Howdy blogaroos!!!! Happy Saturday!!! Another hot and sunny day ahead – did we really complain about cold, icy conditions in the winter? That’s really a human thing to do. Humans are kind of known for complaining about the weather one way or the other. It’s too hot. It’s too cold. If someone lives in the PERFECT year round climate, let me know. We’ll move!

Well. It’s been an exciting and somewhat exhausting week for the Warden. Back at the end of June, she decided to enter a pet photo contest put on by an Atlantic Canadian magazine called Saltscapes. And whose photo did she choose? Mine! The theme was coastal adventures and really – what spells coastal more than a puppy and a lighthouse?

So she entered my photo – just for fun. Little did she know that entry would result in a canine cavalcade of competition…

When you entered, readers were able to vote for their favorite dog. And it was weird – some people entered – and must not have told anyone because they didn’t get any votes. And some of the pictures were SUPER cute. But no one voted.

On the other hand, the Warden told friends on Facebook about our entry and the votes started pouring in. As well, a Greyhound named Rue must have also put out a call for votes because we became close combatants. My loyal “team” voted and voted and voila – I made it to the Final Top 8 contenders. And so did Rue.

After that never-ending round, the voting went from the magazine website to Instagram . And that’s when things got really crazy. The 8 dogs faced off against one another. First I had to face against Winnie – a golden doodle. I won that round and moved on to the semifinals. Then I had to face off against Boomer, a Golden Retriever. Boom – I won that battle. And then it came to the finals – me against Rue. Well. While the Warden was hoping I would win – and we have LOTS of friends around the globe – who decided I WAS going to win. It was their mission!!! They shared my post. They bugged relatives and friends. Some even joined Instagram just so they could vote!!!! It was like a Presidential election – without QUITE as much drama. We had groups of teachers voting. And a group of opera singers. And neighbors. And university students – and of course, all my dog peeps! The word was spread far and wide to vote for a shaggy shark,

The Warden was even soliciting votes from people she barely knows – like the clerks at a store she frequents. One clerk she knows is a young immigrant woman, who is working hard on her English skills. The Warden explained about the contest – and she agreed to vote….along with her husband and two friends….

There was a group we called Team UK – who were EXTRA motivated and they spread the word around the country. And we had our US Team and Canadian Teams as well.

Throughout the day, the voting percentages went back and forth like a fly ball dog chasing a ball. We were up. Then Rue was up. Then it was 50-50. People were keeping score like they were watching Wimbledon. As the night wore on we were up 53-47. And around 10PM the score went to 52-48. We weren’t sure if Rue’s crew was going to launch a last minute attack – so the Warden waited anxiously until midnight to see the result….and….

Drumroll please – WE WON!!! Yup – I was named Top Dog. All of our international teams shouted out a cheer that could be heard around the world. OK. That’s a bit of an exaggeration. But people WERE happy.

And yesterday when the Watden went in that store- the young immigrant woman was there and she excitedly proclaimed “You WON!” We’re not even sure she likes dogs but she sure was happy!

We know my photo will be in the magazine in October. I should have a contest and the prize will be pawtographed copies! Wait – the Warden just gave me the “look” and said no more contests any time soon. Blah Blah.

Anyway – HUGE THANKS to all those who knew about our contest, and took the time to vote. Over. And over. And who spread the word far and wide. We really, really appreciate it!

In other less exciting news, the Coyote’s days of eating everything have ended. The picky Picard has returned. He ate nothing but blueberries and a few biscuits yesterday. The Warden KNOWS he’ll eat – but of course she stresses about it. Paws crossed he feels like eating today…. I think he was just bummed because my photo was used. He’ll get over it.

Besides driving the Warden crazy by not eating, the Coyote has a new, rather annoying habit. Barking at the new dehumidifier down in the rec room. We got it almost two weeks ago, and his favorite thing to do is to stand and bark at it. Incessantly. Unless the Warden gets him to stop. But so far she’s hasn’t been overly successful. Here’s just a short snippet.

He seems to hear something in the machine that none of the rest of us do. But then he ALWAYS sees and hears things we don’t. He’s supersonic.

OK. Time for walks. Wonder if anyone will recognize me now that I’m a celebrity. The Boss just rolled his eyes.

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

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here after a bit of a break from writing. We’ve been busy here at the asylum- enduring a very cranky Mother Nature….

As you may recall, several weeks ago we were experiencing hot, dry weather – which resulted in some serious fires. Then we had a week of anti-Frodo weather of rain. Next came some heat and humidity which did nothing for my hair (and boy oh boy you should have seen the Warden!!)

All was plodding along and there was nothing major in the weather foreguess. Well. I guess the meteorologists were all on summer vacation- because we got no warning of what was to come. Well. We had rain. Actually- that doesn’t really begin to describe it. Think of Niagara Falls complete with hours of fireworks. All around you. Yup – we had CONTINUOUS lightning and thunder for hours – while Niagara Falls was outside our door. Luckily none of us guys really care about thunder – but just TRY to get a PON out the door when it’s evident he needs to pee – and he has to endure cascading water.

It was kind of a miracle we didn’t lose power – although many people did. We did lose our internet- which is partly why we haven’t written an update. Imagine the Warden without internet. Kind of like telling a PON he can have no supper. It was a sad state of affairs.

Many, many, many people had flooded homes – and roads were washed away in lots of places. The province declared a State of Emergency. We thankfully had no rain water in our home. We were super lucky. The Warden put on rubber boots to go down to the lake -and we were glad she didn’t take us along. The lake was over the banks!!!!

And sadly “the tree” is down again. You can see it in the photo. Frodo says he’s not going down there any time soon. Meanwhile, the Coyote walks through the middle of puddles. He’s not sure what all the fuss is about.

So we’ve had fires, and floods. We’re getting ready for the locusts next.

In much brighter news – while the apocalypse was happening around us – we had a ray of sunshine in our home. The Warden’s good friend Kelly, from Cape Breton, NS, came to visit us for a few days. We boys never met her before. And guess what? I fell in LOVE. I mean she’s my first real crush. While I can sometimes be a little aloof with people when I first meet them- I IMMEDIATELY fell in LOVE with her. The Warden thought I was drugged. I was soooooooo sweet with her – snuggling up and staring longingly into her face. I even gave her kisses – you’ll note her lipstick on my face in the photo – after I stole a kiss. The Warden has never seen me so enamored. And I only tried to bite her once. In a little nibbly way.

It looks like we are headed for a week of sunshine. Which means the Boss will remain in his favorite spot right in front of the biggest fan in the house. We have no air conditioning- so with the numerous fans going it sounds like we are living in an airplane hanger. Our house could take off with all the fans – we could easily end up in Oz. As long as there are no locusts there.

Time to rotate fan position.

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

Yo. Blog people. Elroy here. So what’s goin’ on? Everything here is cool. Well not temperature-wise. It’s hot that way. But cool otherwise with me and the bros.

Yeah – after some weirdo stomach stuff for about a week, I’m back to my normal selective eating routine. Some people call it picky. I call it selective. But I’m back to cleaning my bowl and eating the blue orbs every day. Who knew they were so tasty? But here’s the thing – if I happen to drop a blueberry during distribution time, I don’t even look down for it. I know the Imp has already devoured it. That dude is QUICK.

And speaking of quick – the mops decided to go on a neighborhood “visit” yesterday. The Warden was on her way to get grooming – or in human terms – a haircut- so she let the mops out the front door for a quick pee. The Imp heard the neighbors and took off to tell them they didn’t belong there. And let me tell you – that old guy is fast – he dashed off behind him and the Warden couldn’t keep up. She found them both up at the neighbors’ – peeing on their plants and barking at the same time. The Warden grabbed the Imp by the hair and told him to down stay while she went after the Boss who was cruising their garage looking for food. Then the Imp decided to head for the other neighbors’ house – the ones with the cats – while the Warden was chasing him and letting out the odd bad word. She caught him and came back and grabbed the Boss and led them down the driveway holding onto their hair like a police officer holding a suspect by the collar. The Boss started dramatically screaming (keep in mind he does the same thing while he’s being brushed) while the Imp tried to gnaw at her hand- all the time she’s repeatedly shouting”sorry…sorry… SORRY.” She let them go and they raced happily for home. Never a dull moment. Good thing our neighbors are our friends- or at least they were until yesterday.

So according to the crazy calendar, on this day in 1661, the first banknotes in Europe were issued by the Bank of Stockholm. So we decided to see what bank notes feature dogs. And we found some:

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Dogs_on_banknotes

https://soranews24.com/2019/10/09/japanese-mame-shiba-inu-banknote-design-pays-homage-to-nations-beloved-dog/amp/

None look like Picards or mops. But a few are almost Berner-like.

And on the subject of banknotes, of course we have to mention our canine ability to sniff out cash:

https://wagwalking.com/sense/can-dogs-smell-cash

I’m not a cash guy myself. And the mops don’t really care about cash either. But leave a biscuit in your pocket and the mops will hound you until you give it up. Especially the Boss. He’ll eat right through a pocket.

Finally, no talk about dogs and cash would be complete without mentioning what happens when dogs eat money. And I’m not talking about us eating you out of house and home with normal care. I’m talking about us swallowing some cash – literally. Here are a few examples:

https://terriblyterrier.com/dogs-eating-money/

Those are pretty old examples. Imagine the “bottom” line with the cost of things today. Aren’t I funny? I bet no Picard has eaten cash. We’re too picky.

OK. Gotta go harass the Imp before he starts harassing me. Good times.

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

Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy here on a wonderful Wednesday. We had a rainy day yesterday, but honestly, it was OK. It wasn’t so hot so we didn’t have to listen to the Boss panting and moaning and groaning about the heat. Instead, he just moaned and groaned about it being wet – but he didn’t pant.

Well- I survived the weekend and ta da- got my third “leg” of Rally Novice to complete my CARO Rally Novice title! I was entered in one more trial and I could have moved up to Advanced- but the Warden said we would do one more in Novice just for fun. It’s kinda interesting….we went in and the Warden felt no pressure and of course then I felt no pressure- so we zoomed around the course and voila- we would have had a perfect score of 200. There’s something to be said for performance anxiety….Still – it was a super duper fun weekend!

The Borzoi babes were feeling in need of a rest – so no practice with them yesterday. I go to regular class this afternoon. I better do some studying before then.

What else is going on…. Lotsa bad news stuff in the world. Sometimes it’s best not to look at the news – it can be kinda sad. But then, we see a story like this one, and it restores your faith in humans. You can always have faith in dogs though.

https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/family-organizes-adorable-dog-parade-mans-100th-birthday-100289290

According to the crazy calendar, today is National Eat Your Jell-O day. I guess it’s a day to enjoy that translucent, colorful, wobbly, sugary dessert – that the Warden loved as a kid. Unfortunately, Jell-O is not a great option for us canines – due to the sugar content AND more importantly, the fact that it may contain xylitol- which is toxic for us. But there ARE other options for us – check out these recipes:

https://moderndogmagazine.com/gelatintreats

Today is also something called Etch-A-Sketch Day. Remember that crazy toy that was a screen with two knobs? You turned the knobs to create a line and you could draw pictures with it. If you shook the thing, the picture disappeared. The Warden says her pictures never went beyond basic stick drawings but if you Google Etch-A-Sketch art, you’ll see that some people can produce some pretty intricate drawings.

We also found an article that compared using an Etch-A-Sketch to dog training! Check it out!!!

http://www.barkavenueplaycare.com/news/tuesdays_tail141021.html

I can certainly relate to getting all shook up! My normal state of life is frenzied!!!

Well, time to hit the street – and dodge the slugs on the sidewalk. They are EVERYWHERE after a rainy day. Let’s see how many we can bring inside- I just love to hear the warden say “Ewwwwwwwwwww.”

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. stay safe. JBJ

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here on a sunny Sunday. We’ve been having lots of sunshine in the past few days and the temperatures have been hot enough to fry a biscuit on the sidewalk. Mind you, no biscuit around here sits on the sidewalk long enough to get crispy.

All kinds of tidbits to share today. First, let’s start with the Boss….

As you know, he was diagnosed by a cardiologist in 2019 as having not one but two heart issues. The treatment that was decided upon was medication. He gets three pills a day – in homemade pill pockets. No problem taking them AT ALL. Anyway, it was time for the vet to renew his prescriptions – so she wanted to see him for a general exam. She checked his eyes, and ears and felt his belly. She checked his lumps and bumps and then gave a very good listen to his heart. The Warden always holds her breath while the vet listens. She listened. And listened. And listened. And she checked the Boss’ records to see what he was like the least time. Drumroll…. No change! No news is good news!!!! She said whatever we are doing – keep it up. So that was fantastic.

Now he DID have one itsy bitsy teeny problem, though. The ongoing reoccurring goopy ears. Likely due to my detailed cleaning procedure. So he got new drops. As soon as the Warden put them in, I had to give them a taste while she was out of the room. Busted when she came back. She said she wonders how many times in a day she says “Wojtek- LEAVE it.” What can I say – I was just inspecting her work!

In other news- I entered my first CARO rally trials yesterday- and drumroll- I qualified in both! You have to score 170 points out of 200 to pass. In my first trial, I scored a respectable 194. In my second trial, after I helped the Warden to be less nervous (honestly- why she stresses I don’t know! I don’t stress. I mean it’s not like this is the Olympics or anything!) , I scored a 198. One crooked sit and something that I was slow to respond at cost us the two points. The Warden was THRILLED. But get this – in this type of rally you can get treats at certain stations. Unlike AKC and CKC rally where there are no treats. One might think that this is easier because you get rewards. However – not really. Because in some ways it’s tougher. Some of the rules are very particularly about position and you can fail for a misstep. So it’s fun – but challenging!

I should mention in our first trial that the Warden was generous with the treats. But trial 2? She forgot. Really. There were 4 opportunities to pay me for my hard work – and she totally forgot. I have so much more training to do with her…

I go back today and I’m in two more trials. I need one pass to attain my Novice title. ANYTHING can happen – so paws crossed it goes well!

What else…..oh – how about a really good news dog story. Get out your Kleenex for this one…

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Living/family-credits-12-year-dog-saved-euthanasia-saving/story?id=100768919

We dogs know JUST the right time to come into your lives. You’re welcome!

OK. Gotta get the treat bag ready. Hopefully the Warden won’t be so stingy today. I worked with her a bit last night and indicated when I wanted to be rewarded. Let’s hope she remembers today!

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

July 4. It’s Independence Day in the United States. The Warden is both a Canadian AND a US citizen so we get to celebrate another national birthday. I’m also a dual – because I was born in New Jersey – so I’m in charge of the BBQ. Sure I am…

We have a bit of a confession. This blog post is partly a rerun. Given that we have literally written several thousand blog posts, we feel it’s ok sometimes to plagiarize our own work. So this 4th of July message is written by both me and Viktor…

So in honor of all things American – time to look at those dog breeds that came from the US. When we went to research this topic, we were surprised how many there were. But many of them we had never heard of. Like the Alaskan Klee Kai. It looks kind of like a Malamute or Siberian Husky. It’s in the Rare Breed Category. And there are others in that Rare Breed bunch – the Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog, the King Shepherd , Olde English Bulldogge, Shiloh Shepherd, and the Chinook to name a few.

Besides these lesser known breeds, there are lots of very familiar breeds who call the US their home – the Alaskan Malamute, American Staffordshire Terrier, the American Foxhound, American Water Spaniel, Boykin Spaniel, Australian Shepherd, Black and Tan Coonhound, Treeing Walker Coonhound, Bluetick Coonhound, Plott Hound, Redbone Coonhound, Boston Terrier, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, American Cocker Spaniel, and the American Eskimo Dog. Those Coonhound varieties really seem to be prevalent.

I think we need one – a raccoon keeps digging in our lawn. I bet if we had a coonhound, it woudn’t happen.

No doubt many of these breeds had ancestors in other countries – and they immigrated to America.  The US is a melting pot of people – and I’m sure the same is true with us canines!

We’re also sure we’re missing some breeds – forgive us if we’re missing your favorite.

We wonder if all these breeds like Apple Pie, grits, macaroni and cheese, Clam chowder, lobster rolls, Buffalo Wings, hotdogs, Philly Cheese Steaks, chocolate chip cookies and baked beans. Our guess is, they probably WOULD like most of those American dishes – but they probably shouldn’t eat many of them – without some unfortunate dietary upset.

And speaking of dietary issues – the Coyote seems to FINALLY be feeling back to normal. Well- as normal as a squeaky-for-no-reason sensitive, observant, unique, independent, Picard can be. Said the barky, observant, independent, sometimes stubborn PON.

Had a good session with the Borzoi babes this morning. Those chicks like treats and are excellent at nosing their way into training bags. Gotta love a nosy chick.

So have a fabulous day and Happy Independence Day to all my American friends and family. Have a hotdog on me!

Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy here wishing you a Happy Canada Day! Even if you don’t live in the Great White North, you are welcome to have a Molson’s and a plate of poutine and celebrate along with us!

Actually I’m thinking,though, that we may be skipping the poutine. I’m thinking it might be a bit rich for us canines. Oh and speaking of eating…. remember how I was talking about the Coyote and how he was eating everything lately ? And how he was happy about it? I should not have said a word. Poor guy has had a couple of pukey moments the past few days. He’s still hungry – and happy – but he tossed his biscuits three times in the past 5 days. Once was a pile of grass. Eeeeewwwwww.

The Warden thinks he may have a little case of gastroenteritis- the fancy term for an upset stomach. And she’s feeling like she may know why…. On Monday she had a steak for dinner – and there was fat along the edges- which she cut off. Everybody got a couple of bites in with their dinner – and being the bigger guy – he got a bit more. The problem began the next day. Otherwise, other “systems” are working just fine. She’ll keep an eye on him – and hopefully he’ll be fine today.

Back to Canada Day….we know you’re interested in Canadian dog breeds – and although we have talked about them in the past – we found a new article. Read it carefully- there may be a quiz coming up. Didn’t you hate when your teachers said that….

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/dog

We must confess – our annual photo is a repeat from last year. We’ve had days of rain- and although we had a tiny break yesterday-the Warden was lucky to get a few shots without flags. Or headgear.

She didn’t push her luck with flags. She Warden said we all look a bit wild ( more wild than usual) with our humid hair. If she thinks WE look wild, perhaps she had better look in the mirror. You know it’s bad when your phone face ID doesn’t recognize you…

This moist weather has brought out the slimiest creatures on the face of the planet. The slugs. They seem to be everywhere and we have to watch that we don’t bring in any hitchhikers in on our coats. I’m not exactly sure what slugs are good for. They eat plants – and leave a gross slime trail on sidewalks. We WISH the birds would eat them- but we don’t see any evidence of that. Now I’m a nature lovin” guy – and we should be respectful of all creatures – but I’m thinking that there are a few creatures the world would not miss…ticks, black flies, mosquitoes and slugs. Yuck.

Otherwise , things have been quiet at the asylum. One funny story- on Tuesday night when the Coyote had his first episode of tbe pukeys, his stomach was REALLY grumbling when we went to bed. The warden shut off the lights to sleep, but it was like there was a washing machine on in the bedroom. So here it was – midnight and she got dressed and went to take him for a walk. It was a foggy, misty, dark night and they went up the road with her wearing her trusty head lamp. The Coyote just trotted along- happy to be out.

The organic garbage pick up was the text morning – so the giant green bins were out at the end of driveways. They passed one or two, and the Warden aborted the Coyote’s attempts to pee on them. It was quiet. And really the perfect scene for some Stephen King horror film. Just as they were about 20 feet from another green bin, “something” heard them – flipped open the lid and jumped out. Both the Warden and the Coyote jumped. They didn’t get a clear look because it was so dark and foggy, but best bets are that it was a trash panda. Also known as a raccoon.

The Coyote and the Warden looked at each other and decided to turn around and retreat back home. The Coyote kept looking over his shoulder- which was not particularly reassuring for the Warden. They were both happy to return to the haunting sounds of the PONs of the Baskervilles – I initiated the chorus because I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t going for a walk too!!!!

It was lights out when they returned…

Anyway, have a Happy Canuck Day, eh – wherever you are!

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