For all my loyal blog followers, you know that I share our stories daily.  And let’s face it – we three canines provide plenty of material to write about.  And when we aren’t being bad (rarely) we share history and crazy events that all include some connection to dogs.  But every now and then we have an ordinary day – and the world news is either too dismal to share, or nothing overly cool has occurred in canine circles.

July 6.  And today is the birthday of Tenzin Gyatso.  Don’t know who that is?  It’s the Dalai Lama – the spiritual leader of Tibetans and monk from the School of Tibetan Buddhism.  He turns 83 today – and is a popular guy.  He won the Nobel Peace prize in 1989.  He is a peace loving charismatic man, who happens to have  his own pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Wise words from a wise man.  Who, of course, happens to like dogs…

Here is a BRILLIANT idea.  Wish I had thought of it….

We all know that dogs should NOT be left in cars during the hot sumer weather.  For even a few minutes.  And yet sometimes, you want to take Fido along with you while you go to run errands.  Well.  A woman and man in the US came up with an idea.  It’s called DogSpot and it is basically air conditioned little dog houses that are popping up in cities across America.  For $19.99/month or .30 a minute, you can leave Fido safe and secure in one of the dog houses, while you run in to grab a bite or to do some shopping.  You operate the dog house from an app on your phone – and you can see what Fido is doing while you leave him.  The dog houses self-clean using UV light after each use and apparently are also manually cleaned daily. In the winter they are heated.

https://dogparker.com/

I think it’s a good idea for a quick little stay.  Mind you, we would probably be barking the whole time.  And knowing my neurotic human, she would still be in a panic that the system would break down and we would be trapped.   Did I mention that she is neurotic?  Still, it does provide a place to keep a dog safe, secure and cool for a short time.

We have found the weather this week VERY hot- although I KNOW there are places with temperatures way above ours.  But it has definitely limited our activities outdoors.  That being said,  the FG has a great new habit.  While walking around the yard (on a long line) he will suddenly dive headfirst into the grass and ROLL.  And ROLL.  And then when my human tries to get him to move – he SPRINGS up, puts his tail between his legs and BOLTS.  So far she has managed to hold onto the leash – but you KNOW it is just a matter of time before he is free.  And I’m thinking he will head for the lake….

I think we need to see if we can get those air conditioned dog houses for inside our house.  I can see three of those in the dining room…Why not?  We have pretty much taken over the house anyway. Our house IS a dog house.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 44

July 4.  The big birthday celebration day in the US.  More parties, barbecues, parades, flag flying and no doubt some protest march somewhere.  Seem to be a lot of those in the US lately.  I’m not sure why.  After all, I’m a dog – and I don’t REALLY follow politics.   Unless it has to do with dog legislation.  Then I’m all over it.  

My human couldn’t find any US flag headgear here in Canada.  Thank goodness for small miracles…

So some US dog trivia for the birthday.   

1.  How many breeds are recognized by the American Kennel Club?
a.  98
b.  156
c.  192
d.  211

2.  From 2013-2017, what breed ranks as number one in terms of litter registrations?
a.  Poodle
b.  Labrador Retriever
c.  Golden Retriever
d.  Beagle

 3.  According to the AKC website, all of the following dog names are considered to be “unique”, except which one:
a.  Einstein
b.  Copernicus
c.  Harper
d.  Max

4.  Indicate if the following breeds are FULLY recognized  by the AKC,  the UKC (the second oldest Kennel Club in the US) or BOTH:
Alaskan Malamute
Chinook
Plott Hound
Mountain Cur
American Leopard Hound
Silken Windhound
Feist

 5.  Match the year to the formal establishment of the following performance events :
1936, 1947, 1991, 1994, 2005

Agility, Tracking, Obedience, Rally, Lure Coursing

BONUS:  What is President Trump’s favorite type of dog?

So what do you know about American dogs?  Let’s see:

1. C    2. B   3. D (Max is still THE most popular boy dog name.  And yes, they listed Harper -which was a dog my human was previously owned by, they listed Einstein (!) and they listed good old Copernicus – the Polish astronomer.  Guess what the next name of a PON in THIS house will be.  But what do you call him for short?  Cope? )

4.  Here are the AKC and UKC breeds:
Alaskan Malamute: BOTH
Chinook: BOTH
Plott Hound: BOTH
Mountain Cur:  UKC
American Leopard Hound:    UKC
Silken Windhound:  UKC
Feist:  UKC

 5.  1936 – 1st Obedience trial
1947 – Tracking was made separate from Obedience
1991- Lure Coursing
1994 – Agilty
2005 Rally

BONUS:   HOTDOG (We won’t go into details about how many Presidents have owned dogs in the past….Sorry.  I couldn’t resist.) 

So Happy Independence Day to our family and friends in the good old USA.   Canines be careful if there are fireworks and don’t steal from too many barbecues.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!
Seizure free days: 43

 

Well we sure have had some hot weather the past few days.   Actually the temperature wasn’t CRAZY hot, but the humidity was really high so it felt extra hot. Hot for Nova Scotia anyway.  We don’t have air conditioning because, well, you don’t usually need it.  But we had every fan in the house going Saturday night and we dogs could not get comfortable. And so either could my human.  The humidity is supposed to last a few more days.

So I looked back in my blog and on June 5, 2017, we got the carpet that just went out on garbage day.  A new carpet every year.  Time to buy stock in area carpets.  

It’s gone.  The area carpet in the dining room was dragged out to the curb for garbage day.  And now the dining room sounds empty.  So Einstein’s barking sounds even louder and it echoes.  Kind of.  

We are having company on Friday and my human has been in a cleaning frenzy – when she hasn’t been working on the deck.  Our company is coming for one night – and although the guest bedroom hasn’t been used in months, it seemed to take my human forever to clean it.   Just WHERE does dust come from?  Oh right – three dogs.  Even though haven’t even BEEN in the guest bedroom.  

The carpet in the dining room had become particularly unsightly lately.  We know the FG started it.  And well, we PONs decided to join in.  The corners were all destroyed and some of the edges looked pretty bad too.  We performed our handiwork while our human was at work each day.  We NEVER attempted to touch it while she was home.  So now we await the unrolling of the  NEW carpet.  Which arrived about a  month ago.  It has been stored in my human’s bedroom – she didn’t want to take it out until there was a special occasion.  And now she is worried that it will be chewed on the first day.  She has some special potent yucky stuff to spray all along the edges.  Trust me – there is not much that will deter us PONs if we feel like eating something, though.  Remember, yours truly has eaten bananas.  With the peels.

So yesterday was Good Bye to Carpet Day (at least in our house) and today is National Handshake day.  We all know that dogs can be taught to shake paws.  And did you know that just like humans, we dogs seem to have paw preferences?  Some of us are right-pawed and some are left-pawed.  Of course, we can be trained to use both.  As well,  some of us don’t even NEED to be trained – we paw at our humans spontaneously.  Which can, at times, be a BIT annoying.  To get us to STOP the behavior, we should learn the command for paw or shake.  And we ONLY get rewarded WHEN we are asked to shake.  If we shake without being asked, the human should ignore us – or stand up and walk away.  Sounds great in theory.  It’s hard for my human to keep walking away during supper as one of us paws her.  Not to mention the fact that if she stands up and walks away, she has to take her plate with her.  We PONs are FAST.   Never a dull moment…

So.  Let’s take bets on how long the corners of the carpet stay intact.  I think the FG will again start the handiwork.   And I vote it will be at least started by mid-July.  Agree?   Let’s shake on it.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 37

Clearly people in California do not read my blog.  How many times have I complained about an annual contest that takes place in Petaluma?  And yet it was held again this past weekend.  It’s the World’s Ugliest Dog contest.

This year saw a winner who drove over 30 hours to get there – an Enligh Bulldog named Zsa Zsa.  She has a tongue hanging out that could drag on the floor.  And her conformation – well let’s just say that she does not meet the breed standard.  She was supposedly rescued from a puppy mill.  And that’s the good news.  And the fact that she has found a loving home.

But I don’t REALLY relish the thought of people making fun of these dogs.  And I REALLY don’t like the name of the contest.  Because the word “ugly” has such a negative connotation.  She’s not UGLY.  She’s uniquely beautiful.  In her own way.   Humans would hopefully never have an “Ugliest Baby contest.”   So why are we canines subjected to this?

It’s all in how you look at things in life.  Just because something doesn’t fit the “norm” doesn’t mean it’s less “valuable” or unattractive.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Zsa Zsa doesn’t think she looks “different.”  And the love she shares with her human is no less than the love shared by a Best in Show winner. 

I’m sure Zsa Zsa’s human loves her very much …but what message are we sending about being “different”?  Yeah, yeah – I know we are “just dogs.”  But it does make one think…

The one good thing about this contest is the fact that the winner gets $1500.  Well, the winner’s HUMAN gets the cash.  We HOPE the human spends the money on Zsa ZSa.  You can get a LOT of dog toys and treats for $1500.  

Today,  take a minute to look at the world in a positive way.  Instead of seeing a cloudy day and complaining about rain, be grateful you don’t have a drought.  And instead of seeing a hot day as sticky and sweltering, try to think about shoveling snow.   Look for the BEAUTY around you – and sometimes you will find it in the most unlikely ways and in the most unlikely places.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days:  36

Well we had a day of mourning yesterday.  It was the day after Poland’s loss at the World Cup.  That’s two losses.  Einstien and I were cheering along with my human.  Because of course, we are Polish.  But our excitement didn’t last long.  Poland lost.  Big time.  I don’t really understand how all these games work – but let’s put it this way…Poland is no longer a top contender.  I’m not sure they ever were – but one can always hope. 

The FG was gloating because France has WON two games. I guess we’ll have to cheer for France now.  Although I AM leaning toward Iceland because it is their first time at the Cup.  And the odds of them winning are like 500 to 1.  I love an underdog.

And speaking of dogs and the World Cup, there is apparently a Dachshund by the name of R2D2 who predicts games every day.  He is also referred to as the Psychic Sausage.  He has two plates of food to choose from – the national dishes of the countries that are playing.  He has two chances.  If he chooses the same dish twice, that country is his pick.  If he eats from both, then he is predicting a tie game.  Here he is predicting the game between England and Tunisia.  He picked England.  And he was right!  But seriously. What dog picks couscous over a steak?  No offense to Tunisia or couscous.  But really…

http://www.espnfc.com/fifa-world-cup/4/video/3531488/psychic-sausage-dog-predicts-england-to-win

I couldn’t find his prediction for the Poland game.  They MUST have given him kielbasa.  And what dog wouldn’t pick Kielbasa?!  Still it didn’t work….

There is apparently a cat and a lemur also making predictions.  Yes – a lemur.  I’m going with the Psychic Sausage.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!
Seizure free days: 35