Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy here on what is Thanksgiving weekend in the USA. Days to be thankful and to eat EVERY morsel put in front of you – because you’re grateful for the food on your table. And let’s not forget being thankful for your canine “kids”.   To show your appreciation, make sure you share your Thanksgiving meal. At least the parts we CAN eat. Like plain mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and turkey without the skin, bones or stuffing. Rolls are fine too…

We’re in Canada and although the Warden and I are dual citizens, of both the US and Canada, our Thanksgiving celebrations were pretty low key this year. Although she did share some of her baked potato the other night. Even the Coyote was excited about that!

The Coyote continues to do well – and the Warden took the scary step of actually weighing him.  She held him in her arms while she stood on the bathroom scale. And IF her calculations are correct (keeping in mind that math is not her strong suit) it APPEARS he has gained 5-6 lbs!!!! Which is about half of what he lost when this  whole health thing began! 

So he’s got an appetite and is eating better – although he DOES still retain his Picky Picard attitude.  For example, dinner time he will eat half his food. So then the Warden offers the rest near bedtime. Some days he gobbles it down – and others, he says “meh.”  BUT – he WILL eat bread, or dehydrated sweet potatoes after he refuses his meal. So he’s clearly being picky. Which means – he’s almost back to himself!  He is back to playing Humpty Dumpty with me – so I know he’s feeling better.  But please don’t let those “healing vibes” and prayers stop – because we are so aware that anything can happen with this illness. But for now – we are THANKFUL!!!

Our house was TOTAL chaos yesterday. I mean more than the normal daily chaos. We had extra insulation installed in our attic. Not that we didn’t HAVE insulation – but we just needed more – because of the age of our house. 

Anyway, the insulation guys were supposed to arrive between 8:00AM and 8:30AM. Which meant we all needed to get up at 6:00 AM and do our daily walks in the dark before they arrived. Good thing we did. The guys arrived at 7:30 AM. Well. The chorus greeting was probably heard within a 5KM radius. And THEN – when they started walking overhead in the attic – we continually needed to sound the alarm. NOBODY is ever up in our attic – so we kept listening and warning them to vacate the premises.  They didn’t listen – so the Warden had a less-than relaxing breakfast. Our breakfasts were fine – we could ignore the trespassers while eating. We could ignore a colony of rabbits and a flock of sheep while eating. Even a clowder of cats. (The Boss gave me those group names. Clearly I didn’t think them up!)  Well – we PONs definitely could ignore those distractions while eating. The Coyote – he still doesn’t need anything to distract him during mealtime.  Food is, and always will be, a necessary evil in his mind. Poor guy.

But back to the insulation guys. When they were almost done, one guy came in the hallway – on the other side of a strategically placed gate and remarked “what lovely dogs.” “Yeah” the Warden said, “just don’t try to pet the grey one. He’s unpredictable.”  Me? Unpredictable? Just because I ricochet off people without warning, I’m unpredictable? Just because I might attempt to nibble someone’s fingers in an attempt to protect my home and loved ones?  Unpredictable?  Sometimes I get no respect.

Now that Thanksgiving is over – tradition says that the Christmas season has officially begun. You can ignore the fact that the Dollar Store has had both Christmas and Halloween items out at the same time for months.

Anyway, I’ve been searching for items to put on my Christmas list. And I found this article with lots of suggestions:

https://blog.homesalive.ca/dog-blog/top-christmas-gifts-for-dogs

One can skim through and find all kinds of kinds of ideas for gifts. But Santa, if you’re reading this – there’s a few things you need to know…

Anything stuffed is a no-go in this household. That “adorable” box of stuffed doughnuts wouldn’t be nearly as adorable 5 minutes after we got ahold of them. This is the destructo household. We have the curious minds of forensic pathologists. We NEED to see what’s inside. No stuffy is safe in this house. Skip the adorable doughnuts and anything else on the list that can be shredded. ANYTHING.

Those mental stimulation, educational toys fall flat here. The guys got three different types a few years ago – before yours truly arrived. They are still taking up valuable real estate in the closet. Educational toys require attention and patience. Are those words you would use to describe anyone in THIS household? I rest my case.

Now everyone in this house enjoys a good odor-free bully stick.  But as for the “long lasting” Monster sticks – I’m here to tell you they are all the same to me. Yeah – those sticks that are supposed to last for “hours” – it’s 20 minutes for yours truly with a 12 inch Monster.  The Warden usually puts a timer on – so we get to enjoy the $11.99 treats for more than a day. We all start out the same and after 10 minutes, mine is down to 6” while the other guys are still at 8-10”.  So they get rotated the next day, with me getting the longest one. The Warden calls bully sticks manna from heaven because they give her 10 minutes of freedom. 

So Santa – keep odor-free bully sticks on the Warden’s list. Note I am emphasizing ODOR-FREE. Ewwwwww-eeeee the regular ones stink. At least the Warden says they do. All the same to us. 

The Beef Esophagus looks interesting- but that’s a 3 minute treat for me. Hardly worth the expense. And the Yak cheese chews – sure they last longer. But the Warden calls them Yak Crack because they are so hard- she envisions the associated dental bills. That’s why there are no yummy antlers in this house any more. And why the Boss has a broken canine tooth. Actually, two broken canines. We are not gentle eaters.

Tug toys are always good. As long as I win. 

Any of those indestructible rubber toys are boring. There. I’ve said it. Non-toxic, FDA approved- what’s the fun in that?

We guys laughed hysterically at the thought of the Warden making DIY dog toys. Can. You. Imagine. She would work for hours and we would have them destroyed in 5 minutes. Hardly worth the effort. 

I’ll continue to look for gift lists. I still have lots of time to email my wishes to Santa. Treats are always a sure bet. Not long lasting- but nothing is.

OK. Time to walk the Warden. If you have any great suggestions for my wish list, send them my way. But no clothing. Thanks but no thanks.

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

Howdy blogaroos. Clean, fluffy Squirmy here. And WHY am I clean and fluffy? Because the Warden looked at me and said I look like a sheepdog who has been living with sheep- but in the woods. My feet were brown, my coat was covered in bits of branches and leaves and my face looked as if I had been munching on sheep morsels. Not to mention the fact that my aroma was somewhere between “Christmas pine” and “stagnant puddle.” So yesterday was a bath day for yours truly. And I survived.

And speaking of survival, the Warden is counting her lucky stars today…

Each morning, the Warden and the Boss get up and she gives him his medication. Then she grabs a biscuit, opens the front door and lets him out for a quick pee. He’s quick about it because he wants that biscuit.

This morning it was still dark, and the Warden forgot one very important thing. Her glasses. She opened the door, and as usual, the Boss headed left for the lawn. But it was then that the Warden noticed that not 20 feet in front of her, on the driveway, appeared to be “something”. But it was dark and she didn’t have her glasses. As she squinted, her brain finally woke up – and the shape of the dark “thing” began to register. She stepped out of the doorway and waved the treat for the Boss – praying he would not notice “the thing” which appeared to be moving away. Good thing he’s so food driven AND at 13 years 10 months, his eyesight could use glasses like the Warden. He ran to her as she tossed the treat inside and slammed the door. She then peeked out, squinting in the dark. Sure enough – “the thing” was moving away. The Boss had come within 20 feet (or less) of a porcupine. Talk about dodging a bullet. Or should I say, dodging some quills. Lesson learned- glasses on and no more off leash pees in the dark. Ever.

In other news, I had class yesterday after a few week hiatus because our coach had a well-earned holiday. And truth be told, she wasn’t the only one on a break. Our training had a bit of a slow down the past few weeks, so the Warden was a bit nervous that I would be rusty in class. But I’m here to tell you I was actually above my usual mediocre performance. I was actually pretty darn OK. I guess a break can be a good thing.

The Coyote continues to eat, pee, poop, drink, bark and wrestle with yours truly. So to sum it up, he’s doing well. Very well considering everything he’s been through. Keep those positive healing thoughts and prayers coming – they have REALLY worked!!!

According to the crazy calendar, today is Guinness World Records Day. And Guinness is currently investigating some recent claims about a dog that they proclaimed to be the World’s Oldest Dog. Bobi was a dog living in Portugal – and I think we talked about him before. He reportedly celebrated his 31st birthday in May. Sadly, a few weeks ago, he went to the Rainbow Bridge. It is understandable that people around the globe were thrilled to hear about a 30+ year old canine. Everyone wanted to know Bobi’s secrets to his longevity. Did he eat special food? Did he take supplements? Did he drink filtered spring water from the Andes? Did he go to the groomer regularly? Did he go to the gym? Did he have a personal trainer. Nope. Bobi had the life of a regular dog. Eating table scraps and wandering freely around his home and property. Seems like a pretty good life to me.

And although Guinness has pretty strict rules for confirming their World Records, it seems there is some skepticism about whether or not Bobi really was 31 years old. One veterinarian likened it to having a 200 year old human. While the Warden says she sometimes feels like 200, she’s not quite there yet. Although as Viktor used to say, she knew Caesar. The original one – not the TV dog training guy.

Anyway, whether or not Bobi was 31 or 21- people were still sad to hear he was gone. Unless we canines live as long as you humans, our time with you is never long enough. But we add an extra special element to your life – that make it so worth it. Despite the fact that the Warden says I have taken years OFF her life. Just kidding. Sort of. Bottom line – enjoy every cuddly, wagging tail, happy.-to-see-you, watch-your-every-move, giant licks moment. We certainly do. And remember those song lines from Canadian band, Trooper (with a little improv on my part), “ We’re here for a good time – not a long time- so have a good time…and go walk you dog today.”

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

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here. Bright and early today. And why are we up bright and early? Because once upon a time, some dudes who must have had nothing better to do, sat around and said – hey, we have an idea that is so simple but can totally screw up lots of people all at once. Let’s move the clocks! Just because. Well- I’m sure there was a reason, but nowadays it seems like most people don’t think it’s a great idea. Sure. In the fall it means you get to sleep in an extra hour. UNLESS you are owned by dogs. Yeah – we canines don’t look at the clock. We feel the rumbling in our stomachs for breakfast- and we are UP. So we had the Warden up and walking us at 6AM. By 7:15 we had all been walked and fed. And then we were ready for a little nap. Pity she was too wide awake to take one.

So what’s new at the asylum? Well Sue and Keith abandoned us on Thursday. They were supposed to depart on Wednesday, but on Wednesday we had our first snowfall of the year, so they decided to wait. We did get a few inches of wet snow – but it’s now all gone. We hated to see them go. The Coyote will miss both of them – but I really think he is going to miss his running buddy, Keith. Every morning, we all went for our walks together. And because the Coyote is feeling better, he really likes to trot along the road. And if he trotted, Keith would run alongside him. They were always way ahead of us on walks. Particularly if the Boss was on a protest walk. He has never liked wet conditions and the older he gets, the more he protests. He walks like he’s in a funeral procession. So on moist days, you had the Coyote trotting way ahead, me in second place like a hummingbird on speed zigzagging with my nose to the ground, and in last place the sack of potatoes. Now on crisp cool days, the Boss easily kept up with me. But the Coyote was always in the lead.

The Warden was worried that when Sue and Keith left that the Coyote would be really out of sorts. We know he doesn’t do well with change. And while we are all sad, and he misses them, it thankfully hasn’t affected his appetite. Sometimes we almost hate to say anything- for fear of jinxing things – but we believe that the power of your prayers and good wishes outweighs the power of jinx. Whatever jinx is. Anyway, we are now two months past his initial diagnosis, and besides being skinny, he is doing great! He’s eating a bit more and more. For the past week he has met or exceeded his calorie goal. Now he needs to keep exceeding it – to put on some weight. But it’s coming. Keep those healing energies coming.

Halloween here saw a grand total of three super cute kids. Our neighbors across the road. It’s a good thing that the Warden prepared for 80 kids. With all the treats that she so happens to like.

According to the crazy calendar, today is National Donut Appreciation Day. So in honor of this day, here are a few recipes for your dog:

https://www.ifyougiveablondeakitchen.com/dog-donuts/

https://www.cookiedoughandovenmitt.com/apple-peanut-butter-dognuts-6/

We told the Warden that she should make us these since she has an extra hour today, and nothing else to do in that time. She said she has no donut pan. As if we care about the shape. I think that’s just a cop out.

Now that the pumpkins have been properly peed upon outside, it’s ALMOST time to start decorating for Christmas. Soon the assortment of elves and Santas and angels and Baby Jesuses will start appearing along with the moaning and groaning of the Warden as she moves 482 boxes, and we inspect each one. Good times. Gotta start thinking of my list for Santa. I’m putting a donut pan on the Warden’s list.

The Warden says this is her favorite time pre-Christmas. When stores are stocked with things you don’t need – and they are neat and tidy. In a few weeks, the shelves become a disaster – looking like a pack of puppies has been let loose. Enjoy it while you can.

OK. Time to make the most of this extra hour.

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