Happy Saturday blogaroos! Squirmy here today after a WILD, windy and rainy Friday. It was CRAY-ZEEEE windy. I think I saw Toto fly by. But we were lucky – our power never went out AND by the time I was going to class, the rain had stopped. THEN the temperature dropped down last night, so we could have a skating rink in the yard this morning. Could be short walks. Again.

Today I have a funny video to share with you that Sue sent to the Warden. This dog has a device that I would LOVE to have. Sue thinks I would become a roly poly if I had it. Check it out:

If for some reason you can’t see the video, but you are a Facebook user – you can find the video here. The Warden is not exactly a techno wizard, so hopefully you can see it.

https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=577339173506301&_rdr

Anyway, the Warden thought this device would be cool – but I could only have it at mealtime. Otherwise, I WOULD be a roly poly. But she said that before she would get me one, I would first need to learn to hit a button – like the “Easy” button. Here’s a dog using the easy button:

https://youtu.be/wuFnSaGM3io

I know lots of dogs can do this – and some dogs even learn to push buttons to “talk.” The Warden doesn’t want to start that because she figures I will start arguing about things I don’t want to do. So we’ll just try the “Easy” button. There are a couple of ways to train button pushing. Here’s one…and I feel kinda sorry for the dog at certain points because the lady is so busy telling viewers what to do, she’s missing his good behavior. I would just start biting.

https://youtu.be/xYjhAAI02FU

Here’s a slightly different method…

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/the-power-of-touch-teach-your-dog-to-nose-target/

It looks like there’s no one way to train a button push. Do what works for you and your dog – as long as you have fun and give LOTS of rewards.

I started trying this the other night, and the Boss needed to be sequestered in the other room because he wanted to try too. But after working with me, the Warden was exhausted, so he didn’t try. By the end of my first session, I was occasionally hitting the button. With no consistency at all.

The next session, I would touch the button with my nose, but rarely got it to talk. Still, the Warden was rewarding my efforts. The more I did it, the more treats came my way. And IF I got the voice- JACKPOT! By the end of session two I was better – but, truthfully, not lovin’ this whole thing. I like heeling and running. I like ACTION stuff. Pushing buttons is boring. At least that’s my excuse.

While I was doing session two, the Boss was watching through the French door. He was in the hallway with the Coyote who thought the whole exercise was silly. When I was done with my lukewarm performance, The Boss and I traded places and he was introduced to the button. First time. Never played with it before. At least not that the Warden can remember. This is him after less than 10 minutes. I’m not joking.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=DHjTrnJg_B4&feature=share

The dude is a genius. I said less than 10 minutes- but honestly, it was probably 5. She showed it to him, waited for him to hit it. Gave him a treat – and voila – a few minutes later he’s running over to the thing and hitting it on his own. Show off. (Oh The Warden said to excuse his messy coat – remember, we DID have a rainy day).

Anyway, I’ll keep working on my button pushing. The Coyote rolls his eyes and says it’s too much work. He’d rather watch birds out the window. I’m thinking I may join him.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here on what is supposed to be a rainy Thursday. We just got used to the snow again and foosh- here comes the rain again. Yucko.

Today I’m here to tell you about how I have been trying to trick the Warden lately. But so far, she’s on to me.

I call my little trick “the magic move.” It all has to do with blueberry distribution order.

You see, every day, after we finish breakfast, we line up for frozen blueberries. The Warden removes the cobalt orbs from the freezer, rinses them off, and proceeds to dole them out. And we line up with The Boss on the left, the Coyote (if he is in a blueberry mood) in the middle, and yours truly on the right. The Warden has a blueberry or two in her left hand – which go to the Boss, and blueberries in her right hand which first go to the Coyote and then to me. So the order of distribution is 1, 2 and 3- with me always being 3. The 1, 2, 3 distribution continues until we have each had around 16 blueberries, give or take a few. If the Coyote isn’t in a blueberry mood, I move up to the number 2 spot.

Well in the past week or two, after always being the last guy, I decided to try and trick the Warden. After getting a couple of blueberries, I decided to try and change my location. See my diagram for my first move.

I thought she wouldn’t notice, and I would get my blueberries before the Coyote. Well- it didn’t work. Clearly the Coyote and I look different- so he still got his before me.

The next day, after I got a few berries, I tried another move – which if you refer back to my diagram it is called the second move. I jammed myself between the Boss and the cupboard, thinking that maybe the Warden wouldn’t notice. I mean we ARE both PONs. She noticed.

The Warden kind of giggled when I made my moves. I don’t see what was amusing – clearly it took some calculating on my part. I should also add that I watch the Coyote when he takes his blueberry on the off chance that he’ll spit it out. Sometimes he starts out in a blueberry mood, and then after a couple he says “nah.” It doesn’t happen often – but it did once or twice – so I’ll never forget.

So that’s my latest magic move. I know it’s not successful but I think it shows just how tricky and clever I can be. Next trick – opening the freezer door myself to get the blueberries. Now THAT would be cool. Pun intended.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy doody blogaroos. Squirmy Wormy here on a terrific Tuesday!

Well it was a snowy Valentines Day here yesterday. It snowed all day long. We told the Warden that’s why the flowers we sent her didn’t get through. The delivery truck couldn’t get down the snowy roads. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.

The snow looked all fresh and clean and crisp – until the three of us boys went on our walk to the lake. We made sure that the pure, blank canvas was quickly marked with our yellow signatures. We just want to be sure that any visitors are warned beforehand that dogs live in our household.

So what’s new here? Oh! I went to an obedience practice thing on Sunday. It was a practice in regular obedience- not rally. I’ve never done an entire run through in Novice Obedience before so this was my official first simulated experience. All in all, I didn’t do too badly, except for the “stand for examination” exercise. In this exercise, your human tells you to stand and stay, she moves in front of you, and the judge comes over and pets you. And you’re not supposed to move. Can anyone guess why this is hard for me? Me? Not move? Hello, I have to sniff the judge – especially when she walks away. Zippo. Automatic fail. So obviously, I need more work on that exercise. A LOT more work. But for my very first try, I didn’t do too badly!

So what’s new in the news? Well first off we have fashion…

https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2022/02/12/dog-winter-boots-coats-clothes-do-they-need-orig-kj.cnn/video/playlists/atv-trending-videos/

I seriously hope the Warden doesn’t pull out the coat and boots for us guys. We don’t live in the city – so thankfully not much salt or chemicals for us to walk in. It’s a good thing. Just putting a collar and leash on me is challenge enough each morning. Boots would be the ultimate gong show. The warden DID mention some suits when mud season arrives. We’ll order a film crew to take footage of her trying to put that on me….

Here’s a story about a study going on to better understand how to make us dogs live longer.

https://people.com/pets/dog-aging-project-study/?amp=true

Anybody who is owned by a dog knows that no matter how long we live, it’s never long enough. I’m planning to be around for a LONG time. Somebody has to keep the Warden moving. She’d be a sloth without me – especially during the winter.

This bit of news has to do with sports. Its about a dog who paraglides. Really.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-60341236

I’m not so sure I would want to do that. Not that I’ll ever have to worry about it. Ever. The Warden paragliding? Remember my earlier sloth comment….

Lastly a story about THE best place for a human to work:

https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/how-much-does-amazon-love-dogs-just-ask-one-of-the-7-000-pups-that-work-here

No wonder the Warden supports that business so much….

That’s all I’ve got for today folks. Time to get out in that crisp powder and practice leaving my signature.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Greetings blog readers. Frodo here today for your reading pleasure.

Today I must tell you my story which some might title “you CAN teach an old dog new tricks.” I would add – “because the old dog sees the POINT in doing the trick”.

As many of you know, our daily paper is delivered into a box at the end of our rather long driveway. And each day, upon returning from our morning constitutional along the road, someone is “invited” to carry the paper home from the box. Someone is usually the FG. He is the most likely to carry it. For at least a few feet before he drops it and stares at it like a scientist examining a specimen under a microscope. Should Her Highness attempt to pick it up, he grabs it, walks a few more feet and promptly drops it again. In this household the rule is two strikes and you’re out – we don’t follow baseball rules. After two drops, Her Highness then grabs the paper as he attempts to grab it back. She wins. Always. And she carries the paper home.

The Imp, on the other hand is happy to pick the paper up. He then tosses it, pounces on it and immediately attempts to shred it. He is no longer invited to carry it – after several confetti headlines.

And finally there is yours truly. I have absolutely no inclination to even pick up that plastic covered bundle. Her Highness pleads. I simply ignore her. What is the point in carrying it? She has two hands. Do I look like a paper carrier? I think not. I MAY have done it in my younger days, but I’m a senior with privilege- which includes the right of paper carrying refusal.

However….yesterday Her Highness took me to retrieve the paper and we had a…. revelation.

Yesterday, we had all done a jog to the lake and back, so we had short constitutionals on our own property. So that meant no one walked on the road, and passed the paper on the return. When that occurs, I am the one, the only one who goes to get the paper. Because I can go off leash. Her Highness walks me half way up the driveway, she tells me to wait, she retrieves the paper and she returns to me. Where I get a treat simply by playing the role of a statue. An easy gig.

But back to yesterday. When Her Highness returned to me she attempted to hand me the paper. Ugh. I snubbed the idea of carrying it. But then she asked me to sit in heel position. A spot I know and love because I long ago learned that the heel position ultimately results in treats. I stared at her waiting to see her next move. She told me to wait, and she rather awkwardly threw the plastic paper bundle. She immediately instructed me to “take it,” which is a command I know well from obedience training. Of course I raced out, grabbed the paper and quickly returned with it, with my brain focusing on the treat I was sure would await me. And voilà. Paper delivered, and treat delivered.

Her Highness proceeded to keep throwing the paper down the driveway, and yours truly happily obliged in bringing it to her. THIS was a paper job I could enjoy. Simply carrying it to take it home, was boring. BUT- to retrieve it repeatedly for treats was an entirely different task. Why? Simple math. More treats. You pick it up and carry home and get one measly treat. You repeatedly retrieve it and numerous treats are dispensed. THIS is my kind of game.

What else is thoroughly exciting in our little corner of the world? Ah yes- today is February 13 and it is apparently also known as Palentine’s Day – the day before Valentines Day. It is supposedly the day in which platonic friends and soul mates are celebrated. Possibly another way for florists and Hallmark to cash in on and extend the Valentines Day holiday. Which reminds me, I must find Her Highness’s credit card to order her some flowers from us boys.

Well, the Imp is off to some obedience practice thing today – which is an excellent holiday for me and the FG. To have him gone for a few hours is heaven. Not that we don’t love him (he said with rolling eyes) but when he is gone for just a bit, we both sleep well,

I bid you all a pleasant Sunday.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe

Howdy blogaroos! On a fantastic Friday! No major storms in the forecast today – so I’ll get to go to class!! Hurray!

So I hear the Olympics are going on right now. Personally, I’m not all that interested. No sports with dogs. So what’s the point? I see that Viktor talked about this very thing 4 years ago- so I’m going to cheat today and give you a rerun of what he said – with some edits by me.

I decided to see if dogs have EVER been a part of the Olympic Games in the past, and found that some interesting facts. In 1932, dog sledding was a demonstration sport in Lake Placid, New York. But that’s as far as it went. It never became an official sport. In 1928, skijoring, appeared as a demonstration sport as well. Skijoring is a sport in which humans are on skis and are pulled by a dog – or in the case of the Games in 1928, by a horse. It also never became official. Lots of people do it with their dogs today. For the Warden, it would spell certain death. Just walking us on icy sidewalks is adventurous enough.

In 2016, Rio hosted the summer Olympic Games, and they hosted a Dog Olympic Games. Events included things like agility, hurdles, racing and dock diving. Those kind of sports for dogs make logical sense. But I think there are PLENTY of other sports in which we dogs could compete. Here are a few:

• Treat jar races. Dogs are required to stay in different locations in a house, and when they hear the treat jar open, must race to it. The first dog there wins.
• Tug of war. Can be performed with two dogs (matched for weight) or a dog and human. To keep it fair, given that lots of dogs are outweighed by humans, the humans should be wearing roller skates.
• Treat catching. Could be done from longer and longer distances. Nobody in this house could compete in this one. We try – and I’m closest- but let’s just say most treats end up being snarfed from the floor.
• Food dish bowl hockey. Pushing an empty metal bowl across a kitchen floor and into a laundry hamper and being sure to make as much noise as possible. The Boss could do this. The event would be timed. And it should take place while a human is on the phone.
• Treat hunt.. Treats are hidden around a house. Dogs are timed in their ability to find all the treats. Gold medal for me – for sure! This would go along with Snuffle mat clearing. First dog to clear the mat wins.
• Dog kiss marathon. See which dog can give the most dog kisses. Event is obviously timed. But one may want to check what the dog was licking BEFORE the event takes place. Fair warning.
• Digging. A timed event to see who can dig the deepest hole in the ground or in a pile of snow. The Coyote and I would be excellent competitors in this.
• Ricocheting. Prizes for the highest and the most ricochets in a minute. I’m feeling golden for this one.
• Dog bed dragging. The objective is to see how fast and far you can drag your dog bed before a human catches you. My photo above is me after a successful run.

I did a little searching and found some videos of dogs performing sports that should be in the Olympics.

https://dogtime.com/trending/39033-olympic-sports-dogs/amp

I liked all of them – but let’s just say my new “want” is a trampoline. I not only want one – I NEED one. Think how much energy I could burn!!!

Well, time to get the Friday party started. And to look on Amazon for a trampoline…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy Wormy here on another wonderful Wednesday. Today HAS to be a better day than yesterday. It POURED RAIN ALL DAY. We’re talking it was SO windy and wet, none of us wanted to go out. Even the Coyote. You know it’s bad out when we actually settle down and lounge around like sloths who ate a big turkey dinner. I guess that’s a weird image – but you get the idea.

When we lounge, we all have our own “style” of napping. The Coyote heads for the raised dog bed, which is where you can find him 90% of the time. Lately you MIGHT find the Boss on it, but he is usually jammed in some contorted space under furniture. He’s a dog who doesn’t like crates IF the door is closed. BUT, he will go in on his own and he kind of smushes himself up against the back of it. I have no idea how the guy can be comfortable. He’s a real contortionist. He’s a chiropractor’s dream.

I have a new thing with lounging. I like to go UNDER the dining room carpet. I flip back the corner and kinda wedge my head under it. Same thing with the new dog bed that was in my crate. Note I said WAS. The Warden kept finding me under it in the morning. Or it was all balled up on one side of the crate and I had myself smushed on the other side. So it’s now in the dining room. I don’t know why she was surprised- even when I was little, I thought it was more fun sleeping UNDER my bed.

Now if you think we are strange in our napping positions, I found 50 pictures that will make us look pretty boring. Check them out:

https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-dog-sleeping-positions/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

Surely somebody in that group must be named Gumby. I don’t know what a Gumby is, but the Warden said to put that in.

That’s all the exciting news from our house. Now that the luge run is finally clear after all that rain, paws crossed we’ll be able to go for a good walk today! Through the slushy snow. After all my lounging yesterday – I can’t WAIT! My over over-charged battery is raring to GO!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy never-slow-down Wormy here today on another merry Monday.

We survived all the bad weekend weather, and we are all able to go to the lake once again. The path is kinda packed down snow and not super icy, because a dusting of snow fell after the freezing rain. So it’s walkable. While the Warden tends to sink a bit in spots, we canines are doing just great! I LOVE hard snow. All the better for racing and rolling.

Although we are now able to go on our trails to the lake, we have been walking a bit less distance overall the past week or two because of the conditions. So, as a result, I have energy just bubbling over. Sure, we do our daily training and we are allowed to play in the backyard again, now that it’s not a sheet of ice, but my battery is still way overcharged. Bully sticks provide a bit of stationary exercise, and following the Warden every time she moves exerts a bit more energy, but she’s been looking for other things to occupy my time. Besides licking the Boss’s head and ears. So – the snuffle mats have reappeared. And now the Boss and I get our meals via the snuffle mats. Before, the Warden would give us our food and before she even started to get her coffee ready, we were finished eating. Now, she can actually get a few minutes to prepare her breakfast. Meanwhile, the Coyote leisurely eats his meals sequestered in the hallway. From a bowl.

Initially, She was just feeding us breakfast via snuffle and supper from our bowls, but now we even get that meal delivered via snuffle. The Warden will take every minute of respite that she can get.

The life of a PON pretty much revolves around mealtime and treats. In our household, the Boss gets medicine in the morning and at supper time. And there has to be an hour between when he gets his medicine and when he can eat. He knows EXACTLY when 60 minutes are up – and he doesn’t even wear a watch! He gets all antsy when the time is up, and he squeaks and stares at the Warden. And since he starts squeaking, that’s my cue to start wrestling with him. That’s MY way of reminding the Warden that we NEED to eat.

Yup, we dogs rule the day. In EVERY household, including the REAL Queen’s. Yup even the Queen of England has dogs that do what they want. Notice in the clip, she says “I know what you want.” Ten bucks,or should I say ten pounds, says it’s either a treat – or mealtime.

https://youtu.be/zimjOUO-a_I

Lately, the Boss also gets antsy when he feels it’s time for bed. Because we get a biscuit right before bedtime. Sometimes he starts squeaking as early as 9PM, because he’s done with guard duty for the day, and he just wants his biscuit and to go to bed. And trust me – he can be persistent. The other night, the Warden couldn’t take it any more, so at like 9:15, she announced “OK – we’ll go to bed. But I’m still going to do some reading in bed!” Blah blah – he didn’t care. He got his biscuit just when he wanted it. The advantages of being a bossy senior.

OK. Almost time to get this party started.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe!

Yo. Blog people. Elroy here for your reading today. We’re about to go out and see the results of freezing temperatures overnight. Yesterday we had rain and freezing rain all day. None of us were overly thrilled about going out. Especially the Boss. But we did manage to do our morning walks before the freezing set in. So it was plain rain.

The Boss was miserable with the rain and puddles, and to top it off, he had a goopy ear. I think that’s the medical term for it. The cause of goopy ear? The Imp. He licks the Boss’s head and ears – despite Her Highness’s commands to stop. So all that licking resulted in one messy, goopy ear. Luckily, Her Highness knows what to do – AND she had some ear drops to help it clear up. Yeah, the Boss woke up scratching his ear, panting, shaking his head – he’s a real drama king. After his quasi-veterinary treatment in the garage, and after much moaning and groaning – he was much better. Until he realized it was raining out.

So according to the crazy calendar, today is National Fart Day. Seriously. No Picard Day, or PON Day, but a day to celebrate farts. Not much to celebrate if ya ask me. This topic is one we’ve covered before- and one that Her Highness’s mother always despised. She’s no doubt looking down and rolling her eyes that we’re at it again.

If ya want to read about dog farts, here’s a good article:

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/how-to-stop-dog-farts/

There are loads of dog fart videos, but I suspect that many are fake. I mean how did the person taking the video KNOW that the dog would fart? Unless the dog has a REALLY big problem. Anyway, here’s a fake fart video – where we KNOW it’s fake:

https://youtu.be/v36hPj2z8DM

I personally think it would have been funnier to see human reactions….

In other equally gripping news, according to our research, on this day in 1981, somebody in Australia made the world’s biggest batch of Jello using 9,246 gallons of watermelon flavoring. Humans can do strange things. But we know that. Anyway, we canines can’t eat real Jello because it has too much sugar and other stuff in it. BUT – we CAN eat unsweetened gelatin, and because I knew you would want this (yawn) we found a salmon-blueberry dog jello recipe. Check it out:

https://www.prouddogmom.com/diy-salmon-jello-dog-treat-recipe/

Not sure I would eat it. Depends on the day. No doubt the mops would inhale it. Personally, I think there’s no point in slaving over a stove to make them fancy treats – they don’t even stop to taste the stuff. Just throw the salmon and blueberries in their bowls and skip the jello part. Follow me for more recipes.

OK. Gotta go on patrol and to check out the weather conditions. Been some pheasants hanging out on our acreage, so time to go and bark at them. Sometimes I bark even if they’re not there. Just to warn them not to come. Pretty clever, eh?

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy blogaroos. Well it’s the third of February. Which means 2-2-22 is over and so is the day when we celebrate those squirrels on steroids – the Groundhog. And it seems the famous weather prognosticators had some different forecasts depending where you live. Like Puxatawney Phil, in Pennsylvania said that area would be getting 6 more weeks of winter. Meanwhile, Wiarton Willie, in Ontario said those folks would be getting an early spring. Lucky them. Our very own Schubenacadie Sam agreed with Phil – and gave us the gloomy news of more winter ahead. Yuck.

Yesterday the Warden thought that since the day had warmer temperatures, that maybe we could try that walk to the lake. I raced and hopped like a maniac. The Coyote was on leash so he couldn’t go far or fast. The Boss walked behind the Warden in her moon boot footprints. The Warden regretted the journey when we got to the lake – because it’s all up hill to get back to the house. I thought I might have to get a sled to pull her back. Not to mention the fact that as we were leaving our fenced area next to the house, she hit this metal thing that keeps the gate closed, full force with her knee. I actually thought the walk might have been over. But she continued, because she didn’t know what was worse to endure – a sore knee, or an extra-bored me – because I really NEEDED a run. She chose the knee.

In other news, according to the crazy calendar, today is International Golden Retriever Day. Really. It started in 2011 by some woman who had a Golden and who said “if there can be an Eat Cherry Pie Day, why can’t there be a Golden Retriever day?” She picked February 3, because it happened to be her Golden Retriever’s birthday.

Goldens have been in the top ten popularity lists in the US and Canada for years and years. The Warden’s parents had one when she was an adult and no longer living at home. Actually, the Warden and her sister, Sue did the one thing that you should never do- they bought their father a puppy for Christmas. Yup. They found an ad in the paper, picked up the puppy and surprised him. He was initially not impressed. He had been so sad when they lost their Irish Setter after 15 years, that he said “no more dogs.” But in typical fashion, his loving daughters didn’t listen to him. Yes- he was upset. For about 10 minutes. He named him Midas – and they were best buddies for another 15 years.

Their Mom wasn’t initially excited about the idea of another dog either, but she WAS in on the Christmas surprise. And truth be told, she kinda liked him too…

So in honor of International Golden Retriever Day, I found a super duper video I think you’ll like. Even if you’re not a Golden person (do such people exist?) I think you’ll find this funny:

https://youtu.be/FT-qDSxRv14

I don’t think there is an International PON day. I think Viktor tried to start one when like 5 people were reading this blog. So the idea never flew. I don’t think the Picards have an International Day either. But hey – Labradors have a day too -January 8! Oopsie- missed that one. I couldn’t find a day for Bernese, and boxers could claim Boxing Day- but they don’t have an official one either. But wait – pugs do! You can let me know if other breeds have “a day.” Who knew it was a thing?!

Well, time to get my daily party started. I hope your day is perfectly golden!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy Wormy here on another terrific Tuesday. And guess what else today is? Why it’s February 1st!!! So the 45 days of January are OVER!!! Yee haw!

So we survived the snowstorm – and you MIGHT think we would be all happy with the fluffy white stuff. But no- we’ve been pretty miserable. Why? Well we had lots of snow. Which is great. And the plow guy came to save us from being trapped until Spring. By the way, when he comes, we all shout out our instructions as to where we want the snow moved. The Boss starts. And the Coyote and I follow along. It’s kinda loud here until he leaves. Anyway, he did a super job. BUT, after he created our mountains and cleared the driveway, it rained. Not for really long, and it was kinda freezing rain. And do you know what THAT means? Two things: luge run driveway AND a thick crust on the snow. Now that thick crust MIGHT be fine for a dog who weighs as much as a bird, but that doesn’t describe anyone in this house. So when we go out, our feet break though the crust and then we sink in the snow up to our chest. On Sunday morning when the Warden attempted to take us to the lake, we didn’t get far at all. I got the furthest. I figured out how to hop and then sploot on top of the crust. I was trying to distribute my weight. In the meantime, the Coyote, who doesn’t generally mind snow but who hates the snow if it’s TOO cold, stood paralyzed. The Boss wanted nothing to do with any part of the adventure. He took one look at the trail and turned around and trudged back to the house. He promptly pooped on the driveway while trying to keep from sliding.

Since then we’ve had cold temperatures, so the crust has not melted. It’s no fun. And although the driveway has seen some salt, there’s no point trying to walk us up to the road because THAT is also like a skating rink. So walking on it is taking a big risk if a car comes along. So we stay home. And trust me – that can get pretty boring. Sure we do our training, and play games, but we have no good toys to play with because ummmm… they are all buried under the snow. The Warden was desperately searching the house and garage yesterday to find anything to keep us amused. Besides licking each other’s heads. We’ve finished every bully stick we had, and the cool super tough rubber bones we got for Christmas we can’t have because yours truly was able to break off pieces.

So like when I get bored, if I’m not styling the Boss’s hair or wrestling with the Coyote, I walk. Around the dining room table. Down the hall, around the dining room table, into the front hall, around the kitchen, around the dining room table….In the meantime, the Coyote starts pawing at the deck door. The Warden opens it and he just stands there, breathing in the fresh, freezing air. He has no intention of going out. I should mention that this is happening while the Warden is attempting to eat breakfast. This is after we’ve all been out to do our business, after we’ve had OUR breakfast and after we’ve devoured our frozen Kongs. At one point yesterday, when both the Coyote and I were staring at the deck door she opened it and said out. When we both stood in the doorway, she pushed us out. The Boss just rolled his eyes and headed for the treat jar. He figured it was a good opportunity to beg – given that both of us were out.

So do you think we went out to play? To look for squirrels? To birdwatch? I mean we both wanted out. Nope. As soon as that door was shut, we sat down and stared inside, creating olfactory art on the glass. The Warden tried to ignore us. But she’s easily guilted into letting us in. She got up and we marched back in. The Coyote went to lie down, and I proceeded to get in my 10,000 steps.

The Warden says that living with us is sometimes like having two year old triplets. Who just ate too much sugar. And who didn’t sleep the night before.

It looks like it might rain later in the week. I doubt it will be enough to melt all the snow – but maybe the crust. In the meantime, I’m not sure HOW that groundhog is going to make his way out tomorrow. And I don’t know WHAT the forecast will be if he can’t even get out. Six more solid weeks of this, and the Warden will be needing a vacation. I think that’s a great idea – as long as we get to go along!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.