Howdy blogaroos!! It’s a terrific Tuesday. It also happens to be World Penguin Day, World Malaria Day, National Zucchini Bread Day, National Crayon Day and MOST importantly- it’s my BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! Yessiree. This pandemic puppy is officially leaving the Terrible Twos and entering the Thrilling Threes!!! Yee haw!

The past year has been a busy one – spending lots of time practicing my obedience skills. But if you suddenly arrived at our house, rang the doorbell and came in, you would swear I haven’t been to a single class – nor have I spent hours training weekly. As a result , I still haven’t done much competition in the last year- except for my place on the Shaggy Team last Fall. Which was great fun – and we even won the competition one day! Even with me on the Team!

This year I have really begun to expand my culinary tastes – I happily eat almost everything. Except lettuce. That’s like gum – chew it and spit it out.

I’ve taken up Viktor’s favorite sport – bunny chasing – but I have yet to catch one. I’m not sure I mentioned this – but I’m also a very keen bird dog – I love to flush pheasants. They make almost as big a racket as Frodo when they go flying.

I have become a watchdog extraordinaire. I am usually the leader in sounding the alarm if anyone dares to enter our property.

I’ve also expanded my hair styling skills this past year. I have one regular client and another who occasionally requests my services.

I’ve really started to enjoy photo opps…

Although I DO still have my “moments”…

I enjoy hanging out with my training buddies…

Of course, I love hanging out with my cell mates….

And most of all- I adore hanging out with the Warden…

So to my womb mate, Ollie- and all my other sibs – HAPPY BIRTHDAY to us!!! As Louis Armstrong said – “I think to myself- what a wonderful world!”

Biscuits all around!!!

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

Hey there blogaroos. Squirmy here on a sunny, super Saturday. AND it’s a special day – it’s Earth Day! A day to think about the planet where we live – and look at ways to make sure that our place in the universe is well cared for. I’m not moving to the moon – no trees to pee on.

Here’s an article about what you and your dog can do on this protect-the-planet day:

https://www.zoetispetcare.com/blog/article/earth-day-pets

I agree with all of the suggestions and I can add another one. No baths for dogs today. It’s important to save water. Besides, we’ll just be dirty tomorrow- so skip that futile waste of water. Was that convincing?

So in other news – GUESS who turned up at my regular Friday afternoon obedience class?! DOROTHY!!! Yup – she was a distraction for several exercises- including the stand for exam- when she was planted about 8 feet away. I must confess, I did give her a good look – but I never moved my feet. Most the dogs just looked at her – and nobody was overly freaked out by her. Even when we had to do a recall past her- nobody went to check her out. Here’s my buddy Ranger, ignoring the scary kid.

The Warden says Dorothy has “friends” so we’ll see who comes out next.

Last night she tried to tire me out and she did a reasonable job. I wasn’t TOTALLY tired – but my tongue was a dragging.

First the Boss and I did bumper fetches. We did around 20 each. The Warden figured that was enough for the old fella, so she put him in the house – where he proceeded to shout out that he wasn’t tired.

Next she got out the Chuck-It and I went racing across the yard to catch the bouncing orb at least half a dozen times. When I started returning with it and dropped to roll, she figured I might have had enough.

But she wasn’t finished with me yet. Out of nowhere- our stuffed Lambie appeared. She sat me at the front door and then hid Lambie in various places around the outside of the house. In some bushes, behind a garden box, behind a tree…I had to use my nose to find the rather ragged Lambie. And guess what? I found him every time! But boy was my brain tired after all that. I needed a break. For like 15 minutes and then I was ready to go again. It takes a LOT to REALLY tire out yours truly.

Well I hope you have a great Earth Day. Take care of it – and one another!

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

Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy here to tell you all about my morning with the Borzoi Babes. And our introduction to Dorothy…..

So those who do competitive dog sports know that concentration and attention are key to a good performance. If your canine kid is busy sniffing the ground, or looking at the spectators or other dogs or butterflies, it CAN affect how well you do. So in order to work with “distractions,” the Warden had an idea. She would see if she could find Dorothy…

Don’t ask me WHY the Warden had Dorothy – and why she’s been hidden in a closet for 25 years. By the way- Dorothy is a doll. She looks kinda like a little girl and is about 2 feet tall.

I had never seen Dorothy before – and until we got to the training center I didn’t even know she existed. The Warden had dug her out of a closet and put her in a big black garbage bag. So we came in with her – but I just thought the bag had more training supplies. You wouldn’t believe the stuff she carries in to each class – 90% of which she never uses. Anyway, we were doing our training and all was going great. And then Norma and the Warden set up an obedience ring – complete with gates and chairs for spectators. And while Chloe and I weren’t watching- they put Dorothy in a seat next to the ring….(Chievie wasn’t doing practice yesterday- so she wasn’t part of the “fun…”)

Chloe was first to do a full run through of a routine – with the Warden acting as judge. She pranced into the ring – and didn’t notice Dorothy at first. But Dorothy did catch her eye when she began her heeling routine and Chloe’s eyes got wide. She looked over her shoulder as she passed Dorothy by. Norma worked hard to reward Chloe for not paying attention to the quiet little kid, and after a minute or two, Chloe ignored the non-breathing distraction.

Then it was my turn for a run through. I never even noticed her. At all. That was until we did the stay exercises – and Dorothy was planted between us. That’s when I actually realized she was in the room. And boy oh boy, was I interested in checking her out.

The Warden told me to “leave it” but I couldn’t help staring at her. Chloe was giving her a good stare down too, but she didn’t require the multiple “leave it” commands that I did. Somehow I made it through the sit, and when we did the down stay, both Chloe and I lost interest in the frozen child.

Norma and the Warden thought this was great “ fun” said they have some other ideas for distractions – some of which may involve Dorothy – as well as some other “beings” from the closet downstairs. I think I need to go and check out that closet…

Stay tuned for more adventures with Dorothy and friends….

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

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here. On another terrific Tuesday. Even though it’s supposed to rain….

I’m going to hang out with the Borzoi babes this morning. One of my girls- Chloe was in the obedience trial on the weekend- and it went…..so-so. Apparently she did her own freestyle obedience. A LOT of her performance was REALLY, REALLY good – but she had a few moments of freestyle, so the judge didn’t find it in his heart to pass her. Chloe does super duper well if there are not a lot of distractions, but she’s a curious, friendly gal who does like to check things out sometimes. Well she’s a sighthound – she wants to get a good look. Anyway, the Warden and Norma, Chloe’s human have some ideas to practice with “distractions” – with both of us today. The Warden mentioned somebody by the name of Dorothy. She also brought a big black bag up from downstairs- and wouldn’t let me check out the contents. Hmmmmm. We’ll see what the humans have up their sleeves.

In the meantime, one of my Shaggy teammates, Kwik, did very well on the weekend and not only did he qualify twice in obedience (and twice in rally) but he also got a High in Trial. Looks like I have some serious work to do to stay on his team!!!

According to the crazy calendar, today is some ridiculous “holiday” called Pet Owners Independence Day. The idea is that owners should have a day to relax – since they spend so much time taking care of us. Really. Owners are supposed to take the day off work (unless they are retired like the Warden) and are supposed to lounge around all day while we dogs do the work. One site suggested owners do things like having us dogs wear socks like mops so we can dust the floor. I’m not making this up. Not going to happen here. We’d be ripping those socks off and making confetti.

Another suggestion was to teach us to put our toys away. Yeah, yeah – I know some dogs actually DO that “trick.” I put toys away – in the yard. The lawn is littered with toys. And if the Warden brings them in and puts them in the “toy box,” I just take them out again. It keeps the house neater. 

Another suggestion was to teach us to use  our own treat-dispensing toys so we can occupy our time and feed ourselves. I like that one. And to make it even easier – just allow me to access the treat jar so I can fill the toys myself. Or not.  

I think there are other jobs we would LOVE to do – like cleaning the refrigerator. Just leave the door open – and we’ll be happy to do the rest. Just like doing dishwasher pre-wash when the door is open. 

We also do a fabulous job of decorating. Our olfactory window art is unique and carefully planned.  Our art gives homes that special lived-in look.

We, of course, are exceptional doing our work as security guards. We protect against all intruders – bunnies included. 

We can also save you the time in grooming us by simply licking ourselves. All over. And by licking each other. All over.

So the Warden is welcome to “relax” today – while we do our assorted jobs. And after she rests for 10 minutes, we can continue our job as personal trainers – getting her out for a good walk. And we’ll give her BIG kisses – especially after we’ve been licking. 

Gotta get ready for obedience practice first, with the babes. 

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

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here. The snow is gone, the sun is shining, the crocuses are blooming… and the ticks are OUT. Guess who got the first one? The one who stays on the trail? The one who walks on leash but insists on pooping off the trail and in the woods? Or the one who races through the woods like a hummingbird on too much caffeine? None of the above. The WARDEN got the first tick of the season. And it wasn’t fun.

So since the arrival of Spring, the Warden has been starting spring cleaning- and as you may recall, she has also started yard work.

Yesterday she had some shopping to do and while she was out, she felt as if her back was sore in one spot. Like it was bruised. She thought it odd, and figured she would look at it in the mirror when she got home. When she got home, she went to take us out for a walk to the lake, but she felt her back, under her sweater. And she felt a lump. She figured maybe she bumped into something- and maybe it was a tiny sore. When we returned from our walk, she took out a mirror and was shocked to see a black bump. Like a mole. But she never had a mole there before….

Long story short – it was a tick. She got out our trusty tick removal tool and did her best to pull it out.

She managed to get most of it out and she dropped the parasite into an old medicine bottle and locked him up. He didn’t look too good when she finished with him.

So now what? She called the provincial health hotline, which is generally lukewarm. She also called a friend who had a tick last fall – to see what he did. At that time, it was recommended that he visit a pharmacy for assessment. And sure enough- the hotline did call back and recommended the Warden do the same.

So she hopped in the car and went to our usual pharmacy. They said they were too busy- try the drug store across the street. So she went there and the staff were super helpful- although they never did look at the spot where the tick had been. They asked a bunch of questions- and recommended she take some antibiotics- just to be safe and protected against Lyme disease. So she got the drugs and dosed up last night. We are usually on tick medication- but we stop during the winter months. We started them again last night. PLEASE don’t tell the Warden about the horrors of tick meds. Everyone has to weigh the risks and benefits of taking preventatives. We know that some dogs have problems with them. Just like some people have problems with some drugs that others can take without incident. Sadly, the risk of contracting Lyme disease is high here because of ticks. And when you personally know three dogs who died from Lyme related illnesses – it affects how you think about risks and benefits. And yes, we tried every “natural” tick preventative. And yes – we were diligent about using them every time we went out. The Warden will do anything to protect us. And she doesn’t WANT to give us meds. BUT, she also doesn’t want us to contract Lyme. And short of wrapping us in Saran Wrap every time we go out, or not going for walks from now until December, she had to do something.

Anyway, her back is feeling better – and she’ll be more diligent about doing her own tick checks after she does yard work. She also brushed and used a blow dryer on each of us last night, to look for any other ticks. We were clear.

Can’t wait for the black flies next. Good thing they don’t last long – AND we live in such a fantastic place otherwise. NO poisonous snakes here! Or scorpions or tarantulas or pythons or alligators or water buffalo. It really IS a great place!!

What else is new? There are some obedience and rally trials going on this weekend- but none of us are entered. One of my Borzoi babes is in and my Shaggy buds are also in. The Warden says I’m not ready. She said maybe when I’m 10. She is going on her own though, to the trials, to help out. I’m hoping that maybe she’ll learn something while she’s there. She still needs much more training….

That’s it from the asylum. Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy here sending you hoppy Easter greetings!!! Yes – we did the dreaded rabbit ear photo shoot-JUST FOR YOU. Plus Lent is now over – so the Warden can have wine again – which she needed after these shots.

But first – we need to set the scene…Because BEFORE the infamous photos, we had even more “fun.”

Yesterday the birds were singing, the snow was 99% gone except for the piles left by Larry, the skies were blue, and the Warden had no plans so she decided that that she should clean up the backyard. In other words – rake up the leaves.

In the Fall, when the leaves began to hit the ground, she got out the trusty leaf blower (which has a strong similarity to our jet engine dog hair dryer) and she blew the leaves into the woods. Lovely. Except the trees had only lost about 1/4 of their leaves when she did this. So they continued to fall – and she never did anything with the rest after the initial blow fest. Fast forward to now. Snow is gone and what remains is a back yard with a carpet of smashed down leaves. Which we bring into the house every time we go out. So yesterday, she saw the opportunity- and went out with the leaf blower, a rake and a giant tarp.

The Warden envisioned a lot of leaf blowing- and minimal raking. But guess what? She couldn’t get the leaf blower to start. And every time she pulled the cord, the Coyote barked. I think he was cheering her on. No leaf blower meant a LOT of raking. After pulling the cord 159 times (but who was counting?) she sadly dragged her tarp to a leafy area and spread it out and she began to rake. The idea was to rake piles of leaves, put them on the tarp and then drag the tarp off the lawn and into the woods. That was the idea…

The Coyote and I immediately saw the tarp as a dance floor. She shouted that we should get off. Good luck with that…

Then we found it a comfortable place to rest….

In addition to being tarp squatters, every time she raked a pile of leaves we also did a little blessing. I mean what does one do with a new unusual structure in the yard? Why pee on it! She shouted “nooooo.” 37 times.

When she had the first tarp load full, she bent over to start to drag it. It was at this point that yours truly thought this whole yard clearing thing was nonsense- and we should PLAY. And well, my idea of “play” can be a bit… bad. I started biting. Her hands (because they had garden gloves), her pants, her old gardening jacket – which I actually ripped- and her ankles. The more she shouted “stop – knock it off” the more I did my Schutzhund routine. I was just playing around – but she was NOT impressed. The Coyote watched with wide eyes while the Boss, who was up on the deck just yawned. The Warden needed to get very firm with me that the bitey play was NOT cool. I would stop, lick her hands and then bite her again. Yup- we PONs can be hard headed. Just a bit.

If the Coyote and I were not peeing on the leaf piles, we were rolling in them. At one point I dodged under the tarp and then flew out and attempted to drag it across the lawn. I then pounced on the unsuspecting Coyote. Plus it was amazing the number of toys we found out in the yard which had been buried in the leaves. Wonder who took them out there….

Anyway, the whole lawn raking thing took several hours. And that was just the backyard. The Boss stayed out of the action until near the end. By this point the lawn was 80% clear and not only could you see the emerging grass – you could also now see the variety of holes the Coyote and I had dug in the fall. Here’s part of one…

The Boss had no interest in the holes – but he did want to eat the grass. So he smushed his face down and began chomping. Meanwhile, the Coyote and I started to dig. In a word – it was chaos. I think it was at that point that the Warden let out a banshee cry staring at the sky. She’s SO dramatic. We all stopped what we were doing for 3 seconds – and then went back to our business.

After enough drama, Warden decided that was “good enough”, and she came in the house for a big glass of water. She just wanted to collapse on the sofa – but she KNEW if she didn’t take the rabbit ear photos, they would never happen. She dug out the ears, loaded her pockets with treats and told us to follow her. No problem. She had treats.

We marched down the trail to the lake…

So the Warden figures outdoor shots are somehow better. I’m not sure why – people with 5 km can hear her shouting “STAY. Elroy look. Elroy look here. EVERYONE STAY. Wojtek leave his ears alone. Frodo smile. Elroy I’m leaving. I’ll be right back. Look at these awesome treats. Here – try one. Wojtek stop licking him. I’m going…” she tries the “I’m going or leaving” line because one time it worked and we all stared at her. Guess what? We caught on.

As usual – although we all do not LOVE head gear, the Coyote is the least happy. He attempted to hide. And your truly was bored.

THEN – guess WHO lost his ears? The good dog…

The Warden did get that good shot you see at the beginning of the blog, but she decided to take one at the lake. Epic fail- including this wardrobe malfunction…

Then we have the BEST shot in that location – and she said we look like total ragamuffins – dirty and totally unhappy. But think about it – we were both. We had just before this been digging and rolling in leaves – what did she expect!

So even though she did get that first shot you see above, was that enough? No.

We came home and did get this cute PON shot…

But that’s after the cropping…

She said we all look drunk here…except for the Boss..

This was the last one taken – and personally, I think we ended on a good note…

So that’s it for the rabbit ears this year. We hope you have a wonderful Easter – with some extra special treats.

Oh – and if anyone knows how to start a sluggish leaf blower – we’ll be cleaning the front yard next week! Join the party!

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

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here. We’ve been off the radar for a few days – not because anything is wrong – things have been pretty mundane here at the asylum. Which, given our usual lives of chaos, craziness and catastrophe, is not really a bad thing!

I did training with the Borzoi babes the other day and that was good fun. At the end of our training session, the Warden thought for about a millionth of a second about allowing me to have a little run around with one of the girls. And then she reconsidered. She had visions of me flying over or into one of the Kremlin cuties and ruining our currently great relationship. Those girls may not know how to dodge a rocket – so best we keep them safe.

The other night, after my training session downstairs, the Warden took the Boss down to do some work- because he had been incessantly yelling that it was HIS turn. So they did some fun training and they came back upstairs. So then, she figured she would try to work with the Coyote. The dude got all excited and raced downstairs. He doesn’t know many commands, besides sit, down and stand and even those three are performed “at his discretion.” Now he WILL chase after a fetch toy like a bumper outside, and he MAY bring it back. The chances are kind of as good as winning one of those Powerball Gazillion Dollar prizes. I mean you CAN win. But the odds are not super. But still – she tries and he may do it.

But the other night, she didn’t have a fetch toy like a bumper on a rope. The only thing she had was a dumbbell.

Let me begin by saying her BIGGEST mistake was in not have her phone handy to video the performance. Retelling the story won’t do it justice, but we’ll try.

First, before she tosses the dumbbell, she tells the Coyote to sit. He looks at her. She repeats sit. He lies down. She tells him to sit up. He rests his head on the floor. He doesn’t have a collar on so she can’t lift him up. She gives up on the sit and tells him to wait while he’s lying there and she tosses the dumbbell. She tosses it and tells him to get it.

Like a deer who hears movement in the woods, he springs up and races to the dumbbell. He throws himself on the floor and stares at it. He examines it like a geologist who just found an interesting rock. He nudges it with his nose. He gets up, does a play bow, nudges it again and barks. She tells him to get it. He pushes it with his nose about three feet, lifts it up and hurls it in the air. Narrowly missing a lamp. He races to it, does a play bow and pushes it again – about 5 feet. Meanwhile the Warden is saying “get it, get it.” Like he knows what that means. And even if he did, he was doing his own freestyle version of retrieves.

The Warden finally gave up and retrieved it herself. NOW he wanted it and grabbed it from her hand – unwilling to let go. She looked him straight in the eye and said “drop it.” He held tighter. She said “DROP IT.” And he slowly let go.

For some God forsaken reason, she thought she would give the retrieve another try. I’m not kidding. This time he actually sat when she said sit. He didn’t stay, but left his post before the dumbbell hit the ground. And again he hit the ground when he got to it like he had been shot. And the entire pushing and hurling ritual was repeated. While the Warden watched the entire routine.

She finally retrieved the dumbbell again and went upstairs to get some other object for retrieving. The Boss and I watched as she sorted through some stuffed toys in the closet. She found a stuffed turtle – which squeaks. The Boss and I were enthralled, but we had to stay upstairs.

The flattened green stuffed reptile wannabe was of great interest to the Coyote. This time when the toy was thrown- he quickly picked it up- and incessantly made it squeak – as if he was putting the stuffed toy out of its misery. He dashed back with the noisy toy to the Warden who praised him for returning and then played a game of tug with him – as if poor Mr. Turtle had not been tortured enough. She was able to pry open the Coyotes iron-clad jaws to toss the green guy again – and they repeated the performance- squeaking and tugging included.

After several rounds of kill the turtle, the Coyote who had earlier been distracted by the dog outside (his own reflection in the patio door), indicated he wanted to go out to see the dog. The warden let him out and said “go pee.” Now when the Boss and I were training we had also gone out and we quickly returned for more play. Not the Coyote. He put his nose in the air and stood and looked at the woods. The Warden told him to come in. She tried to entice him to come in. He said “nah.” And he went to wander in the yard. The Warden closed the door, turned off the lights and went upstairs.

The deck door upstairs was open. It had been open a bit most of the day. We go in and out that way.

So she comes upstairs , expecting to see the Coyote any minute on the deck. No Coyote. She goes out on the deck – and there he is downstairs- staring at the door to the now dark rec room. She shouts to him to come up the deck stairs. He just sits and stares at the other door. She finally tells me to go and get him and I race down the stairs right to him. He follows me up the deck stairs like it’s a whole new experience. That guy is something else.

He was all happy to see the Warden as if she had been gone for a week.

Yup. He was a freestyle surfer dude in another life who lived on the beach in a VW camper. Think of a cross between Owen Wilson and Matthew McConaughey in a beach movie. That’s the Coyote in a canine version. Life is cool. Life is laid back. Life is about smelling the flowers. And the trees. Every. Single. Tree. And life is about leaving your mark. On every. Single. Tree. Sometimes you listen to humans. But you also hear the voices of the wind. And the squirrels. And the mushrooms. Maybe that’s his issue – he gets into the mushrooms. (Just kidding). He likes the “idea” of playing- but he has his own rules. Which nobody else knows. And which change daily.

The Warden occasionally thinks he should be in some “sport” like rally – but after a session like that, she quickly changes her mind. He’s happy just being him. He likes walks. And rolling in leaves. And sniffing. That’s fine by him. And he’s content to sit by her side as she scratches his ears and pets his head with one hand while she eats her breakfast with the other hand. He likes staring at the lake from his rock. He likes hanging out in the dog bed. And guarding against bunnies.

Yup. He was a surfer dude in another life. And that’s just fine because every house should have a surfer dude. They add a whole different flavor to the recipe of life. And they sure make it interesting…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here on a super Sunday. We have officially moved into April- and springtime. Even though it snowed here a bit yesterday morning.

Pretty low key here at the asylum. Although yesterday began on a low note…

So every single day, the FIRST thing the Warden does when she gets out of bed, is to go to the kitchen with the Boss and give him his cardiac meds. He needs them an hour before breakfast- so that’s the first thing that happens here before anyone else moves. So yesterday, when she went to give the Boss his power pills, the Coyote started squeaking. The Warden didn’t think anything of it because the Coyote often squeaks just to squeak. He was in his elephant-sized crate, and I was in my shoebox. Anyway, the Warden gave the Boss his pills, let him out for a quick pee, and came back in the bedroom. It was then that a wave of not-so-nice aroma hit her nose and bent it sideways. WHAT was that smell? Well, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out SOMEONE had tossed his cookies. It wasn’t me. So she let the Coyote out of his condo. Eewwwwwww. Seems he not only had some stomach upset – but he then rolled in it. He was happy as a clam as he strutted outside. Meanwhile, the Warden was holding her nose and dragging his comfy bed out of the condo. She tossed the offending cushion into the garage, quickly got dressed and took all of us out for our morning constitutional to the lake. The Coyote appeared happy and bouncy although obviously stinky. The Boss and I thought he smelled fantastic. However, when we returned from our walk-about, the Coyote got the spa treatment- a full bath and blow dry, This all happened before 8 AM.,The Boss and I didn’t make a peep – for fear we would be next.

Now don’t worry about the Coyote – he’s fine. Completely fine. He had been munching on some stuff in the backyard the night before – which likely caused his indigestion. He ate breakfast and supper just fine yesterday and had no problems. He even ate blueberries at breakfast. I think he just wanted a bath.

What else is new here…. Oh. As I mentioned- the Boss is always the first one up. And as he ages, the Warden has begun to wonder about his vision. He sometimes misses a treat tossed on the floor- although he eventually finds it. But the other day – the Warden realized his vision is better than she thought…

It happened one morning after his pills, when she opened the front door to let him out for a quick pee. The sun was starting to come up, but it was still pretty dark. Well. The Boss spotted the white Easter bunny way before the Warden. And off he went. The Warden shouted “nooooo” loud enough for anyone within a 5km radius to hear her. She ran out into the front yard in her pajamas and bare feet over the remaining snow bank. Luckily the Boss didn’t feel like going into the woods – so he came back. Clearly his vision is not too bad. And thankfully the Warden did not suffer from frostbite in her feet.

Our mornings should be videotaped. No one would believe what goes on here…

What else is new… I went to my Friday class and I was fine. Most of my obedience peeps are already beginning to compete in trials- but the Warden is not yet sure I’m ready. For one thing, she’s not sure I’ll stay during the stay exercises. Now I haven’t moved during class, but she knows me- I’m “thinking” about going to visit. What can I say – I’m sociable. But apparently this isn’t a popularity contest – so one is not supposed to move. Personally, I think the sit stay and down stay are THE most boring exercises on the planet. Apparently, there have been people protesting these exercises and calling for their removal. I agree 100%. But did anyone ask us canines? I think not. In the meantime, we’ll keep practicing.

Although the news here from the penitentiary is pretty mundane – we did read about two canine stories in the news that are pretty remarkable. The first one involves a dog. And a goat…

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/01/us/rescue-dog-goat-forever-home-adoption-trnd

Sounds like the two of them have found THE perfect home.

And then we have the story of this old guy….

https://www.thestate.com/news/state/south-carolina/article273820985.html

Holy moly is that not incredible?! I hope Binky enjoys more years with his refound family.

Time to get the morning parade moving. Oh. We thought of writing a funny April Fools joke yesterday, as we have in the past- but this year we realized our real lives are better than a joke! I mean, who would believe a woman running out in her bare feet after a bunny-chasing dog? The truth is – our lives are a whole lot more interesting than fiction! And that’s no joke!

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