So it appears the worst of the poop issues is over.  Although last night my human DID hear some unsavory sounds when she took me out before bed – and I did have a few remnants on my butt.  Again.  But overall, or should I say, BUTT overall, I am much better and things are moving along beautifully. 

We have come to the conclusion this week that I am my human’s overt stress barometer.  I know when she is stressed – and as a result, I start doing strange things.  Like eating whole bananas and then having the poops.  Or perhaps – even having seizures.

As some of you may recall, last fall when I was having my initial period of seizures, my human’s mother was in the hospital.   My human was stressed – and frankly, I was stressed.   They have actually done studies that show we dogs pay attention to humans’ feelings and we may actually exhibit empathy.  They wonder if we dogs can pick up on the cortisol levels of humans who are feeling stressed.

This week, my human’s mother has again been in the hospital.  And honestly – she needs every prayer, good thought and positive wish that she can get.  And isn’t it interesting that I have picked up on this whole thing.  So I stole the bananas.  And while I seem to be the most in tune to the situation, Einstein and the FG also realize there is something going on.  We just react differently.  I’m reactive, Einstein is cranky and the FG is EXTRA cuddly.  We dogs are like psychics. We should start doing fortune telling as a sideline.

So today I ask you for prayers and positive thoughts.  And I promise NOT to eat any more bananas or steal anything off the counter.  For a least a day.  Or maybe two.  At most.  OK three.  But that’s it.  Maybe.

Thanks.

OK. OK.  So the pillowcase caused some gastric issues.  Resulting in many half baths.  Or so my human thought…

So the other day, my human came home from work to again find that someone, namely me, had an “accident” in the house.  Well,  a trail in the house.  She’s had a few rough days of late – with work and some other things – so coming home to poop was not a great sight.  In a moment of madness, she opened the door and let all of us out to run around.  She went to get a mop and bucket but before she started the clean up job, she came outside to get us.  Gone.  All three of us.  She had a sinking feeling where we had gone – to the new neighbors’ place.  She trudged through another neighbors’ property and sure enough – there we all were. I was pooping in the flower garden bed.  The FG was racing through the beds, and Einstein was doubled over trying to poop.  And clearly having problems.  He was even squeaking as things were not “moving” as he wanted.  The neighbor came out and said Einstein had been standing and struggling for some time.  WHAT could HE have gotten into?  My human apologized profusely, and by now had captured Elroy who was on a long line and she had put me on a leash.  She had to drag Einstein along because he was suspended in poop purgatory.  She was also trying to pick up any poop she thought was ours – I’m not sure how she grew that extra arm.  Anyway, we all managed to go back to the house.  Because she knew Einstein was going to require some major poop excision from his coat, for some ODD reason, she tied me and the FG to the front post…

Cleaning Einstein was NO easy task.  He had sat down in his effort to rid himself of the load and in the process, smashed a fist sized amount of poop into the hair on his butt.  The excision in the dog bath tub with rubber gloves took about 20 minutes.  Keep in mind, she STILL had poop in the house to clean up, and I had a few cling-ons still as well.  So she put Einstein in the front hall and came out to get me and the FG.  She found me.  And a leash that had been chewed in half.   The FG was racing wildly around the yard.  It was at that point that she screamed into the heavens “PLEASE – ENOUGH!!!”   She whisked me in and I got a QUICK cleaning, and she then went out to capture the FG.  Who was bolting around having a ball.  She finally did and marched him into the hall.  She then proceeded to clean the floor.  And area carpet.

The next day she noticed something on the carpet.  It appeared to be kind of “woody” but she didn’t know where it came from.  I was still having gastric issues so she called the vet who was going to prescribe something for me.  She THOUGHT it was still from the pillowcase…

Anyway, yesterday morning,  I think we solved the reason for my gastric issues…My human went to have a banana for breakfast.  And mysteriously, 3 or was it 4, ENTIRE bananas were G-O-N-E.   Yup.  I helped myself.  Peels and all.   Oh.  And I DID share one with Einstein.  So that explains his poop fiasco…

Sometimes you might as well laugh – because sometimes poop just happens.

Have a good one.

Well guess what?  The Easter bunny came – again. We got a package in the mail yesterday – and it was these cool eggs.  One for each of us.  Yes, these are not ordinary eggs.  They are Dog Eggs.  Not chicken eggs.  Dog Eggs.  They are basically white egg shaped rubber toys.  They wobble and roll – but the best part (although some might consider the most annoying part), they make all kinds of squeaky noises when you chew them.  Here is the link to the site:

https://barkshop.com/items/dogegg-s
And here is my Vik-advisor review…

I give them 2/3 stars.  Because 2/3 dogs in this house LOVED them.  Elroy thought they were THE best thing around.  No wonder – he likes anything that rolls.  And that he can toss.  He had a blast with his.  Einstein picked his up, walked around with it and guarded it like it was a sirloin steak.  If Elroy got too close, he jumped up and warned him that this was HIS egg.  Even though they are all identical.  He liked chewing it and hearing the squeaky sounds.  As for me?  Nah.  It’s just like a rubber ball – which makes noises – and I have no real love for rubber Kongs or rubber balls.  I’d rather a pillowcase.  For which I have paid a price. 

So that’s my quick review for today.  I hope you have a egg-stra special Day!!!!

According to the crazy calendar, today is humorous day.  A day to have a good laugh and to smile.  Laughter is good for humans – it boosts the immune system, relaxes the body, burns calories, helps the heart and is even said to help people live longer!  And did you know we dogs laugh?  It is seen when we dogs play with you humans –  we begin panting and we make a tiny sound that is us laughing.  As opposed to us yelling – which Einstein is so good at doing.  Or should I say “barking out orders.” 

Anyway,  to provide a bit of humor for your day,  I’m sharing some of the terms from my Viktionary.  Now I KNOW some of you who are long-time blog readers have read these – but personally, I think they bear repeating!   And these terms generally apply to ANY dogs – not just PONs.  Or Picards.  I hope you will find the humor in them!  There are more to come…

Cheers and have a great day!!!

OK.  So here is the moral of the story.  Do not eat human pillowcases. Actually even just pieces of pillowcases.  Because it may necessitate numerous meetings between ones butt end and the shower head in the doggie bathtub.  Not to mention a few unsightly accidents while my human was out.  One would think I would learn my lesson from this experience, but don’t count on it…

Well it’s the day after Easter – so you know what that means!  It’s DYNGUS day!!!!!  Dyngus is pronounced  kind of like ding-goose.  It’s a big celebration in Poland and in many large cities in the US – at least those that have large Polish populations.  But ANYONE can celebrate Dyngus Day – and really, the more the merrier.  In my human’s home town of Buffalo, NY, Dyngus day is A BIG deal.  In fact, some say Buffalo is the world capital for Dyngus Day.  It’s a post-lent bash – where there are parades, dancing, eating and no doubt a BIT of drinking. According to tradition, on Dyngus Day, boys would hit girls with pussy willows and douse them with water – in what was said to be some kind of weird courtship ritual.  And the next day, the girls would throw plates at the boys.  Yes – a very calm, solemn celebration.  Someone gave a good analogy: Dyngus Day is to the END of lent what Mardi Gras is to the beginning.  We collected our pussy willows this week and intend to hit my human.  Just kidding – if given the option, we would no doubt just chew them.

Easter was a fantastic day.  We played “egg” hunt with pieces of treats hidden throughout the house.  And we all did brilliantly with that game. And then my human tried another game.  She had three plastic eggs that all looked the same.  And she would put a piece of bacon in ONE of them.  And we had to find the right egg…

Einstein went first.  After a couple of attempts, he finally got the hang of it.  I also figured it out, but nearly crushed the egg in my attempt to extract the bacon before my human could grab the egg I had selected.  And then it was the FG’s turn.  He saw the bacon – even got a taste.  He watched my human put it in the egg and shake it.  He watched her put the egg with the other two eggs.  He SEEMED to get the concept on the first try – but that may have been beginner’s luck.  On the second attempt, he decided that the eggs look an awful lot like balls.  And he LOVES to toss balls, hit balls, knock balls and watch them roll.  So whether the egg had bacon in it or not, it just became too much fun to watch the eggs roll.  So that was the end of THAT game.

We ALL got Easter bunny treats that my human bought for us at that Doggie Expo a few weeks back.  Here are the yummy treats.   

And here they are sans bows.

And JUST out of reach so she could take the photo.  She then snatched up the bunnies and gave them to us bit by bit – so we could savor them rather than chug them back like beer at a Dyngus Day party.  But not the FG.  He took the head from his bunny and it must have taken him 3 minutes to eat it.  In that time, Einstein and I devoured a whole rabbit.  We also got another yummy treat – more on that tomorrow!

Anyway – I hope you have a Happy Dyngus Day and remember – today EVERYONE is Polish!  Especially after 15 shots of vodka.  Have a good one and have some kielbasa on me!

April 15.  And on this day in 1912, in the early morning hours, the Titanic sank off the coast of Newfoundland.  It struck an iceberg and more than 1500 people died making it the second largest ocean liner disaster in history.  Ships were launched from Halifax in the relief effort – and there are three cemeteries in Halifax where many of the victims were buried.  There’s even an exhibit at our Maritime Museum all about the Titanic – with some artifacts from the ship.  (That’s my plug for Nova Scotia tourism – the check better be in the mail.)  Anyway, three small dogs apparently survived the sinking – a Pekinese and two Pomeranians.  Nine other dogs lost their lives. Who knew the ship was reportedly dog-friendly, with an on-board dog show scheduled for the 15th! But only first class passengers could bring dogs – and they had special kennels. There are tragic tales of people having to leave their pets behind.   One woman, Ann Isham, refused to leave without her Great Dane.  They both tragically perished.  

Einstein and I are not crazy about the water, so a cruise is not on our Bucket lists.  Although Einstein has been on a ferry ride a couple of times.  He stayed in the vehicle – so said he doesn’t remember much about the ride.

And then we have the FG and water… He QUITE likes it – but is still not completely sure about the “swimming” part.  He went for a run with Jackson the other morning – and Jackson LOVES to swim in the many ponds on the golf course.  The FG races in, but stops when it is getting too deep.  He DID at one point go in over his head – and did a rather awkward looking dog paddle and came back out.  He may need a life jacket…..And it was all great fun and games racing along the course, holding onto JACKSON’S retrieving toy.  My human thinks they could do commercials for that toy – it is definitely standing up to the durability test.  Anyway as soon as they started to head for home, the FG disappeared.  And was replaced by Dr. Jekyll.  He became a TASMANIAN DEVIL – trying to pull Jackson’s tail, ears – just generally beating him up.  And as my human and Jackson’s human tried to grab him, he raced around and around them – JUST out of reach.  My human was getting dizzy trying to catch him.  It went on for a few minutes – but felt like an hour.  FINALLY, Jackson’s human GRABBED the FG’s collar and my human put the snapping-turtle-on-speed back on a leash.  He pranced back home, wet, and muddy and TOTALLY happy.  This was all before 8AM….

Anyway,  I hope you have a wonderful day!  And be careful if you go out on the water!

Today is April 14 and it’s also Good Friday.  It’s an important day in Christian religions – just before Easter Sunday.  And also this week, people of the Jewish faith are celebrating Passover, another important holiday.

I’ve never been in a church before.  I SHOULD be able to go to the church where my human goes – because the priest is Polish.  And how could he NOT love us PONs?!  But my human said something about the potential for peeing on church pews – and how that would be VERY strictly frowned upon.  Now I do know of at least ONE PON who goes to church regularly in California- her name is Arwen.  She CLEARLY has more manners than we do.  My human said the rafters would shake if we came inside.  Not funny.

Besides the religious holidays, it is also some “holiday” called Reach As High as You Can Day.  It’s a day to encourage humans to reach for their dreams – and push themselves to strive to be the best they can be.  Honestly, I thought it was a dog holiday all about counter surfing.  It would make sense.  The FG is THE best counter surfer EVER.  Probably because he is so big and agile. Einstein generally barks if the FG steals something.  He’s such a tattletale.

Mind you, Einstein was quiet the other evening…  It was JUST before lights out and my human was in the bathroom brushing her teeth.  She came to bed and found Einstein in his comfy place on the end of the bed.  And there was yours truly, at the head of the bed.  Eating my human’s pillow.  Yup.  Another pillowcase goes the way of the oven mitt and I actually managed to take a chunk of pillow too.  My human was not impressed.  And the first thing she did, well actually second after she said the classic “what did you do ” was turn to Einstein and say “WHY didn’t you call me?”  He shrugged his shoulders and rolled over.   So he was branded as an accomplice.   I owe him.  Big time.

Well, time to go for a NICE long walk.  And search for that Easter bunny – I KNOW he’s out there.

Have a good one.

Well I always thought Einstein aka Pondini was an amazing escape artist.  But he has MET his match.  Did you hear the story about the Great Pyrenees who was being boarded at a local animal hospital – and he decided he didn’t feel like staying?  The video footage of General opening door after door is truly amazing.  And the good news is that he was later found safe and sound and has been returned to his family.  Check it out – scroll down for the video footage:
 http://www.insidenova.com/headlines/general-found-after-dog-escapes-stafford-animal-hospital/article_a48fda42-1e52-11e7-b399-bb3c42e116f1.html

But you know, after watching his amazing fete, there is actually something that, personally, I think is even MORE amazing than the whole escape thing.  If you watch the video carefully you will notice General walking through the hospital and past bags and bags of dog food.  Seriously.  Einstein might be able to escape like General – but he would have cleaned out the shelves before he left. 

Well my human had the biggest scare the other night while walking the FG.  It was just after dusk, and they had a great walk up the trail and around part of the golf course at the end of our road.  And they were returning home and walking down the road and what should appear in the driveway of the home across the road but a cat.  The cat came around some trees at the end of the driveway and was about 15 ft away from my human and the FG.  The cat stopped in his tracks – and so did the FG.  They were both startled to see each other.  And my human slowly braced herself for what she quickly envisioned was going to be a Picard explosion on the end of the leash.  She held her breath…the cat slowly stepped back and dashed back into the bushes.  And the FG?  Did NOTHING!  Just looked at my human as if to say “well WHAT was THAT?”  Quite unlike Einstein and I the next morning when we spotted a bunny just as we walked out the door, and created enough double pulling power that my human HAD to let go of our leashes.  And OFF we went.  But LUCKILY, we started into the woods and came back.  Probably because we realized that escaping at 6:30AM would mean no bananas. Or MAYBE we are starting to behave.  Bwhahahahahaha.  Nah.  It was the bananas.

Tomorrow begins my human’s long Easter weekend.  Long weekend.  Long walks.  Perfect.

Have a good one!