. My tastes change. Like I was into blueberries for a week or so and then yesterday I said “no thanks. I’ll pass.” The mops get all shakey and excited about anything edible. I’d rather have a piece of bread. Some days anyway.

About the only thing I’d want for Christmas is sheep. And the likelihood of that? Slim to negative 85. But I DO enjoy them. It’s one thing I’m better at than the mops. We just found this cool video showing Picards herding. Check it out:

https://youtu.be/1ZRliuij5Sk

Yup. That’s for me. We’ll see if Santa delivers.

What else is new? Oh yeah. Today is December 1st and it’s something called Eat an Apple Day. The mops are really into the the yogurt stuffed frozen apples. Pass me the sour dough instead. They love those billiard-ball like frozen orbs – and geez they can eat one before Her Highness even sits down to eat breakfast. Kongs last longer – but I guess there are good reasons not to chew on rubber every day. May that explains why the Imp is so crazy. Rubber overdose.

Last night we had crazy wind and rain. The Imp kept barking at every noise. The Boss and I just rolled our eyes at him.

Her Highness posted the above photo of me on Facebook and someone said it looks like I’m meditating. More like trying to think of a way to escape the Imp. That guy is still crazy – he races around for no good reason in the morning with the Boss shouting out instructions about how quickly he’d like breakfast. It’s crazy. It’s morning mania – every single day. Thank GOODNESS they have me as the Zen Master – to keep things cool and calm. Unless I get off leash…

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