It’s the time of year when humans like to go to restaurants – and sit outside on patios.  Now some restaurants are progressive – and they allow dogs on the patios.  It seems to depend on the city and the local ordinances.  My human thinks that Europe seems to be more liberal with this practice – and North America (in general) often falls behind.  Some cities seem to be more dog friendly than others.  If we dogs could vote, that would change things.

There are certainly some restaurants in Halifax where dogs are allowed on patios.  Velcro dog and I have YET to visit them.  Something about rowdiness – and staring at other patrons to beg for food would undoubtedly be frowned upon.  I’m thinking that why we haven’t enjoyed a snack on a deck downtown…YET.

Yesterday my human took us for a good walk, then she and the Hulk went for a 50 km bike ride.  Which seems all healthy and fit.  But it’s an illusion.  She comes home, sits on the deck and promptly falls asleep.  I decided to put an end to that by jumping on her while she was lying on the lawn chair.  That’s the up close and personal shot you see. Did she honestly THINK she could nap on a day off?!  What is WRONG with her?  Of course we then got to play.  And have some snacks.  More like it.

She is off again today.  Maybe she’ll take us to one of those patios.  Doubtful – but one never knows….

Have a good one!

July 1.  It’s Canada Day. A national holiday.  Which means all major businesses are closed, government offices are closed, there is no mail AND my human is OFF.  Thanks Canada.

During big holidays like this, lots of events are scheduled.  Parades.  Picnics.  Fairs.   And fireworks.  Which can be a scary thing for some dogs. Some people suggest wearing a Thundershirt if a dog is very fearful.  In the Italian town of Collecchio, they take the well-being of dogs very seriously – they instituted a law that fireworks must be silent. They say it is to reduce stress for all animals – so I think it’s a brilliant idea.  Frodo and I have heard fireworks in the distance, and we didn’t mind them – and we don’t mind thunder – but we’re lucky.  We’re probably just used to the loud sounds of my human shouting at me when I run off.  Kind of like thunder.

Anyway, time to go and get my human moving on OUR day off.  I have so much planned for her!

Happy Canada Day!
 

June 30.  It’s hard to believe the month is over.  Less than 6 months to Christmas.  I have to start my list…

On this day in 1938,  Superman first appeared in the comics.  He was an average guy, who could transform into a superhero.  And most importantly, he had a dog- Krypto, who first appeared in comics in 1955. In the early depiction of the generic white colored dog, Krypto was reported to have super-canine intelligence.  I think he should have been a PON.
This dog is a Super Dog fan – and he does a super job.  Better him than me – when it comes to the costume:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGhlDjlCQWg

A friend and colleague at my human’s work knows my human is just a LITTLE bit dog crazy.  Wonder how she got that idea?  Anyway, her friend shared information about a woman who writes songs about purebred dogs – and who KNEW she has written songs about so many breeds- including PONs!!!?!  She even has some available to purchase on-line.
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/nancysimmonds18

I really like the PON song.  How appropriate that a song about us would be a polka? The lyrics talk all about our herding abilities and she calls a PON a “wagging shaggy love machine.”  Yup.  That’s me.  Well, maybe not the herding part…  Anyway – check out our lyrics (scroll down) and all the songs she has written about so many breeds!
http://www.musicaltails.com/Musical_Tails/LYRICS_AUDIO_J_-_P.html

Tomorrow is a holiday here – which MEANS my human is OFF!  I’m writing my checklist of things for her to do tomorrow:

• Walk PONs
• Feed PONs
• Play with PONs
• Give PONs treats
• Give PONs more treats
• Play fetch with PONs
• Give PONs treats
• Walk PONs
• Feed PONs
• Do NOT brush PONs
• Give PONs treats

And that’s the list up until noon.
Have a happy Thursday!

June 29.  National Camera Day.  Once upon a time, back in the olden days, which my human can easily remember, people used to take pictures on their cameras and get this – they used to do something called “DEVELOP THE FILM.”  What the HECK is film?!  Film, to me, is the slimy olfactory art that we dogs leave on windows.   Apparently in the olden days, people would take pictures on a camera and the film was inside.  Once they took a certain number of pictures, they would take the film to a place where the pictures would be printed.  Lots of time the pictures didn’t even come out.  IMAGINE that.  All those 563 shots that my humans snaps to get ONE good photo of us dogs would be PRINTED.  Back in the day, Frodo and I would have wasted a LOT of film.  A LOT.

Today, cameras are digital, so my human can take those 563 shots and not worry.  She can delete 560 of them.  Whish.  They are gone.  And she no longer has to lug around her 10 lb camera.  She just whips out that crazy iPhone and shoots away.  My human estimates that she has taken several thousand photos JUST for my blog.  No – several thousand do not appear – but for every good shot you see, at LEAST a dozen others are taken.  The reason for the multiple shots?  Either because one of us is practicing picnore – the act of ignoring her as she tries in vain to get us to look at the camera, or because one of us is sticking out his tongue…

or because the shot is blurry or the light is bad or…or…or…she just enjoys being the pup-arazzi.  Here is a very, VERY small sample of some of my HUMAN’S favorite shots.  Clearly the photos in the holiday attire are NOT my faves…

The great thing about photos is the memories they evoke.  Some happy.  Some sad…  But they are a visual reminder of a moment in time….

Take out your camera today and record those moments.  You’ll be glad you did!

©  Linda Wozniak

Happy Tuesday.  Better than happy Monday.  The hardest day of the week (for humans) is over.  Tuesday is kind of a weird day.  It’s not Monday.  And it’s not as good as Wednesday – because Wednesdays mark the middle of the week.  And Thursday represents the slide to the finish.  And who doesn’t love Friday?  Tuesday is just Tuesday.  Mind you – EVERY day is Friday for us dogs.  

Today is also International Caps Lock day. It’s supposed to be a day to poke fun at people who unnecessarily capitalize words, phrases and sentences.  In texts and in email, when people use lots of caps, it usually means they are yelling or shouting.   Kind of like most of the communication my human has with me.  “Viktor, come here. VIKTOR COME HERE.  Viktor, drop that.  VIKTOR DROP THAT.  Viktor, leave the duck alone.  VIKTOR LEAVE THE DUCK ALONE.”  You get the point.  Caps are a huge part of my life.

As we all know, I like to think I am larger than life.  And really – I AM (note that is in caps – I like to use caps to EMPHASIZE things).  But this guy decided to show how his dog is larger than life.  I hope this gives you a chuckle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXFQlWdbgnI

I hope your Tuesday is FABULOUS.  And you are able to capitalize on another GREAT day!

OK. I am really angry that I saw this in the news AGAIN.  In California, on Friday, a 17-year-old mixed Chinese crested/chihuahua dog was the contest winner in a competition that is 28 years old – the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest.  SweePee Rambo won the grand prize – $2000.  I talked about this last year – and I was quite annoyed.   And here we go again.  I mean seriously – humans are always so mindful about being politically correct.  Except, of course, for Donald Trump.  But in GENERAL – it is unlikely that you would see a contest for the World’s Ugliest Human.  So why is it you think you can do that to us dogs?!   There ARE no ugly dogs.  Unique dogs. Distinctive dogs.  Special dogs. But NOT ugly dogs.  So there. Who do I see about changing the name of this contest?!

In news from the home front,  my human went for a drive yesterday, and left Velcro dog and I at home.  Mind you – we had an hour long walk just before she went.  On her travels, she popped into a Pet Store she had never visited before.  She had a great chat with the owner and met the store’s two employees – two German Shepherds.  They were reportedly very friendly dogs – one was a 20 month old puppy who came from Germany.  I would have liked to meet him – but then I was at HOME wasn’t I?  I suppose I shouldn’t complain too much, though, because, while in the store my human bought Velcro dog and I two special treats.  Moose antlers.  YUM.  Of course, Velcro dog and I went CRAZY when she brought them home.  Antlers are great for chewing.  But of course, as my human went to help me type this blog, she had to find out more about antlers.  Who knew that some antlers are better than others?  They even come in in different grades.  And elk antlers are reportedly the toughest. According to one website (which SELLS antlers – so I’m not so sure how unbiased they are), some BIG chain pet stores sell low grade antlers.  All I know is that my human has yet to find cheap antlers.  And the two she bought yesterday – for the price, my human could have bought herself a BIG steak at a pretty fancy restaurant.  Probably two steaks.  But heck, we deserve it. 

And so does SweePee.  I hope that UNIQUE girl gets all the Grade A antlers she wants.  She deserves it.  Remember – there are NO ugly dogs.  And Viktor said so!

Yesterday we went for an early morning walk with Jackson and his human.  It was a calm, peaceful, BEAUTIFUL morning.  The sun had just risen.  The birds were singing.  The loons were calling… Allow me to provide the dialogue between the two humans we brought with us on our walk…

MH = My human
JH= Jackson’s human

MH:   Good morning.  Blablablablablabla…
JH:   Good morning.  Blablablablabla.

JH:  Jackson. Stay out of the swamp water.  Blablabla.  Jackson get out NOW.  Blablablabla.
MH:  Frodo I’m letting you off leash.  Don’t abuse this privilege.  Viktor – you are still staying on.  Blablablablabla.
MH;  FRODO.  THIS way.  Blablablabla.
JH:  Blablabla.  Jackson.  Stop rolling in whatever that is.
MH:  Frodo. Don’t eat that.
MH:  OK Viktor, you can go off leash.
MH:  Blablabla.
JH:  Blablabla.
JH:  OMG – is that the DUCK on the pond? It IS!
MH:  OMG – she’s heading this way.  Viktor.  Oh Viktor.  Come here for a minute.  (As she grabs me and puts me back on leash).
JH:  Holy moly.  That duck is FOLLOWING us on the pond.
MH:  AND she knows where we live. Viktor stop looking at her.
JH:  Blablablabla.  You know, practically everyone on the street  knows about you guys and the duck.  Blablabla.
MH:  OK.  Viktor you can go off leash again (as we are far from the pond).
JH:  Jackson, go in the CLEAN pond to wash off the swamp water.  Blablablabla.
JH:  Treats everyone.  Treats.  Blablablabla.
JH:  Hey, aren’t we we missing a dog?
MH:  Vik-tor.  VIK-tor.  VIK-TOR.  VIIIIIIIIIIIKTOOOOOOOOOOR.
JH:  Maybe he’s heading through the woods back to the duck.
MH:  Here he comes.
JH:   Blablablablablabla.
MH:  Blablablablablablabla.
JH:  Jackson, stop eating grass.  NOW. Hey look – there’s ANOTHER duck.  With ducklings.
MH:  Viktor.  Oh Viktor.  (as she puts me BACK on the leash).
MH:  OMG – there’s a rabbit.  And there goes Jackson.
JH:  JACK-SON. (who quickly returns)
MH: (to herself) Thank GOODNESS Viktor is on the leash.
MH:  OK, Viktor, I’ll let you off again.  IF you behave.
JH:   Blablablablabla.
MH:   Blablablablabla.
MH:  Let’s see  if we can get a photo with all three.  Viktor, Frodo sit.  Staaaaaaaaay.  Staaaaaaaaay.
JH:  Jackson sit.  Jackson sit.  Jackson sit.  Jackson look happy. Jackson sit.
MH:  Got one.  That’s a first.  Blablablablablabla.

Frodo and I are a bit ticked off with Oprah’s dogs.  You know – Oprah the TV celebrity.  It seems she was on a talk show telling the host how her DOGS send her flowers for every holiday and special occasion.  How to make other dogs feel guilty.  Now I suppose my human will be expecting flowers for her birthday in a few months… Do dandelions from the garden count?

And in other  news – the AKC has just added another new breed to the “official” breed list.  It’s a dog from Hungary – called a Pumi.  They are another herding breed.  I think they are kind of cute – but I don’t think I want one.  No offense to Pumi’s but I think I want a BIGGER puppy.  But I still haven’t convinced my human.  Yet.

It’s Saturday and time to get my human moving.  Wonder where we’ll find the duck today…

Have a good one. I know I will.

 Sometimes it is the little things in life that one must appreciate…

Yesterday at 5AM, we were out for our morning constitutional with our human.  It was a foggy, quiet morning.  We made our way down the trail and happily trotted along.  We ended up cutting through part of the golf course and my human took a detour around the club house.  The club house is surrounded by lovely landscaped grounds – raised beds which are about 3 feet off the ground.  And as we walked around one of the beds, my human spotted something out of the corner of her eye.  We were right next to the bed.  And there, hiding in the bed, literally about four feet away, was a cat. Frodo walked right past.  Remember the cat was above our line of sight.  But of course, yours truly suddenly picked up the scent.  My nose went in the air and I slowed down.  And my human braced herself and silently prayed in that 1.8 seconds, that the cat would NOT move.  And he didn’t.  And she kept us moving.  And we never knew the difference.

Now that may not seem like a huge deal – but trust me, it’s these little things that one should learn to appreciate in life.  Those brief moments – where if the circumstances were different, the day could have gone very differently.  So while your day may seem ordinary, and rather mundane- remember, that CAN be a very good thing!

Have a great, ordinary day!

So my human has been very busy at work lately, working long hours.  This happens for about two months every year.  But luckily for us, her friend and our best buddy comes to stay with us, so we still get plenty of walks, attention and TREATS.  He’s a bug guy – about 6’4″ and I call him the Hulk.  He goes to the gym every day and works out.  I mention this physical description, because it is key in this story…

On Tuesday, the Hulk took Velcro dog and I out for our afternoon walk.  He does this every day.  We meandered up our long driveway, and crossed the road.  It was a beautiful day.  We walked along the side of the road, as there are cars going to the golf course down the road.  As we walked along  I started to pull to go into the ditch.  I was pretty intent on going down there – on a leash of course.   Velcro dog suddenly decided he wanted to go down there too.  And that’s when all heck broke loose.

Guess who was down in the weeds and brush on the side of the road?  The duck.  And although I didn’t see them, I assume her ducklings were with her.  I didn’t get to SEE the ducklings because momma duck went CRAZY flying at us.  Just like the other day.  I think she remembered me.  In fact, I’m SURE she did.  She flew up, flapped her wings and started quacking at us.  Which sent me (and Velcro dog) into a FRENZY.  An absolute FRENZY.