So while I’m getting ready to write my letter to the guy in red, I started thinking about my human.  She’s kind of busy, so I thought I should write her letter for her.  So here goes…

Dear Santa.

My name is Linda.  I have been relatively good this year.  I say relatively because I COULD have probably given my wonderful dogs more treats – but I promise to do that next year.  I will be retired as of February so I also promise to walk them more. 

Because I share my life with three amazing canines who are always well behaved, I have a number of items I would LOVE to find under my tree on Christmas morning.  Here we go…

1.  Lint rollers.   Everyone owned by dogs never has enough of these. I love lint rollers Santa.  Please bring me a BIG pack. 
2.  Paper towel.  For frequent spills, and the occasional muddy paws.
3.  Poop bags.   Although my current supply is plentiful, one can NEVER, EVER have too many.
4.  A new grooming apron.  Don’t worry if you can’t get this one…
5.  Batteries.   Triple A.  For my headlamp that I use while walking my dogs in a dark.  Better yet Santa, a rechargeable one would be nice….
6.  Vacuum cleaner bags. We go through these like poop bags.  
7.  Environmentally safe non-toxic cleaning supplies.  Because I only want to expose my boys to safe products.
8.  New pillowcases.  Several sets.
9.  Sandpaper and black paint.  To repair some chairs in the dining room that one of my wonderful boys used for a wood craft project.
10. Heavy duty black thread.  For repairs to the dining room carpet. There has not been damage lately, but let’s face it Santa, it’s just a matter of time.  Might as well throw in a spare carpet while you are at it.
11.  Earplugs.   Because one of my sweet boys likes to bark.  A lot.
12.  Another set of mittens with a long string.  So I don’t have to juggle mittens, poop bags, and leashes on cold winter mornings.
13.  Treats.   LOTS of tasty treats.  I love to reward my good boys – so please Santa, bring me lots of treats.  LOTS.  And you don’t need to leave them under the tree in the DFZ.  Please feel free to leave them on a chair in the dining room.  That would be perfect.

Safe travels.  All the best.
Linda

Is that not the PERFECT letter?   She will be so happy I wote it for her.  I hope she gets what “she” asked for…

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!
Seizure free days: 12 

So today is December 6 – and it’s Saint Nicholas day.  Saint Nicholas of Myra who was a bishop in 270 AD in what is now Turkey, was known for being an all around good guy, and he was said to be responsible for many miracles.  Among many good works that he did, he was also known for secret gift giving. He is the patron saint of children, sailors, fishermen, pharmacists and pawnbrokers.  The connection escapes me there – but this much I know- in many countries, his feast day is celebrated with gift giving and it’s a big holiday.  

Well by now, everyone has seen the touching photos of Service dog Sully, a yellow Labrador Retriever, lying in front of the casket of former President George W. Bush, who passed away last weekend.  A somber but fitting tribute to mark a mission completed.  BUT – Sully’s mission is not over.  He is not ready for retirement yet. He will be having a new role working with wounded veterans at Walter Reed National Miltary Medical Center in Maryland.  He will be working with other dogs to assist military members in their physical and occupational therpy programs.  Sully has his own Instagram account (sullyhwbush) and Facebook page if you want to follow his new adventures.  I’m sure Sully is sad to have lost his partner – but no doubt he will bring happiness and lots of assistance to many others in his future.  Sully – we salute you!

Now that our home is decorated, we realize the next thing on the list will be grooming and “photo” shoots.  Which have not yet taken place. I don’t know what she is waiting for – might as well get it over with.

As for our list – I’m thinking hard about what to put on it.  I do have a recommendation (a Vik-advisor recommendation) though, for those dogs looking for a bed.  My long-term blog readers will recall that we used to go through dog beds in this house almost as quickly as we went through poop bags.  OK. Maybe not THAT quickly.  But we did have a NUMBER of beds through the years.  Even those beds that say they are chew-proof.  Not in this house.  BUT – there is ONE bed that has stood the test of time.  The Kuranda elevated bed.  https://kuranda.com/   We have had this bed since the time of Paxton.  And while someone did chew the straps on the cushion that was on the bed, when my human removed the cushion, we still continued to use the bed – and have done NOTHING to it.  Even with Einstein’s crazy “nesting” behavior where he scratches it like he is digging a foxhole,  it is STILL in great shape. 

Part of the reason I wanted to give this bed a plug is because I SEE that there is now a competitor on the market.  Now that MAY be a great bed – but the Kuranda was the first one out there.  You can even donate beds to shelters through them.  And no – I am NOT getting any perks from Kuranda for this plug – I just like to pass on info about good products.   If a product can survive THIS household – it HAS to be good.

Speaking of bed – time to take a snooze while I pass on guard duty to the FG.  He’ll be sure to alert us about every blowing leaf.  That – or his reflection in the glass door.  

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 10 

So every year we go through the week long agony of Christmas decorating. It’s agony for us because all we can do is sit and watch.  My human has been known for creating a “Christmas explosion” while we just roll our eyes. What’s the point of having trees indoors if you can’t pee on them?!

Did you ever have a plan that you visualize before it happens?  This idea of how something should turn out.  And it’s all rosy and happy and full of sunshine and rainbows. And it SHOULD be a great idea. 

Her name is Indi!!! Yup – my niece will hereby go forward as Indi – one of the names I suggested!!! Short for Individual.  And she is living up to her moniker.

And here she is with her Mom……

She has a black dot on her head.  That’s her crown.  Because she is a princess.  Princess Indi.    Has a nice ring….

Before my human became ill last weekend, she went shopping.  To the dreaded Dollar Store.  And of course you KNOW what that means at this time of the year.  Antlers. I’m not talking about the kind you chew on.  No.  I’m talking the kind you wear.  I can’t actually believe that she would buy MORE – I’m certain she has the set from last year. All I know is that the bag was big.  That’s never a good sign.  And she has no big plans for the weekend…..  I’m feeling a photo shoot in our future.  And then she wonders why we retaliate and eat her pillowcases…

So it’s December 1.  And the countdown begins.  My human saw this cool Advent Calendar for dogs on the internet – where you got a treat for each day.  But with shipping, the thing was going to cost something like $60.   She said we can buy quite a few BOXES of treats with $60.  We are not getting the calendar. 

The countdown is also on for the big reopening of the AKC Museum of the Dog in New York City  slated for early 2019.  The museum moved from St. Louis – where it was housed for 30 years.  Anyway, while sniffing around on their Facebook page, I came across AKC TV – which I hate to confess, I didn’t know even existed.  It has info about purebred dogs – and some cool historical videos in a series called Bud Buccone in the Doghouse.  Of course his name had to be Bud.  Here’s one about a skeleton.  Yes. A skeleton.  But it’s an interesting story:

https://akc.tv/watch/19/1361/video-3/belgrave-joe/?ctx=%2Fwatch%2F%2F4%2F1224%2Fseries%2Fbud-buccone-in-the-dog-house&fbclid=IwAR3ZPCysnA3AzjjjueJy4e6pyv1Zuq0eqSNMQ8fHa-2QRylYamWD8fA-SKQ

Below that story you will also see some other short videos.  You can also learn about different breeds on the site and some breeds even have videos.  I see the Picard has a video.  But the PON does not.  Who do I talk to about that?  I’ll make a video for them.  Sure I will.  Anyway, it’s resource I thought you might find interesting. 

It’s Saturday.  Long walks.  Lots of fetching.  And we all have a pact – Say NO to ANTLERS.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
 Seizure free days: 6

My human was looking at Instagram the other day. She doesn’t follow many sites, because REALLY – who has the time.   Now mind you – she is STILL attempting to go viral with one of her photos one day (of US) but given that we only have 234 Followers we are hardly in the viral category.   Once you have like a gazillion Followers you can actually make money posting photos.  I hope I live that long.  Anyway, one site she follows is National Geographic.  And she saw this interesting photo of butterfly catchers in Central Africa.  Who KNEW that the butterfly trade is big business in some parts of the world?  Some estimate that as much as hundreds of millions of dollars are traded each year.  Some of it is legit and is done through conservation efforts – but as in anything, there is also an underground trade in butterflies for rare species.  Lepidopterists (butterfly collectors) will pay good money for some species – like the Papilio bluenei which lives on an Indonesain Island and can easily sell for a hundred dollars.  A lot of people are into conservation, more than collecting, yet there still exists an obvious active market in the delicate winged beauties.

So WHAT does this have to do with dog poop you are asking.  Well – if you go to this site and scroll through the slideshow – you will see how we canines fit in to the equation.  You will also see how people can make art with butterfly wings.
https://widerimage.reuters.com/story/the-butterfly-hunters

So. Dog poop is used to attract butterflies.  At least in Central Africa.  Who knew?  I can’t say I have ever noticed butterflies on our poop – mind you, it usually ends up in one of the HANDLED poop bags pretty quickly – so the insects don’t have a chance to stop by.   I’ll have to do an experiment next spring.  I’m not planning to collect any of them – I can’t imagine killing one.  And the thought of glass cabinets full of dusty butterfly wings hanging on the walls in this house is beyond comprehension.  We have too much junk already.  Except for our fetch toys and bones and chew toys… Those we need more of.

So that’s your lepidoptery lesson for today. How many of you knew the connection between dog poop and butterflies??   We dogs REALLY are amazing.  Even our poop is valuable.  Now maybe my human can start selling THAT……

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 5

For example, my human has been pretty much a slug the past few days – although I am VERY happy to report that she is feeling MUCH better.  MUCH better.  And while we PONs were feeling sad that she was not exactly her usual self, the FG was REALLY sad.  He moped around like someone stole his favorite fetch toy.  Even when she fed him, he looked sadly at his food.  It was actually kind of spooky  – he was imitating her behavior.  Of course we PONs on the other hand dove into our food without a second of hesitation.   No sympathetic non-eating from us guys.

In fact yesterady, to get him feeling more excited, she had him do a little obedience routine before he ate.  Because at first he just stood there in a trance.   She came over and started his routine.  Which is pretty limited because his favorite thing to do is sit.  She told him to sit and he threw himself into  a sitting position.  She called him to come to her.  He ran over.  She told him to down and he threw himself on the floor.  A couple more sits and comes and he dove into his meal. He is clearly going to be better now that my human is better – she just had to show him that all is again right with our little world.

Meanwhile, my niece is demonstrating true PON behavior.  She is gaining weight daily.  Heck, she gained 31g in less than 24 hours after she was born.  She loves to eat.  AND get this – she is VERY vocal.   Didn’t I joke about that?!  Yup – she has inherited her father’s ability to strongly voice her opinion.  Perfect.

My human has started the Christmas explosion, although she thinks she may tame it down a bit this year.   We’re fine with that.  Less time decorating means more time for walks.

And speaking of walks, time for our morning constitutional. 

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 4

Thanks from my human for all the get well wishes.  She went to work yesterady or should I say she dragged herself to work yesterday.  She had too many things going on – so she couldn’t cancel everything.  Clearly she didn’t ask our opinion about it.