Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy here to brighten your Thursday. Because let’s face it, for people who are working, Thursday is just Thursday. It’s not the dreaded Monday. Not is it Wednesday- which is hump day. And it’s not quite Friday. So we are here today to provide a thrilling Thursday.

See the puppy in the photo? Isn’t he cute? And do you know what breed he is? He’s a Norwich terrier! And his name is Rowan. And he’s the BEST!!!

But now we admit the Click Bait. Nope – he’s not living here in the asylum. He’s living with our Old English Sheepdog buddy, Declan -and with a “seasoned” Boston Terrier by the name of Leroy. His new jailers- Allan and Heather are in for some good times with the new addition. The Warden went over to meet him on day 2 – and said he’s so comfortable in their home – it’s like he’s been there forever! The Warden said he’s SUPER smart. Apparently that’s a trait of terriers. Just like PONs. And… OK – Picards are smart too – they just don’t always choose to demonstrate it. The Warden says Picards are like the kid in class, who before the exam says they didn’t have time to study, and they don’t know the material, but they ace the exam. Mind you, they turn it in 5 minutes late, because they were still “thinking.”

Anyway, the Warden smelled like terrier when she got home – and we went crazy. We literally sniffed off ANY scent of puppy that was on her body.

We are looking forward to hearing all about the adventures of Rowan – and we are SURE there will be many!

As a puppy postscript- for those wondering if a third musketeer will be added to our ranks – the answer is a sad, but firm “no.” The Warden has lived with a household of three canines for MANY years – but she says it won’t be happening this time. Because the Coyote has ongoing health needs – she says he counts as 1.5 dogs. And with my bigger than life attitude, I count as 1.5 dogs. So we’re hypothetically a household of 3 canines. Remember though, that math isn’t her strong suit.

Meanwhile, here in the asylum, the Coyote has decided potatoes are now boring. He has unfortunately, once again, become reacquainted with the practice of force feeding. Oh – it’s not that he won’t eat ANYTHING. In fact, if you call him into the kitchen and offer him a bite of potato, he’ll eagerly eat it. In fact he’ll eat two pieces. Three… But put the potato in with his vet diet food (which he happily ate last month), and he shoves the bowl around and tries to hide it in the closet. Oh. And after his force feeding ritual, he’ll happily eat biscuits or freeze dried sweet potatoes. Or blueberries. Go figure.

The crazy (but good thing) is that his weight is excellent, his energy is great, and he’s a happy guy all around. Except for mealtime. Back to the drawing board!

The Warden signed up for an interesting veterinary webinar series all about Canine Kidney Disease. If you’re interested in a variety of veterinary topics, you can join in the webinars for a very reasonable fee. She’s attending 4 sessions for less than the cost of a SMALL bag of dog food! You can check out their presentations under the Continuing Education link at

https://search.app/dQG8ZNtrgzHJzy5e6

The info is designed for vets, but pet owners are welcome to attend. The Warden said some of the info in the first session was “a bit” over her head – BUT she did learn some things about blood pressure and Kidney disease – and she can now ask our vet some questions about one of the 100 meds the Coyote is on. Our poor vet…. Arm a pet owner with a bazooka full of info and the vet will feel like they’ve been bombarded. Ah for the good old pre-internet days….

What else… Oh – Happy First Day of Summer! AND the longest day of the year!!! We got the Warden up extra early so we can enjoy every minute of daylight. And it’s going to be a HOT first day of summer. We were back from our almost 3 Km walk before 7 AM. It will be too hot later to do much of anything so it was good we got our exercise in early. Carpe Diem. Which I think means “early breakfast.” Or something like that.

We know that lots of places are experiencing high temperatures right now. Here’s an important article about heat and us canines:

https://www.vets-now.com/summer/your-dog-walking-temperature-guide/

Hey. Do you know what movie was released on this day in 1975? Here’s a clue. This is the theme music. Do do (pause) do do (pause) do do (pause) do do do do do do do do…..

Here’s another clue. It’s about an ocean dwelling creature.

Surely with those clues you know it was Jaws. And did you know that I still have my nickname- the Shaggy Shark. Wojtek is my name – and biting is my game. My obsessive use of my teeth begins at the crack of dawn. I put 2 feet on the Warden’s bed and stare into her face. She”ll groan “good morning” and will scratch my ears. And the minute she stops- I start using my pearly whites. I attempt to bite her hands – OR I grab one of her slippers and make a run for it. Dental communication is in my DNA. The Warden says it’s a good thing the Coyote has such a good temperament. Any other dog would have clobbered me by now with my frenzied play biting. People look at photos of me and say “ oh he’s so cute.” Little do they know – I’m a shark in disguise.

Well, time to find another good spot to lounge. Hope you can stay cool today- and that every minute in this long day is great!

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

Hey blogaroos. Squirmy here to provide news, updates and info about life here in the asylum.

It’s been a bit roller coaster-like the past couple of weeks. First we had the big-eating Coyote- who thought that after 8 years, food was GREAT – if it contained baked potatoes. And all was happy in foodland for several weeks. Until the broken nails….

So all was right in Coyote World. He was eating more than ever, happy as always and ever-ready to wrestle with yours truly. BUT he was licking at his leg. A lot. The Warden examined him and saw that his dew claw had broken and half had lifted off – like a pair of scissors. Yowza. She sent a photo to the vet, and they suggested cutting it back. Well hello. Mr. Don’t-Touch-My-Feet does not allow ANYONE to clip his nails. The Warden can dremel his nails, but she didn’t think that would work in this case. So off to the vet he went.

Now we all know about his dramatic behavior at the vet. He basically needs to be pulled in and then he begins to exhibit a combination of shaking from head to toe and a loud incessant squeaking that is worse than a Saw Whet Owl looking for a mate. (See our previous blog post if you have no idea what we are talking about).

He was SUPPOSED to be seen by a technician and while two techs did initially look at him, they decided the vet should really take a look at it.

The vet (who is quasi-new to our vet clinic) is someone who the Warden knows from WAY back – like in the days when Paxton was in Drill Team. They actually did Drill Team together! The Warden LOVES her – and was so happy when she heard she joined our clinic. Anyway, Dr. L came in, looked at the Coyote, and easily removed the loose piece of his nail with a quick tug. He never even squeaked. So all was again joyful in the Coyote’s world. He gave kisses and tail wags to everyone in the room, and he went home with instructions to keep the nail clean, keep him from licking it, and watch for signs of infection.

The nail was quickly fine. And all was once again right with the Coyote World. But then…the Warden noticed him licking ANOTHER nail. Sure enough – it was also splitting. But it had not separated like the first nail. It was kinda partly split and one piece was overhanging the bottom part. The Warden thought “THIS I can dremel.” Wrongo. One tiny rotary movement and it started bleeding. Off to the vet. AGAIN.

This time he was seen by the techs, who were able to cut back the overhanging piece. They unfortunately said the best thing to do would be bandage it until it grows out a bit more…

So the Coyote is sporting a bandaged foot which is changed daily. He is NOT impressed. And we all know what happens if the Coyote is not impressed or if something changes in his world…he refuses to eat. Yup. He’s on a hunger strike. He runs over to his food dish at meal time, and then says “meh.” He doesn’t even want baked potatoes….

So the Warden has upped her own blood pressure medication. JUST KIDDING. But it IS stressful- especially when he was doing so well…

In other less stressful news, we think there’s been a bear visiting our compost bin. Isn’t it funny that a BEAR is less stressful than the Coyote not eating?! Anyway, a neighbor on the road took a photo of a visiting bruin and our can has been knocked over twice – even though there’s not much in it. He must be really hungry. Wonder if he’d attempt to eat a PON? The Warden says one look at loco me, and he’d run the other direction. See. It pays to be crazy.

What else? Oh yeah – the new plants. So, if you may recall, the Warden gave up on her little vegetable garden the year after I arrived. Probably because I saw it as a FABULOUS place to run and dig. So now her “planting” is limited to a few large pots of annuals she puts by the front door – and in a planter in the middle of the backyard.

A couple of days ago she bought some plants for her planters and a friend dropped off a few as well. She had these giant bags of soil to fill the planters and she worked at it after supper the other day – in the front of the house. The Coyote and I were inside because a. He couldn’t be loose outside in the front of the house because he would take off (bandaged foot and all) and b. I would stay around for awhile, until I got bored, and then I would go bunny hunting. So she was doing her work without supervision. Frodo was her usual supervisor for such projects. He wouldn’t take off. She misses his supervision….even when he was Bossy.

So she fills several planters, and then drags the remaining soil and plants to the backyard planter. Our backyard is fenced. The deck door is open – so the Coyote and I race down to see her.

She puts the plants down and turns to get the bag of soil. At which point, yours truly promptly “waters” the new plants waiting to go into their new home. “Hey” she shouts, just as the Coyote walks by and also attempts to “christen” the newcomers. “Aggghhhhhhh” the Warden screams. Now she gets to plant the wet specimens. Good thing she wears garden gloves.

I’m still going to my obedience classes, though one would never know it at home. Since the Boss is gone, I have totally ramped up my barking. It’s like his barking soul has entered my body. I have a LOT to say. But in class, you’d never know just how maniacal I am at home. I play a good part.

And speaking of talking, have you read the latest research on dog talk? Check it out:

https://search.app/?link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecbsnews%2Ecom%2Famp%2Ftexas%2Fnews%2Fdo%2Ddogs%2Dtalk%2Duta%2Dresearcher%2Dworking%2Dto%2Dfind%2Dout%2F&utm_source=igadl%2Cigatpdl%2Csh%2Fx%2Fgs%2Fm2%2F5

The Warden says if they need subject dogs to get a speech sample, she’ll gladly send me off. She thinks she’s funny.

What else? Oh – the Warden replaced the fabulous magnetic screen door to the deck – because SOMEHOW, it got a hole in it last summer. Don’t look at me. I think it was a faulty screen. Anyway, BEFORE the “L” shaped tear, which I eventually put my head through, the screen was working like a charm. This wasn’t one of those cheapy screens you can buy at the Dollar Store. No. It is made of like space age fiberglass or something. And the price reflected that technology. And it DID work great. Until the L. And then the giant hole. So she bought another one- and put it up. You know that famous saying by Einstein: ‘Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.’ Welcome to our home. Let’s see if this one makes it through the summer. We’re taking bets.

I think that’s it from the asylum. We’ll keep you posted about the Coyote’s apathetic appetite. Paws crossed he gets back on track. But not to worry about food ever being wasted. That’s why every household should have a canine composter aka PON. And some people think that title goes to Labs. Ha! They just don’t know PONs!

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