Author: frodopon

The Saturday Evening Post

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August 4. On this day in 1821, the Saturday Evening Post was first published as a weekly paper. Norman Rockwell was an artist who painted many many covers for the Post.  His realistic depictions of every day life are still admired and loved by many.

Rockwell was a dog lover, and dogs frequently appeared on his covers.  Here’s a site that shows you just a few examples:
Here’s another page with dogs with jobs:
I’m not sure if he ever painted a Picard or a PON. I have more research to do on that!
Well the painting is DONE.  Looks the same to us dogs but apparently it is very different. Yippee. That was said with a sarcastic tone…
So now the latest news – we are getting company on Monday.  A good friend of my human’s is coming from Washington, DC to stay with us for over a week!!!!! And no.  It is not Donald Trump.  Mind you, I did say a “friend.”
No doubt the next 48 hours will involve more cleaning. How is it humans can overlook dust bunnies when they live with them, but get company and the house is cleaned so much it could be a surgical suite. Humans.
Well time to get my human moving for her walk.  I’ll tell you about her walk with the FG the other morning.  It seems my baby brother is really starting to grow up…
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 74

Painting. Yuck.

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Painting.  A new word that in my dog vocabulary is equivalent to “grooming.”  Why?  Because we were sequestered away from the action for HOURS.  Well we started off on the deck where we could actually SEE what was going on, but then Einstein put his head through the screen door to attempt to get a better look inside. I don’t mean around the screen.  I mean through.  That was it.  We were all marched downstairs where we stayed throughout the ENTIRE process. Einstein continually barked out his protest, but my human threatened him with the squirt gun so he settled down.  For a little while anyway. 

Then after they were done, we STILL were not allowed upstairs for about two hours.  We were NOT impressed. Oh and it gets worse.  That was the first coat.  They do it all over again today.
When they were about 1/3 through my human apparently began to panic.  She though she picked the wrong color.  But THANKFULLY, once it dried she loved it. 
As for us dogs, it looks fine to us. Paint colors are not REALLY our thing.  Mind you, my human should have to spend less time cleaning walls – because this is darker color.  Perfect.  More time for walks and games of fetch.
And she can make up for all the time we spent in solitary.  Together.
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 73

Not fair

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6 pocketfuls.  It is just not fair.  That’s what Einstein got yesterday.  6 pocketfuls of kibble. And why?  Because he had to be groomed. And me?  A lousy 2 pocketfuls.  I’m telling you it is just not fair.

My human’s mother always used to say “Don’t put off for tomorrow what you know you can do today.”  Good advice- especially when it comes to grooming PONs.  We have been overdue for a grooming for about two weeks.  My human was working long hours, so by the time she got home, she was too tired and hot to do it.
Well now that she is on vacation, she has no excuse.  I was the first victim.  But as you know, I am very good during grooming.  My biggest talent. And because I am so good, I don’t need CONSTANT rewards to stay still on the table.  Unlike Einstein.  My human took him out to the grooming torture palace aka garage yesterday morning and opened the garage door.  So they would have plenty of fresh air.  She even came in the house and took out a fan to blow right on the grooming table. But you know the drama king.  He would go into a dramatic panting routine every time she started brushing him.  So she would stop and reward him for his agony.  Does anybody else see a problem here?!  Of course as SOON as she stopped bushing, the panting stoppped.  He managed to fake his pain through 6 pocketfuls of kibble.  He has her so well trained.
Meanwhile, the FG has QUICKLY learned that if he goes for a walk on the golf course in the evening, at just the right time, the chef will come out and give him some chicken.  Now he PULLS toward the kitchen door whenever he goes up there.  And heaven forbid the timing isn’t right, my human has to practically drag him home.
Ah yes.  Training dogs and humans.  What an interesting phenomenon…
Paint day today.  Stay tuned for more adventures…
Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 72

Feet

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So here’s an interesting fact.  Ask people what their dog’s feet smell like, and most will respond with the same description- corn chips.  Yup – apparently many people think their dogs have Frito feet.  Supposedly, the smell comes from bacteria that we pick up on the ground and which mixes with sweat between our pads.  It’s not unusual- but if it gets particularly smelly and we are continually licking at our feet, a trip to the Vet might be in order. Trimming hair between our pads can be helpful – but it still can be problematic at times.

Yesterday, Einstein and I had different feet problems.  I called our problem Emerald paws.  You see, when we went for our early morning walk, we met Jackson aka Pig Pen and his human.  They were headed up to the golf course before it opened.  We were happy to run off leash – although I was almost put back on when I discovered some goose poop.  My human convinced me to keep moving.
Anyway, the grass on the course was damp from the morning dew.  And they had just mowed….
After a nice long romp, my human looked at us and realized we had a problem.  Green feet.  Eight emerald colored fuzzy PON feet.  Of course PigPen, the Lab had no problem- he’s black in color, his feet are not fuzzy and besides, he swam in EVERY pond and puddle we passed.  
When we got home, we were each whisked into the garage and the tub.  But let me tell you, wet grass does not easily come out of wet PON fuzz.  Great fun.  Remind me to stay on the cart paths from now on!
Tomorrow begins the painting of the dining room and kitchen.  So that means the furniture gets moved around today.  Can’t WAIT to see what is under that sideboard…
Have a good one!  Peace and paws up!
Seizure free days: 71

Mr. Phelps

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I’ve talked before about the fact that we PONs are not particularly fond of the water.  And then we have the FG who loves it.  In fact loves it so much. He started to scare my human.

Sunday night we were feeling pretty hot.  So after hanging out on the deck for a while, my human decided to take all of us on the trail to the lake.  She let us PONs run free and let the FG run free but on a long line.   He got down to the lake and in he went without giving it a second thought.  My human tossed him a stick which of course he refused to bring back.  Well he would start back with it and then drop it 3 feet from shore. She tossed a few more- with the same results.  Meanwhile the Polish Lowland grazing dogs were munching on grass and watching the entertainment. 
Now usually the FG wades in the water and sometimes goes out to get a stick and has to swim.  So he doesn’t swim for long.  But the other night, something happened.  He started swimming.  Just to swim.  And the next thing my human knew, he was headed away from the shore.  Toward the wide open seas.  OK.  Not the seas.  But toward the middle of the lake.  Which is not close. So my human – who was wearing rubber boots, started calling him.  And he kept swimming.  Away.  So she got in the water with her rubber boots.  I’m not sure why she was even WEARING rubber boots and why she didn’t just take them off and wade in – but she was concentrating on the swimming Picard and wasn’t thinking straight.  Anyway, she called in her sweet, fake “Oh come here little puppy”voice and it worked.  Mr. Phelps-wannabe turned around and headed back to shore.  She cautiously approached him in the water – and grabbed his collar – because the not-so-helpful long line had sunk and was ho longer visible!  She breathed a sigh of relief and he just looked at her as if to say “seriously woman – can’t a guy just go for a swim.  It’s not like we have sharks in our lake.”
Meanwhile, the grazing PONs were suitably full – so we got to race back to the house, watching the wet Picard repeatedly stop to wipe his face in a tree trunk. He is a never ending source of amazement.
Well, I THINK my human is finished with work now until September.  Although she mumbled about some ethics reviews she forgot to do – so she MAY have to do a bit of work today. But at least she’ll be home.  Let the staycation begin!!!
Have a good one!  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 70!!!!!

Friendship

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July 30.  Today, accord the crazy calendar is International Day of Friendship.  And my goodness- the internet has certainly opened up a whole new world of international friends.  On Facebook, for example, when people have common interests like PONs or Picards or antiques or ferrets or sports or cars or porcupines- they can “meet” like-minded individuals from around the world – and can become “friends.” There is no shortage of pet related sites where you can meet “friends” who are interested in training dogs, people who want to talk about dog food,  people who want to talk about showing dogs and people who want to talk about dog health conditions.

There are of course lots of personal dog pages, like mine- and we have made all kinds of “friends “ through my site and my blog.  My human has had the opportunity to actually meet some of these virtual friends from the US, and across England,  the Channel Islands, Scotland, Wales , the Netherlands, and France, (when she went to Crufts).  We will be meeting a virtual Picard buddy in a few weeks who will be visiting Nova Scotia from the US.  We are looking forward to that!!!
I looked at my blog readership the other day, and I see that in addition to the folks listed above, people in the following countries read about our crazy adventures:  Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, South Africa, Poland, Philippines, Peru, Malaysia, Japan, Germany,Australia, Italy and Austria. Some of these are our “friends “ and some are silent lurkers.
If humans are lucky, they have a couple of real, true friends, who can be counted on through thick and thin. It’s important to treasure those individuals.  
And then of course, you humans know who your very best friends are –  us canines!! We are there for you when you are happy, when you are sad, when you are tired, when you take us for a walk, when you come out of the bathroom and when you get up in the morning and look downright scary.  But we don’t care how you look – or what we do- we just like being with you. Because that’s what’s friends are for!!
Happy day to all my international friends- whether or not we have ever even met!  Have a good one!  Peace and paws up!
Seizure free days:  69

Cool old dog stuff

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My human got a gift the other day.  Just because.  No special occasion.  But because she has some good friends who know about her passion for old dog “stuff.” So her friends happened to come upon a yard sale and spotted some things they thought my human might like.  And one of them was this framed photo,

We don’t know who this girl is.  Or exactly how old the photo is – but I am willing to guess it is a few years older than my human.  Which means it is really old.
The girl sure looks like she loves her dog.  And he looks pretty serious about his role as protector.  I’m not sure if the stuff on the floor is dog toys or child toys.  It kind of reminds  me of what our house looks like – so I think they are dog toys. If anyone knows who she is, let me know….
Just think.  Some day a hundred years from now, somebody will find 25,000 photos of two PONs and a Picard, and will wonder who they were. And why the human took SO many photos!  That’s probably an underestimation.  It will probably be closer to 100,000 photos. 
My human also got this cool statue to add to her collection – also from the same friends.  Another girl and her dog. 

Aren’t they cute?!

On a different note, while we are happy for summertime, I must confess we are a bit bored. It is currently so hot and muggy during the day that we don’t even go out. My human doesn’t even want to play fetch with us, for fear we will get overheated. We get our walks in the morning at 5:30 and our evening walks – but that’s about it.  We lounge around, pant and drink water.  Lots of water. I know I shouldn’t be complaining – we aren’t looking forward to the luge run driveway – but just a TINY break in the heat would be nice.  I NEED to fetch.  Heck.  With this heat, I almost feel like swimming.  Sure I do….
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up,
Seizure free days: 68

Water safety

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It’s July 28 and it’s National Drowning Prevention day. Now while the PONs in this house are not huge fans of the water- many PONs do like it – and do like to swim.  We certainly can swim – and have been in our lake, but it’s not something we love to do.  Unlike the FG. Who QUITE enjoys the water.  

But contrary to popular belief, not all dogs CAN swim.  That includes dogs who are Brachycephalic.  That’s your word for the day.  It refers to dogs who have short muzzles and faces that are squashed in – or flat-faced.  It includes breeds like Bulldogs, Pugs, Pekingese and even some Boxers.  These breeds may have a hard time keeping their faces out of the water to swim.  So they are not proportioned in a way to make swimming easy.
As well, dogs with short legs may also be unable to swim easily – like Basset hounds or Dachshunds. 
When those breeds are near water, they should probably wear a life jacket. Better safe than sorry.
While on the topic of dogs and water, there is a cool sport that has developed since the late 1990’s, for dogs who like the water- and who like to go after a toy.  It’s called Dock Diving.  Basically, a dog waits on a dock-like structure in front of water.   A toy is thrown into the water,and they measure how far the dog can jump into the water.  There are actually competitions for distance and for height.  As I understand it, there are even organizations that run dock jumping in a different countries.  
I have seen that there are Picards who participate in this sport.  But I haven’t seen any PONs.  I’m not sure why.  It seems that the breeds that are considered to be “naturals”for this sport include Goldens, Labs, and even Border Collies.    It appears the record for longest jump is just over 31 feet.  I vote that the FG try it.  We’ll cheer him on.  Better him than me.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand.  Water safety.  If you’re out boating this summer, and you’re not a great swimmer, don’t forget your life jacket.  Personally, I think I should wear one at bath time.  Like I said before, better safe than sorry.  Or better yet…skip the bath.  Safety first.  That’s my new motto….
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 67

We passed!!!!

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Well.  We passed.  The new dog sitter came and interviewed us yesterday, and we behaved.  Well as much as we behave.  She was introduced to the incessant greeting barking of Einstein, the leaping of the FG and his compulsory kisses and my obsession with getting into the garage to get into the dog food bin. She witnessed our mealtime routine, with the vacuum PONs and the Picky Picard. She got the tour of the house, stepping over dog toys and bones and learned to close doors behind her especially for rooms that contain toilet paper rolls.  She saw my medication routine and most importantly, learned where the treat jar is.

And after all was said and done, she agreed to stay with us!!!!  And my human was THRILLED – because she is VERY nice.  She’s a trained veterinary technician – so she knows all about animals – AND about behavior and health.  Plus did I mention she is very nice?  She will be staying with us for a couple of nights in a few weeks.   My human isn’t letting us know just when that will be.  Honestly, it doesn’t really matter – we thought she was pretty cool – so we know we’ll be in good hands.  
Today is Friday – and my human is ALMOST done with work!  She is apparently going to the office on Monday – and that’s IT until September!  I have to start working on her agenda for the month.  Walking.  Playing.   Giving treats.  Playing.  Walking.  It is going to be a MARVELOUS month.  Excuse me while I go and work out her schedule…
Happy Friday!  Have a good one!  Peace and paws up !
Seizure free days: 66

The interview…

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We are doing an interview today.  Or really… it’s probably the other way around.  Rumor has it that a NEW DOG SITTER is coming to meet us tonight.  Rumor also has it that my human is going to be going away for a few days – SO we will be having a sitter some time in August.

The last time my human went away was last November to something called a conference.  SUUUUUUUURE it was hard work.  Anyway, we had a super sitter from our Vet clinic come to stay with us. She and her partner stayed with us – they fed us, walked us and played with us.  We really liked them.  BUT – they recently got their own canine kid, so are no longer doing the dog sitting gig.  At least that’s what they SAY.  My human says we push dog sitters into retirement.
It’s not easy to find a sitter – especially if the person reads my blog.  I’m not sure if this new sitter does.  Probably not.  I do know that my human sent her pages of instructions to look over before we meet her today.   Poor woman.  If she shows up, that will be a good sign. 

We have been instructed to be on our BEST behavior.  Whatever that is.   I’m betting my human will have pockets LOADED with goodies. You KNOW what we are like when we have visitors.  Total PONdemonium.  AND the leaping Picard.  No doubt my human will give us a quick brushing before the woman arrives.  That way at least we will LOOK presentable.

Stay tuned.  I’ll let you know if we pass…or if she suddenly looks at her calendar and realizes she is “double booked…”

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!
Seizure free days: 65