Viktor, was a Polish Lowland Sheepdog who shared his views on life and had a following of loyal readers from around the world . He sadly left all of us us way too soon. He left his PON brother, Frodo and his Berger Picard “brother”, Elroy to continue his “legacy.” We now welcome a new PON brother to our story- Wojtek- who in many ways, has the very same “bigger than life attitude” as Viktor. So we know Viktor’s spirit lives on, as does the spirit of Paxton, his Bernese Mountain Dog…
Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy here on another wonderful Wednesday! I hope you’re all feeling good today – and you have at least a few minutes to be carefree like a canine!
Not a whole lot new here. I did some training yesterday with the Borzoi babes and the Warden was quite surprised at how well I did. Remember my dumbbell drama? Over. Done. I now think dumbbells are cool. I’ll even go over a jump to get one. AND I bring it back too! OK. Sometimes I DO go around the jump – because if the Warden throws the thing on a crazy angle- it only makes sense to me to take the shortest route to get it and bring it back. We’re working on it…And I was good on my boring stays yesterday – no visiting my stay partner, Chloe. When we do the down stay – she lies on her side and looks like she’s down for the count. The Warden thinks I could take a lesson from her – instead of demonstrating swivel head through the whole exercise. I do that just to make the Warden sweat – for fear I’ll break my stay. Works every time.
On the home front, yesterday when we went to the lake, we saw some ducks. First the Coyote noticed them…
Then yours truly stopped running around long enough to notice them…
And finally, the Boss stopped barking for treats long enough to notice them…
The ducks came pretty close – but then the Boss started yelling “hello” and they swam the other direction.
What else…oh – according to the crazy calendar, today is called Piano Day. A day to celebrate pianos I guess. Anyway, you KNOW I had to find some dog piano videos. Like this classic:
Now Jimmy Fallon, the late night TV guy likes dogs and he gets them to come on and do tricks. This group includes a piano player. And a lousy hockey player…
I shouldn’t really say the one dog was a lousy hockey player. That’s not nice. But let’s face it – he wasn’t going to be playing in the Stanley Cup. Maybe it was stage fright. The Warden said that would happen if one of us actually knew a trick and we went on TV to perform. We wouldn’t do it. Kind of like an Obedience trial….”he does it at home…” But when the spotlight is on – total amnesia. Or MAYBE we just like to play with you.
Anyway, the tail chasing dog was cute but he sure looked like a Border Collie, so he should have been able to build a piano and conduct the orchestra. His talents were unused.
That’s it from the asylum. Weather is SLOWLY getting warmer – and as you can see in the photos, the ice on the lake is completely gone. Pretty soon – ticks and black flies. Yee haw! Bring on summer!!!
Greetings blog aficionados. Frodo here for your Sunday funnies. Because, let’s face it, we ARE a rather comical crew…
First off, I am here to report that the First ever International ZOOM PONversation was a ponormous success. I watched and listened to the entire thing – while pretending to be asleep. I didn’t make an appearance at the meeting, simply because Her Highness had no treats on her person – and I refuse to perform on video without compensation. It’s not in my contract.
But back to the meeting- there were participants from across the US and the UK, and from Finland, Poland and Canada. Everyone shared their PON stories – and tales ranged from heartbreaking to heartwarming and every single one was heartfelt. I am pleased to know that yours truly is NOT the only talkative PON on the planet. And most PONs across the globe do share a hearty appetite. The line was drawn at about 50-50 when it comes to swimming and water – but again I was pleased to know that I am not alone in my aversion of puddles and damp environments.
There appeared to be a fair amount of laughter throughout the meeting – and the phrase “misery loves company” sometimes came to mind.
Many PONs did agree to appear on camera – and the Imp was no exception. What the participants did not know was that when he was not on camera, he was either chewing Her Highness’s fingers – or attempting to steal her slippers. He also ALMOST got into fisticuffs with the Coyote under the table when Her Highness was petting the Coyote instead of him. She was casually separating them without making too much movement so as not to disturb the meeting.
Her Highness was thrilled to meet this international group of PON lovers, and I believe this may be the start of somewhat regularly scheduled “gatherings.” It definitely was the start of new friendships. While COVID was a dreadful plague, one good thing it fostered was the use of technology- which allows people to meet “face to face” without actually being in the same place. There seemed to be no major technological glitches – so, from my point of view I think it went swimmingly. I take that back. Me? Swimming? We know that’s not correct. I should say the PONversation went brilliantly. I look forward to observing the next one. And perhaps I’ll consider an appearance next time.
In other less joyful news, yours truly found himself in the proverbial dog house the other day. And I am still “pleading the 5th” so as not to incriminate myself…
You see, each day, we take our jaunt to the lake. The Imp is flying free through the woods at warp speed, the Coyote is on leash, and yours truly is generally following 2-6 feet behind Her Highness. Sometimes I will choose to go ahead of her, but generally I stay at the end of the parade.
Recently, when we had some slushy weather, I was reluctant about going on the trek. Her Highness said I could just wait by the door, and I did for a minute or two – but then ran to catch up with the parade so as not to miss any treats. She ALWAYS carries treats on walks-so how could I possibly miss out. I quickly caught up with the wagon train.
The day before yesterday, the ground was relatively manageable- some patches of snow and generally frozen ground – so not too “messy.” Her Highness did not think I would find the conditions unreasonable, but noted I was lagging a bit on the front lawn. She called to me – but she continued to be dragged along by the Coyote. The Imp was off chasing rabbits. Or something.
When they got half way to the lake, Her Highness called to me again. No sign of me- but she continued on. They reached the lake – at which point she said to the other two “we must go find Frodo.” She started to turn the corner in our loop back to the house, when the Imp stopped. He heard something. It was yours truly trotting along. Her Highness was happy to see I was about to join the gang, when she suddenly got a look at my face. Now we all know what a muddy dog looks like. Brown and mucky. But that was not me. No – my face- my muzzle and my charming beard were not muddy – they were black. JET BLACK. CARBON JET BLACK. EBONY CARBON JET BLACK. She looked at me and shouted “WHAT in the name of heaven have YOU been into!?” As if she expected me to explain myself. I just smacked my charcoal colored lips. “Eeeeeeeeeew” she said – “eat some snow or something!” Again I smacked my onyx choppers. I looked so horrid, she couldn’t even bear to take a photo.
Our return to the house now looked more like a military march than a parade. We got back to the fenced yard and she released the Coyote. And then – she put the leash on me. It was at this point that I began to rethink my earlier indiscretion. She put the other boys in the house and marched me out to the front yard – hoping I might return to the scene of the crime – so she could see what I had clearly been eating. But surely she knows I’m smarter than that. As if I would point out the source of my obsidian face. I stood and stared at her. She marched me into the front hall and then took a detour to the garage. There was no point in attempting to run or protest – I was still on leash. In one swift movement, she plopped me into the dog tub – and the last thing I remember was smelling soap.
Yesterday when we went out, she INSISTED I walk ahead of her. She was keeping an eye on me – and watching for the source of my midnight expression. I wasn’t giving out any clues…It’s my dark little secret.
And just think – I’m the “good dog” in the household….It’s fortunate that we are meeting PONs around the world. I shall have excellent places to visit when I’m deported from my home for bad behavior. But I jest – we all know I would be the last to be shipped out. At least I think I would be….
Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here. On another wonderful Wednesday. Here to tell you our latest clutzy human story. Honestly, she’s so lucky we keep her.
So our snow is melting. Rapidly. And while parts of our trails to the lake are still snowy, places that are wide open and where there’s lots of sun, are pretty clear of snow. Like the golf course. So the Warden got this idea to take yours truly to the links with a Chuckit launcher and ball. She will only do this early in the morning, when the ground is still hard and frozen. For one thing, she doesn’t want me all mushy, muddy and wet – and she doesn’t want me scuffing up the fairways.
The other thing about frozen fairways is the fact that if the Chuckit ball is launched properly- it can go for a LONG distance. And we know what the objective is – tire me out.
So the other morning we got up early and when daylight hit, we all had a walk to the lake and then yours truly got to go to the links. And boy was I running and running. Racing after the ball and racing back with it. As the Warden would hurl the ball, she would continue to walk in the direction I was running.
And all was going great. I was doing my cardio and having a great time. Sometimes she would throw it back in the direction we had come from. I was getting a great workout. It was all perfect…. until my less than coordinated human threw the ball off course. I still raced after it but threw on the brakes as the ball bounced into a pond. I guess I shouldn’t say “into.” It actually bounced ON the pond because it was still frozen. It bounced across it, and I raced to the other side. BUT it stopped about 10 feet from the edge. And I wasn’t taking ANY chances on that ice. I’m no fool. The Warden approached the edge and attempted to step just on the very edge of the ice. Crack. Nope – it was solid enough for a ball – but not a person or a PON. She tried to reach it with the Chuckit. Too far. I sat down to watch the proceedings.
Luckily this pond was close to the rough – and the woods were on one side. So the Warden went looking for a stick longer than the Chuckit. First stick- not long enough. So she went to get another one. I was watching, but I was getting bored. She found another stick and this time she had success. Ball retrieved! So she went to throw the stick into the woods. It was at this point that yours truly decided I should go for a walk about. And I disappeared into the woods. The Warden was busy gathering up the ball, the Chuckit, my leash – and she watched me as I went. She was all assembled and called my name. If it was summer, I would say all she heard was crickets. But they’re not out yet, so it was silence. I WAS wearing my bell, but she couldn’t hear me. She decided to keep walking, assuming I would appear any second. Here’s the thing – you know how they say 1 human year is like 7 dog years? Well for every minute we are missing, it feels like 7. When I didn’t materialize after 14 dog minutes ( 2 real minutes), she started walking toward the spot where she saw me go into the woods. She called my name. Nothing. Another 7 dog minutes and she’s beginning to worry. Another 7 minutes and she starting to think she should start going in the woods. But where to look? By this point she envisions me being eaten by wolves. And we don’t even have any wolves here. At least none that we know of. It’s cold out but she’s sweating. It’s been like 29 dog minutes. And then suddenly, she hears my bell. I appear – racing toward her over a hill – 180 degrees from where I went in the woods. I happily came to her with my treasure. I drop a golf ball at her feet.
Of course she wanted to strangle me – but instead, gave me treats because she was so relieved – and I did find a ball.
Yesterday we did the Chuckit routine again, and this time she didn’t throw it when we were approaching the pond. See- she learns quickly! She can be easy to train. Sometimes.
Happy Monday blogaroos. Squirmy here on this – THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING! Yee haw! Let the buds begin to pop out. Let the geese return. Let the birds begin to sing. And let the hidden poop piles emerge as the snow continues to melt. Good times.
The Coyote appears to be completely recovered since the broken nail caper. He even stood on his favorite rock to survey the lake. He also ate some blueberries during the morning distribution- so you KNOW he’s definitely feeling good.
So it was a quiet weekend. No drama. No vet visits. No escapees. No company. No matches. No trials. No nothing. The Warden had to run a few errands – and she and I did go to do some training outside the local rec center – which was “different.” I decided to try the old intermittent reinforcement thing – and I actually did quite well. Giving her the false impression that I’m becoming somewhat reliable in training. Truth is – it’s still a roll of the dice. Next time could be a gong show. Ya just never know!
So – did you read what happened in dogdom in the US? The decades long title of “most popular breed” has changed. Yup the ever popular breed the Labrador Retriever is no longer numero uno. It’s the Picard! Just kidding. Just kidding. It’s the bat-earred, smushy-faced French Bulldog!!! Picards came in at 153 and PONs came in later. I don’t want to say what because the Coyote will rub it in. OK. OK. We were 181. We’re valuable. Because we’re more rare. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
And speaking of rare and unique – check out the homes of some of the rich and famous canines in the world.
The Warden said that would be her luck – build us a fancy schmancy dog mansion, and we wouldn’t want to use it. Sadly, I could relate to Doug the Pug, who had a huge number of outfits stored in bins. Kind of like the ones we have for our holiday attire, stored in the garage. But when the day comes that the Warden has a special closet built – I’m outta here.
So as I said, a quiet weekend. I continue to hone my hair styling skills on my most willing client.,.
Howdy blogaroos. Top o’ the mornin to ya! Yup – it’s Saint Paddy’s Day. A day to drink green beer and eat corned beef and cabbage. Personally, I’ll skip the beer – but bring on the beef. Minus the cabbage.
Now we are usually all subjected to a group holiday shot- but because those photo shoots can become rather raucous, and because the Warden didn’t want anyone inadvertently stepping on the Coyote’s foot, we decided to put off the group shot until Easter. When the dreaded rabbit ears come out. So it was just yours truly who got to wear the Lucky Charms headdress. The top was the best result. Although there were some other contenders… like the first shot when I realize I have to wear shamrocks on my head. How sad can I look?
Cute. But I look like some leprechaun stole my treats.
Here I’m just bored…
Here I get happy because she removes the headgear and I think we’re done…
And then THIS happened…
You can stop laughing. Good thing she had good treats.
So the Coyote is doing well – eating and nor limping. Although, the Warden lost her voice from loudly saying “leave your foot alone!” when she removed his bandage. The vet said he didn’t need to wear the cone of shame, but just to keep an eye on his nail. It looks fine to me – although I’m also not allowed to lick it. No wonder the Warden is hoarse. And just so the Coyote wouldn’t feel like the odd man out, the Boss decided (as he sometimes does) to lick his own feet. I think the Warden took two blood pressure pills last night….
Remember how we were talking about Wojtek the Bear – and all of his statues? And Maggie sent us a photo of one in Szczecin, Poland. Well we have another one to add to our list! Our friend Iza, from Poland is visiting Scotland- and LOOK what she sent us from Edinburgh!
That’s so cool!!! Thanks Iza!!!!
Iza even sent us a Where’s Wojtek photo. See if you can find him!!
If you happen to see a Wojtek statue – please snap a photo and send it to us! We love seeing Wojtek!
On a different note, I missed my time with the Borzoi babes on Tuesday, but I did go to training with the Shaggies yesterday and today I’m off to class. I just hope the Warden doesn’t make me wear the shamrock headband. Mind you, I could provide good distraction practice for the other dogs in class. If they don’t attack me first…
I’ll close here with a little Irish proverb. The real one talks about coins- but I modified it just a bit:
May your heart be light and happy, may your smile be big and wide, and may your pockets always have a treat or two inside!
Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here on hump day. Unless you’re retired. Then it’s plain old Wednesday.
So the Boss has found a competitor for the title of household drama king – the Coyote. Holy heck – that guy knows how to milk pity better than the Boss on the grooming table.
The Coyote went to the vet for a broken nail on Monday and he came home drunk with a bandaged foot. He was super dopey – all he wanted to do was sleep. He didn’t want supper and while I offered to help him clean out his bowl- the Warden said no. He slept well that night but unfortunately had a case of soupy poops the next morning- probably due to stress. That dude totally stresses about going to the vet. The Warden had given him prescribed medication 2 hours before they went – which was supposed to calm him down -but it clearly had no effect on him. She literally had to coax/drag him into the building. Once in, he squeaked continuously like a rusty hinge on a peed-on garden gate.
The whole procedure was pretty quick. He was in and out in less than an hour but boy he was zonked. He was one wobbly dude.
Yesterday morning, after the soupy event, he seemed perkier – but he still wanted no breakfast. While he was at the vet, she did routine bloodwork as part of a general wellness check. She got back to the Warden yesterday to let her know that all looked good. BUT, the Warden had also paid for a routine pee analysis. So- she needed to collect that. Oh my. That involved some military-like planning and execution. What unfolded was like a scene from a sitcom movie. We’re talking a cross between Top Gun and I Love Lucy.
First off, yours truly was sequestered – because she didn’t want me out there during operation pee collect. First, she rifled through the kitchen draws and found an old Dollar store soup ladle – that could be disposed of after the operation. She also dug out a clean,unused vial from some previous trip to the vet, some rubber gloves and a resealable plastic bag. She was equipped and ready to go. Out they went – with the Boss tagging along to watch the proceedings. The actual collection involved some aerobic moves in order for her to catch the pee without dousing herself. And it went surprisingly well! She was pretty pleased with her technique. She put the liquid gold in the vial, disposed of the ladle, threw away the gloves- and figured she was all set. But then, in her typical over-analyzing way, she started second guessing if there was enough. So – she decided to get more. She prepared the equipment for a second round, got more gloves, another crappy Dollar store ladle (why she had two I don’t know) and took the Coyote back out. She should have quit while she was ahead.
No worries about getting another sample – that guy is a never-ending source of pee. She got herself in position to collect and was successful- but as she removed the ladle from the stream, he put his leg down and hit the ladle – spilling half the collection. Yikes. Then went she went to pour the small sample into the vial – and she spilled half of it. On her boot. She walked over to a snowbank, holding the leash with the depressed Coyote, trying to balance the vial while putting on the lid and she shoved her boot in the snow. She came close to falling over -holding high the precious vial like it was the Olympic torch. Honestly- you can’t make this stuff up. Anyway, she took what she had, and said “good enough.” The Boss watched the whole thing and just rolled his eyes. He then headed over to the lawn to roll on some hard packed snow. All the while I was shouting out continuous instructions from inside the house.
The Warden loaded the Coyote in the car to go with her to the vet – so she could keep an eye on him. She didn’t want him pulling off the bandage. In fact, I had to miss my weekly date with the Borzoi babes – because she didn’t want to leave cranky gimpy at home.
He was sleepy all day – but he DID eat supper. He is supposed to keep the bandage on until today. And he wasn’t supposed to get it wet. So that operation involved a plastic bag and vet wrap to keep the bag on. Great fun.
Hopefully when they take it off today, all will look good – and the Coyote won’t bother with it. Hopefully.
The Warden was kind of shocked that yours truly didn’t attempt surgical removal for him. For a change – I didn’t bug him. I could see he wasn’t happy – so besides a few licks to his head, I didn’t even sniff his foot.
Not much else new here in the infirmary. Today we have a bit of rain in the forecast. We had a blustery night – it started as snow and quickly changed to rain. The Boss is not impressed. Plus Mr Baggy Foot will need to suit up again this morning. At least he’s not being followed, though, by a woman with a soup ladle.
Howdy blogaroos!! Squirmy here on another marvelous Monday. The days are getting longer and Spring is around the corner!
Here in North America, our clocks jumped ahead early Sunday morning. which meant …breakfast came earlier!!! SCORE! The Warden woke up early, but we boys were still sleeping- because it was still dark out. But it doesn’t take much to get us moving. Trust me.
Yesterday, another Crufts ended with the grand finale- Best in Show. 7 dogs competed for the big trophy- the Lagotto Romagnolo ( Gundog Group), the Doberman (Working Group), the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel( Toy Group), the Irish Wolfhound (Hound Group), the Standard Poodle (Utility Group), the Old English Sheepdog ( Pastoral Group) and the Wire Fox Terrier ( Terrier Group). And the big winner was….the Lagotta Romagnolo – the pasta-sounding truffle-hunting breed. Yup – the fungi fun guy won all the noodles. Congrats to Orca!!!
Now as you may recall, we were very interested in the results for Best in Breed in PON judging. Well get ready for this result – guess who won?! MY SISTER – Szyszka!!!! Really!!! She traveled all the way from the US – and WON the breed!!! Yeee-haw! Here are some screenshots the Warden grabbed of her when she was in the Group judging:
Isn’t she pretty?! We know who got the good looks in the family. While she didn’t win in the group, we were super proud of her!!! To win the breed at Crufts is a wonderful accomplishment- both for Szyszka (who behaved better than I would) and for our breeder – Maggie!!! PONgratulations!
While my sister was running around a ring, I was running around the woods.
And I was busy styling my brother’s hair…
We all have our own individual talents.
What else is new? Oh! The gimpy Coyote. The Warden found the source of his limping. Another split nail. On the other foot. So she’ll be calling the vet today to see what they can do. They’ll likely have to sedate him because he’s not too wild about anyone touching his feet. I mean the Warden can dremel his nails – but this is sore – so removal will be left to the professionals. We’ll keep you posted.
Before I close, I thought you might enjoy this winning performance of Freestyle Heelwork from Crufts. It’s a perfect way to start any day!
Doesn’t that look like fun?! The Warden said we’re not coordinated enough for something like that. I’ll tell you a secret – it’s HER who isn’t coordinated enough. I could do all those moves. But because she would likely end up with a broken hip- it’s probably best we stick to obedience and rally heeling. And even that she doesn’t do straight. But I’ll keep her. Sending her to a rescue at her age wouldn’t be very nice…
Hey hey hey blogaroos. Squirmy here on this the second day of the giantest dog show in the world – Crufts!! Yesterday the Gundogs were judged and the winner of that group was the Lagotto Romagnolo. It sounds like a pasta dish – but if you don’t know the breed, check them out! They are water retrievers but perhaps best known for their truffle hunting skills. I don’t know any personally – but I’d like to. I mean I have golf ball hunting skills, so maybe they could teach me about truffles. I’ll see if I can find one.
Today it’s the Working breeds being judged- and our group – the Pastoral group. In North America we’re called the Herding group – but I like the name Pastoral because it almost sounds spiritual. Because we are such soulful breeds. Plus the humans we own certainly do a lot of praying because of us….mine does anyway.
By the time I post this, I’m not sure if the PON judging will be over. We may need to watch the replay, if we can find it. No matter what, we know every dog competing is a winner at home – and that’s what matters the most. We’ll try to watch the group judging tonight to cheer on the PON. I think there are 20 something PONs competing. The Picards are still in some classification that I don’t understand which I think has to do with the recognition status or something. Anyway, I don’t know how many are competing. I searched but couldn’t find their numbers. Those Picards – I always say they’re different.
If you’re interested in seeing what’s happening at Crufts – here is the link:
Good luck to everyone attending! Have fun, and buy lots of dog stuff – you’ll have plenty of options!!!
Meanwhile here on the home front, we have one dog on veterinary watch and one runaway. And for a change, you’ll probably guess incorrectly.
First we have the dude who appears to have hurt his foot or his toe on the crusty snow. The Coyote. He came in from outside the other day and was gimpy on his front leg. The Warden checked his nails – and it wasn’t the foot where he had the split nail. She couldn’t see anything, and he seems to be bothered by it on and off. But add to that, he had a typical bout of “I’m not eating” and it was enough to send the Warden’s blood pressure into the ozone. She can’t let him run around in the snow – because he’s worse after. So she takes him out on leash walks on the road. Last night she managed to trick him into eating by having all of us play “Find the Lambie”. Each time he returned with the lamb, whose innards are coming out from too many “finds” – he got a handful of kibble instead of a measly single bite like the Boss and I got. He ate the equivalent of his supper. So his refusal to eat doesn’t seem to have to do with his foot. Unless one reads too much on Google. Anyway, the Warden will keep an eye on him, and will restrict his walking on crunchy snow. If it isn’t better in a few days, he’s off to the vet.
So if the Coyote wasn’t the runaway- who do you think it was? I bet most of you guessed yours truly. WRONG. It was the Boss….
The Boss was annoyed last night because first the Warden had a ZOOM call while he was waiting for supper, and later, she was on the phone when he wanted to go to bed. So he started barking. And barking. The Warden continued to chat on the phone – but instead of letting him out the back door – into the fenced yard, she let him out front. She does that often with him – because he’s “trustworthy.” Ha. He marched out and had a pee and then proceeded to poop in the middle of the driveway. He wasn’t going climbing over any snow banks to poop. From the front door, the Warden could see him – just past the bed of plants we have in the middle of our circular driveway. And then he walked around the bed. She was still chatting, and watching and expected to see him emerge from around the bed. She waited a few seconds and walked from the door to see where he was. Gone. No sign of him. He must have marched up the driveway and she didn’t see him because it was dark. She called. No Boss. She quickly told her friend she had an AWOL dog and she hung up. At first she started up the driveway, but was wearing no coat and had no socks on her slippered feet. She raced in the house, threw on her coat and boots and went up the driveway again. She called. No Boss. She ran back down the driveway and jumped in the car. She had a feeling he was headed to the neighbors with the cats. She slowly began to back the car out of the garage when she heard barking. The Boss was standing and shouting at the front door to be let in.
He came in all smirky and looked at her as if to say “that’s what you get for chatting with friends so long”. We’re still not sure exactly where he went and he’s not talking. Just smirking.
So that’s the news from zoo-ville. I have class today – and I’ve been doing my homework- so I’m aiming for my usual performance of above mediocre. I still have more training to do with the Warden – she’s a slow learner.
Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy here on another terrific Tuesday. It’s especially terrific because I’m headed out this morning to workout with the Borzoi babes. I’ll try and contain myself today during stays. Note I said “try.”
According to the crazy calendar, today is something called “unique names” day. So I guess if you have an unusual name like Moonbeam or Bacon, today is your day! I think I get to celebrate today because how many dogs do you know by the name of Wojtek? How many? But you know – my name is special. And I’m named after a bear. Yup. Not a shark as many might believe, but a bear. We’ve probably shared how I got my name- but if you’re a newbie to this blog- check out the story of Wojtek the Bear:
I think the original Wojtek and I shared many similarities- he would eat anything, he liked to entertain and he could get a bit rough when wrestling. Yup – I’m a Happy Warrior just like him.
Wojtek the Bear has, I believe, 8 statues of him throughout Poland, he has two in Scotland and a sculpture in a museum in London. If you ever visit his statue, be sure to send me a photo! My breeder, Maggie and my sister in Szyszka, recently visited one of the statues Poland and sent me this. Check it out:
Another place where there is a statue in Poland is in Sopot- and look at these cool coasters our friend Joanna sent us from there:
I need an army uniform….and a statue. The Boss said of course I would think I need a statue- because I think the world revolves around me. Doesn’t it?
I ALSO found out that there is a brewery called Beartown brewery in the UK and get this – they make a beer called Wojtek!!!! I think the Warden needs to take a trip there. Just for the beer. Plus remember that Wojtek the Bear drank beer AND vodka. The Coyote says when I start drinking, he’s leaving.
Anyway – for those of you with unique names – go out today and celebrate. I actually have more than one name- some of which cannot be printed here. It all depends on the day!
Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy reporting from snowville. So here’s the thing – we had record low snowfall for most of the winter. But surprise – Mother Nature has kept it in storage. Yup. It started in February and here we are in the beginning of March and our plow guy, Larry is finally making some money. It’s that rodent’s fault. That groundhog said we would have 6 more weeks of winter – and darn if he wasn’t right. Next year I’m going to that Groundhog Day celebration- and trust me – he won’t see his shadow.
In other news, according to our crazy calendar- today is the birthday of Alexander Graham Bell. I just call him Al. Al had a special connection to Nova Scotia – because he had his summer home here and did lots of experiments here. There’s a museum in the town where he lived and the Warden has been there lots of times. Here’s a photo she took at the museum last Fall:
That’s supposed to be a sketch of Al. And his Skye Terrier, Trouve. Now here’s the cool thing – did you know that Al taught Trouve to speak? I mean like humans speak. In this article it says Trouve was a stray terrier. Numerous other sources say he was a Skye – like the one depicted here. Skye. Stray. Must have been autocorrect. Anyway, check out this story:
So Bell taught Trouve to talk. I can just IMAGINE the Warden, who actually has a background in talking – trying to manipulate my mouth. She can barely put a collar on me when I’m excited – imagine her holding treats in front of my face and trying to get me to articulate. I see chewed fingers in the picture. Sounds like Al did get Trouve to talk, but amazing as that was, his vocabulary was pretty limited.
On the other paw, the Boss already talks. Incessantly. I’m not sure much would be gained in getting him to articulate more clearly. We already KNOW what he’s saying:
Hurry up I’m hungry. Hurry up I’m hungry.
Open that treat jar. Now.
He’s licking my face. Make him stop or I’ll do it myself.
Hurry up it’s breakfast time.
Hurry up it’s supper time.
Where’s my apple?
It’s bed time. Where’s my bedtime treat.
I want a treat for no reason.
Did I mention I’m hungry.
Yeah – I don’t see any point in getting the Boss to enunciate his messages. We read him LOUD and clear.
Time to go and snow roll. Larry better get here before 3 – I have class today. We’ll see how my “stays” go today. I think I may be getting a reputation as a “visitor” during stays. Ever since my little visit to see my Kremlin cutie- the Warden has been watching me like a hawk. I like to look around on the sit stay -just to make her nervous. I love class. I teach her so much.
Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter. 