An experiment

My human would like to try an experiment.  She would like to get a warren of rabbits.  That’s one word for a group of rabbits. Other words to describe them include a colony, a nest, a down or a husk.  Who knew you call a group of rabbits a husk?!  The other option for domestic rabbits is a herd.  Somehow the vision of a herd of rabbits sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie. Anyway, I digress.

So the experiment involves a colony of rabbits.  The experimenter would place them on the front lawn. Of our house.  Somehow.  And then the experimenter would open the front  door to our home.  With two PONs at the front door.  Seems like there would be a pretty simple hypothesis about what would happen.  But wait.  I forgot to add one important element to the experiment.   Rain.  It would be pouring rain.  And it would be windy too.  Now, what’s the hypothesis?  I would say that one PON might venture out to chase a rabbit or two.  But would quickly come back.  That would be me.  I am not a huge fan of rain.  Especially if I was forced to wear a raincoat.  Einstein?  I predict, with 99.9% accuracy that he would NOT go out that door.  Nope.  Not even a husk of rabbits could make him go out.  A husk of rabbits waving dog treats.  Nope.  He wouldn’t go.
And so was the scene yesterday morning at 5:30AM.  I still got up at our regular time even though it was the weekend, but there was no anxious spinning and barking to go out the door.  None.  I did approach the door – when my leash was put on, but Einstein retreated to a spot under the dining room table.  He had NO intention of going out.  He heard the rain.  The FG just watched the proceedings. 
I got to go first.  And let’s face it – who can poop while wearing a raincoat?  True – the coat doesn’t obstruct anything – but it just doesn’t feel right to poop in a coat.  So we walked.  And walked.  And WALKED.  Trudged is more like it. When my human had no luck on the road or around our house, she put me the the vehicle, drove me down the road to the trail (which was her last resort)and took me out there.   And I finally went.  Then it was Einstein’s turn.  First she had to catch him.  He circled under the dining room table.  Then he squirmed as she put on the ill-fitting plaid raincoat.  I got to wear the flashy blue one, but it was already too wet to wear.  Instead of dragging him up to the road, once she managed to get him out the door, she took him into the backyard.  I had warned him as they went out that my human was NOT giving up.  She was already soaked, so she was determined to get results.  For a change, he complied rather quickly.  And then it was the FG’s turn. 
 First off, there is no coaxing with him.  Rain, snow, hail – he doesn’t care.  Mind you, by the time it was his turn, my human didn’t even feel like putting on another raincoat, so he went out naked. No worries with him really – he’s wash and wear anyway.  AND , thankfully for my human, he is a power pooper.  You tell him, and he goes.  They were back in the house in no time.
The rest of the morning we lounged around as we didn’t want to go anywhere.  Bonus for my human who took advantage of our low energy, and went back to bed for about an hour.  
Today is a holiday – Victoria Day – a day to celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday.  Wonder what she would have thought about the wedding the other day? I thought the bride looked lovely.  The FG thought that dress would have been perfect to rub his face in.  My human watched the entire proceedings.  Kind of like watching a live fairytale.  Good luck to the couple.  May the fairytale continue, even when you have to pick up your partner’s stinky socks from a heap on the bathroom floor.  Wait.  They have servants for that, don’t they?  Anyway, we do wish them well.  Even though our invitation never arrived in time….
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!
Seizure free days: 5

Flowers

May 20. And according to the crazy calendar, it is Flower Day.  I guess it’s a day to appreciate flowers.  The canines in this household appreciate flowers.  We like to eat dandelions and we will pee on any other flowering plant that dares to grow on our property.  Right now, the mantra is “don’t pee on the lupines.”   Lupines grow wild here and they are coming up like crazy on the part of our property closest to the road.  It started with a few flowers and now they are really spreading.  They will open in a few weeks. My human really likes the tall, cylindrical flowers that come mostly in purple and white, and sometimes also in pink on our property.  And right now, as they are coming up, she struggles to drag  us down the road when we go for a walk, so we don’t stop to water them. 

I’m thinking though, that our watering is really not that bad.  I take as an example, a hosta growing in our yard.  We have LOTS of varieties of hosta, and while many people say they have trouble with deer eating them, it has never been a problem for us.  Anyway, there is one hosta in particular that really gets a LOT of pee showers ALL FALL AND WINTER and right through spring.  And I mean a LOT of pee.  And guess what?  It is looking great and will no doubt be one of the biggest hostas we own.  Obviously our pee did no harm with that plant.  Maybe we could market that hosta as pee resistant.  
Today we have a rainy day forecast.  Not good for us PONs, but my human is quite happy to settle in with a book and relax.  As IF we will EVER let her do that.  I’m banking on some games of Find the Bunny. On the flip side, I hope she doesn’t have any plans for grooming…  Uh oh.  Excuse me while I go and hide…
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!
Seizure free days: 4

Somebody is bleeding…..

My human has decided she would like a day without any drama.  Just one day.  No seizures, swarms of black flies, bears, banana swallowing, counter surfing capers – just one day of peace.  But no.  Not in THIS house.

On Thursday she had a busy, busy day at work.  She zipped home to walk and feed us but then had to go back for an evening event at work. She made arrangements with a neighbor to come in and give me my 7 PM medication.  She got home just as the sun was setting – around 8:30 PM.  She was tired and  debated whether to let us run around outside. It was starting to get dark, so she wasn’t sure she should take a chance.  But she stuffed her pockets with tasty treats and opened the front door – and Einstein and I EXPLODED out the door.  Barking and rolling and chasing each other in total PONdemonium- like we hadn’t just spent the whole day together.  Of course, the FG was on a leash – my human wasn’t about to lose him in the woods. We raced around for a few minutes, peed and ran back to the door to get the treats.  Perfect.  Or so my human thought.  As she took off her coat and prepared to dole out the treats she looked at the floor.  BIG bloody footprints.  Everywhere. And she immediately spotted the victim.  It was Einstein.  Who was still jumping around  but clearly injured.  She grabbed him and picked him up so quickly, none of us even saw the move coming.  She whisked him into the garage aka grooming torture palace aka surgical suite to examine the injury. It was the left rear foot.  
At the BEST of times, Einstein doesn’t like anyone touching his feet. So you can IMAGINE the scene with one very tired human and a squirmy, hurting PON. My human couldn’t get a really good look – but it appeared to be a nail and not a pad problem.  It almost looked like the nail was torn. So what to do?  Bandage it.  She got out gauze and vet wrap and went to work.  After she finished she put one of those rubber boots on him – the kind that look like a balloon.  At first Einstein walked kind of wonky but was then fine.  But, the FG was obsessed with the new attire and would NOT leave him alone.  By this point, it was after 10 so my human figured she would try to sleep.  She sequestered the FG in his kennel – to keep him from bugging Einstein who kept rushing at him and barking like mad.  My human went to lie down – but in typical obsessive fashion, started worrying that Einstein would bleed to death.  My human is a BIT dramatic at times.  So at 10:30, she got up and took him back to the surgical suite.  This was, of course, after she had done some on-line research.  She carefully unwrapped the foot and saw that it HAD continued to bleed.  BUT it NOW clearly had stopped.  She didn’t want to poke and probe too much – so she wrapped it back up.   Then she proceeeded to groom him.  Really.  She was wide awake and figured in some twisted logic that she could keep him off the foot by grooming him. She finished around midnight and decided she could either go to the 24 hour vet (which seemed a bit of overkill given that the bleeding had stopped and he was not limping or in obvious discomfort) or she could go to bed as she had a busy day at work the next day.  She opted for bed – but set her alarm for 4:30.  So she could get up and examine him.  No I am NOT kidding.  At 4:30 she figured she would first  take us out for our morning walk and then examine the foot to see how it was after walking.  Not the regualar walk – just a short jaunt. And if there was a problem, she would drop him off at our vet on the way to work. 
Thank goodness we didn’t happen to run into the bear at 4:30 or the porcupine a neighbor had spotted in their yard that evening.  If we had run into the bear, my human would have probably surrendered – she was so tired.  After our walk, she took the FG out.  And she then returned to the surgical suite with Einstein.  She AGAIN examined the foot and there was no sign of bleeding.  But she still wrapped it again.   Just to be sure.  He still wasn’t happy about letting her examine it – but as I said before, that’s nothing new.  She knew the FG would still be obsessed with Einstein, so he got to spend the day in the run in the garage – while my human went to work.  She was so proud of her bandaging skills.  It looked fabulous.  However, at around 10:30 in the morning, when she went to check on us via Big Brother, she saw Einstein ripping her bandage masterpiece off his foot.  She had to stop watching as she knew there was nothing she could do.  
The good news in this whole saga and drama?  She got home from work and Einstein appeared fine.  He was not limping or bleeding and if you didn’t know about the excitement from the night before, you wouldn’t know anything happened.  He’s not bothering with the foot although the FG and I would LOVE to lick it if given the chance.  The squirt gun is being carried everywhere by my human.  It s a great deterrent.
Thank goodness it’s a long weekend!  She NEEDS Monday off!  MAYBE one day this weekend will be drama-free.  But then again, what fun is that?!
 Now excuse me while I prepare to watch the wedding.  Cheerio!
Have a jolly good one!  Peace and paws up!
Seizure-free days: 3 

Puntastic

May 18.  And according to the crazy calendar it is O. Henry Pun Off day.  A day to honor the writer William Syndey Porter from the 1800’s whose pen name was O. Henry.  Stories by O. Henry often included twisted, suprise endings and used wordplay.   So in Texas each year, there is a Pun contest to honor the author”s artisic use of words – through puns.

So I decideed to loook up some dog puns.  And thanks to Reader’s Digest, I was able to find a few.  They are groaners – so don’t  blame me.  I didn’t write them.  Here we go…

What do you call a dog that floats ?   A  pug boat

What do you call a sad pup who loves fruit?   A mellon collie

What was the dog’s favorite type of homework?  A lab report

What did the dog at the contrsuction site say?   My specialty is roofing.

What do you call a dog magician?    A Labracadabrador

 Why did the tree think the dog was talking to him?  He kept saying “bark, bark, bark.”

What do you get when you cross a cocker spaniel, a poodle and a rooster?  A cockerpoodledoo.

What’s the diference between a dog and a marine biologist?  One wags a tail and the other tags a whale.

What did the Dalmation say after a big meal?  That hit the spot. 

What kind of dog does Dracula have?  A bloodhound
 
What’s a chihuahua’s favorite Christmas carol?  Fleas Navidad

Why aren’t dogs good dancers?  Because they have two left feet.

OK.  Enough of that.  Remember- I just found ‘em.  
Tomorrow we will have to get up extra early with our human.  We’ll be settling in front of the telly  to watch the big event – the Royal wedding. I’m disappointed my invitation in the mail didn’t arrive on time,  but I’ll still watch it.  Wonder if there will be any dogs in the ceremony….
Have a good one. Peace and paws up!
Seizure free days: 2 

Mistaken identity

Well here is an interesting story out of China.  Given our adventure the other night, it caught my eye.  Seems a family in China purchased a “puppy” two years ago.  And they were surpised at how quickly he was growing.  Turns out he is an Asiatic Black Bear.  Really.   They thought it was a Tibetan Mastiff puppy.  Really.  But don’t think they are crazy to not recognize the difference.  Apparently some other guy in China found a stray “dog” in the woods and raised it in a cage.  It also turned out to be a bear.  I’m thinking that guy might have known the differnece – given that he DID keep it in  a cage.  But really.  There’s not much chance we would EVER make that mistake with our recent visitor.  Even if he was a cub…

But if you think mistaking a bear for a dog is unusual – what abut the story of the guy in Florida who also made a big mistaken identity error.  Apparently he went to pick up the family Maltese at the groomer – and are you ready – brought home the WRONG dog.  He THOUGHT the dog seemed a bit “different” but it wasn’t until he got the dog home that his sons noticed he had the wrong dog.  And, of course, his sons turned to social media to share their father’s embarrassing mistake.  You can be sure he won’t make that error again!

As you may have noticed,  I, unfortunately, had another seizure the other night.  My human has a suspician as to why it might have happened – in fact, that evening she was wondering if it would.  It seems every time I get low on my potassium bromide medication – like there is an inch left in the bottom of the bottle, I have a seizure.  She actually asked the pharmacist the last time it happened if the medication loses it’s potency over time.  They said it’s not used a lot – so they had no info on shelf life.  But it did happen the last time the bottle was low – so MAYBE that was the reason?  Who knows.  It’s just disappointing.

Anyway, it’s Thursday so one more day of work for my human after today and THEN she has a three day weekend!  Whooo  hooo.  Longer walks!!  In the dark.   Before the black flies get up.  While making lots of noise to scare away bears.  I can’t WAIT!!!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!
Seizure-free days: 1

Pooh. Or Paddington. Or Smokey. Or T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

Well QUITE the excitement at our place Monday night.  Around 8PM, my human went into the kitchen for a little snack.  Any GOOD snacks are hidden in the microwave for safety reasons.  She headed for the stash and happened to look out the kitchen window. And not 20 feet away she saw the rear end of a creature ambling away from the house.  A BIG jet black rear end.  A bear.  She went to grab her phone to take a photo as he wandered up the grassy hill and disappeared behind the bed of large bushes and plants. She stood there shaking – not knowing what to do.  She called a neighbor who didn’t answer and quickly hung up as she saw him again- heading back down the driveway toward the house. 

OK.  Now I hate to admit this, but none of us watch dogs were the least bit aware of the intruder.  The kitchen window is too high – although the FG CAN look out if he puts both paws on the counter.  But we were all basically silent.  My human watched as he approached our garbage cans.  When he attempted to knock one over, she knocked on the window and he ran off.  The knocking on the window started the canine chorus, so she figured that was the end of Paddington. Nope.  He came back and attempted again to knock over the bin.  This time he did, but one bag in the can contained some broken glass, so the sound of it falling over seemed to scare him and he took off.  And then he came back again.  This time he knocked over the can full of dog poop bags.  The guy must have been desperate.  All the while, we were barking like mad- but we didn’t even know why. 

When he headed back to the can with the glass, my human decided he might hurt himself.  No.  I’m not kidding.  So she sequestered us in the house, and threw open the front door.  The sound of that scared Pooh for good, and he dashed into the woods- and this time disappeared for good.  

After a while, my human took us out for our last night pee.  And she wondered if we would react to his scent. Not us PONs.  Well actually we DID smell him, but had NO intention of following him.  This was no bunny!   Forget that!
When my human took the FG out, he was MUCH more interested in the scent.  Finally a potential playmate who could withstand his roughhousing. Right.  Wonder if the black flies bother Smokey?

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!
 Seizure-Free days: 0 Again.

Horrible guests.

We have company.  Bad company.  They are back.  And we cannot WAIT until they are gone.  Talk about unwelcome guests.  And they are as big and bad as ever.  Who?  The black flies.  It was like overnight. We went from hanging out on our deck, to being sequestered except for walks.  And it’s a good thing our walks are super early.  Black flies like to sleep in.  My human tried to do some yard work on Saturday, and she had to get her bug suit out.  They can also bite us dogs- and they really seemed to go for the FG’s ears.  Along with ticks, they are right up there with those things I would like to see become extinct.  Seriously.  I know it’s not nice to be so mean, but both insects have no redeeming qualities in my mind. Thankfully, unlike ticks, the miniature flying  piranhas will only be around for a few weeks.  In the meantime, we pray for wind.  STRONG winds to blow them into tomorrow.

We just need some researcher to figure out how to get the two insects to annihilate one another.  Now wouldn’t that be perfect…Anybody know a good entomologist?

And besides the horrid flies we had ANOTHER guest last night.  And that newcomer was a REAL doozy!  Be sure to read tomorrow’s blog about it.  And this one was no April Fools joke….  Stay tuned!  
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!
Seizure-free days: 13

Birthday boy adventures

So yesterday we got up and Einstein and I were all excited- we got to go for a long walk with Pig Pen and his human.  Early in the walk, Pig Pen rolled in something- so I became OBSESSED with him.  I stuck to him like glue.  And I kept smelling his face because whatever he rolled in was delectable.

I felt a bit sorry for the FG.  He was missing the fun. But little did I know my human already had plans for the birthday boy…
FIRST he got to go to the pet store to pick up dog food and treats.  He waltzed in and immediately began to shmooze – with the staff and other customers.  Of course the “what is he” question was the first out.  My human did her best Berger Picard promotional speech -while  he licked anyone who cared to listen.  THEN he got to go down the TOY aisle where he selected this ball within a ball toy which also has a handle.  He carried it to the register.
After the stop at the dream store, my human picked up her sister and they took the FG down to the boardwalk on the harbor downtown.  It was PACKED with people walking, kids, dogs, people on bikes, scooters, buskers entertaining- the weather was perfect so everyone came out.  At one point a guy stopped and said “oh my gosh is that a Berger Picard?!”  My human was shocked because people rarely know what the FG is.  He asked if he could pet him – and said he had read all about the breed and would like to get one some day. Well apparently the FG was the PERFECT ambassador- giving kisses and hugs and before my human knew it there must have been 6 people standing around looking at him. He lapped up the limelight.
They walked for several km. and he was the perfect dog. Except for one little “almost incident “ when it was crowded and my human thought the FG tried to goose a man from behind.  She pretended she didn’t see it. 
They came home and the FG conked right out.  Einstein and I were a BIT jealous, but mind you, we DID get our long walk in the morning- and it WAS the FG’s birthday.  Now I’m counting down the days until mine.  In October. Gotta plan ahead. I like the Pet Store part and we can skip the waterfront part.  Just take me to another pet store.  Where there are free samples.  Lots of them…
Have a good one!  Peace and paws up!
Seizure-free days: 12

Happy birthday!!!

Well it’s a big day here. The FG is celebrating his birthday.  The big 2. Now if he was a human, we could expect the Terrible Twos.  I think we have already endured the Wild Ones. I must say, though,  that he IS beginning to settle down.  A bit. The other night when my human went to take me and Einstein out for our last pee, she must have been really tired – because she didn’t close the interior door.  And just as we turned to come back in, the screen door burst open and out came the FG.  And it was dark out.  And he was FREEEEEEE.  My human had visions of him bolting for the woods and ending up as a porcupine  pin cushion.  She whisked us into the house, and calmly went out to get him.  She sweetly said “sit” at a distance of about 10 feet and she nearly passed out when he did! She calmly walked over to him, he wagged his tail and let her guide him back into the house.  So I guess he IS maturing.

I have also decided I am really starting to like him.  We frequently lie side by side and just hang out.  He doesn’t attempt to lick my face, like he does with Einstein – he won’t go that far, but we are quite comfortable together. 
Last year he had two remarkable events – the dog show where he got a Group 3 placement AND he passed his herding instinct test.  Without maiming any sheep. So although he didn’t get to compete much – he had two big results.  We will see what this next year holds for him.
Happy birthday to my picky- eater adopted brother.  Just remember bro, any time you don’t want to eat something, I’m here to help.  And by the way, I do think you are pretty cool.
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up!
Seizure-free days: 11

Guilt

 


My human is pooped out.  No wonder.  She gets up each day at 5AM.  If I don’t get her up before then. I often try around 3 – but she is on to my fake requests and tells me to go back to sleep.  Which I do.  

She is feeling kind of guilty today because she entered the FG in a dog show this weekend.  Actual 4 dog shows.  She paid their entry fees and everything.  But she is pooped.  She has had a very busy time at work the last couple of weeks – so she doesn’t  feel like she has the energy to go to the show.  I’m not sure what the big deal is.  I mean all she has to do is pack the vehicle with everything one needs for a show – grooming table, all kinds of grooming supplies (for a dog who basically needs a brushing.  But one never knows what one will need.)  Water.  Food.  Chair.  Mat for the floor.  Dryer.  In case a flood occurs and she needs to dry him off.  A change of clothing.  In case she drips ketchup from a dog show hotdog on her attire.  Extra shoes.  Crate.  Oh yeah – and then an assortment of leashes and collars.  One to walk the dog into the building.  Another to use in the show ring.  Bait (or treats in real world verancular).  Oh yeah – and then she needs the dog.  Who probably won’t fit in the vehicle with all the other stuff.  

Imagine that she didn’t feel she had the energy to lug all that stuff into the show site.  And then lug it all out the next day.  

Anyway, she still feels guilty because she DOES like to show him.  But his show career will have to wait until later in the summer – when her work is done.

In the meantime, today is also Limerick Day.  And I must confess, I’m reusing these from a previous blog.  I think they are good enough to repeat!

PONs
There once was a Polish breed

You cannot forget to feed

PONs will bark to remind you

To eat and to go poo

And will tell you JUST what they need.
 
PICARDS
There is a very special French breed 
The Picard is made for herding and speed
They love to leap and to run
Their middle name is “fun”
Look out when they are off leash and freed.
 
And here is a variation on a previous version…
 

DOGS
You’ll know right from the start

That we dogs are very smart

We’ ll charm you

Never harm you

And steal a piece of you heart.
 
I THINK we may even let my human sleep in today.   Then again – she could use the exercise….we shall see….
 
Have a good one! Peace and pawsup!
Seizure-free days: 10