Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy stop that Wormy here on a ……super Sunday? Well…. Not totally super. Our company left yesterday, so now the Warden is feeling sad. We’ll have to perk her up. Heaven knows we keep things perky around here.

So when they returned from their island adventure, our sitter gave a full report on our behavior. I did my usual ricochet routine with her. The Boss barked away. And the Coyote performed his Picky Picard behavior with breakfast each day. He ALWAYS ate supper. I guess he’s going through another fasting routine.

Anyway, we really like the sitter – despite the fact that she shares EVERYTHING about how we behave. Like the fact that the Coyote and I twice got into a little “tiff” when our humping play went over the top. She had to break us up. The Warden thinks that happens when she goes away because we are vying for the number 2 spot in the household. The Boss is, and always will be, numero uno, and I SHOULD be number three, based on seniority…but sometimes if the Humpty game gets to be too much, I start thinking I should be number two. And keep in mind that this happens only when we have a sitter. I guess it’s called “testing the limits.” Anyway, everything is fine – and we ARE good buddies, and since the Warden has been home, she has reread us the house rules, and everybody is back to our normal state of nirvana. OK. Poor word choice. I should say our normal state of chaos.

I went to my Rally match on Friday night. Despite the fact that the Warden had concerns, given that we had not been training for a few days, I managed to pull off a score of 98/100. I would have had 100 if the Warden knew how to count her own steps when she is walking backwards. Sigh. She needs a LOT more training.

And speaking of training, here’s a cool new article about training vocabulary to dogs.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1280865

So to sum it up… they used Border Collies. And found that they are smart. Huge finding there…

They also learned that not all Border Collies are created equal. I argue that they are all equal in the smarts department, but not equal in WANTING to learn the new words.

I noticed that they didn’t try PONs or Picards. If there is food involved, we PONs can learn anything. Picards? Yeah they ARE smart, but well, the motivation level may not be quite as high. I call it “Independent Picard Learning.” IPL for short.

I’m afraid that since The Warden read this, she now has a goal to teach yours truly 3 words in a week. She’s starting with a low number. Not sure if she’s questioning my intellect, or my interest. I already know Tuggie. And ball. Well-golf ball to be specific. I kinda know Bunny – when we’re playing Find the Bunny. But would I pick Bunny over Tuggie when asked to do so? We’ll see.

Time to get ready for walkies.

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

Hey hey hey everybody! It’s me -Squirmy crash test Wormy here on this fantastic Friday.

We are currently holding the dog sitter captive. Just leave three bags of biscuits, a pint of blueberries, three stuffed Kongs, three marrow bones and three bully sticks outside the front door and we’ll release her.

Just jokin”.

We’ve been behaving PRETTY well. But we have to – the Warden returns today!

So according to rumor, she went with Sue and Keith to some place that does a whole special culinary dining experience thing. First they take you on their farm and explain how they grow things, and then they prepare the food using all fancy flavors. It’s all the same to me – I’d be happy to eat stuff at the farm level. Like the Boss who will eat tomatoes right off the vine. No need for fancy prep work – we don’t even taste what we eat – we do it so quickly. At least that goes for me and the Boss. The Coyote might enjoy the slow fine dining experience more. “Might” is the operative word – he’s kinda picky.

Anyway, apparently while the farmer was giving the tour, his loyal, well-behaved 2 year old Australian Shepherd, Harley stayed right at his feet – throughout the hour long presentation.

The Warden was impressed by Harley’s behavior. And a bit depressed thinking how none of us could do that kind of thing. I mean the Boss would be barking throughout the presentation, I would likely be rolling in compost, and the Coyote would be jumping on all the guests in an effort to get some pats. Yup. Farm presentation dogs we are not.

And speaking of behavior- the troops arrive home today – and get this – yours truly is in some kind of rally practice match TONIGHT. Now THIS should be fun.

OK. Gotta get ready to take the sitter for her walk. And gotta go study my rally signs.

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

Yo. Blog readers. Elroy here. Yup – me today instead of one of the Mops. They always seem to be doing most of the writing – and honestly, it’s all good with me. I’d rather be playing Humpty Dumpty- which has been getting me in trouble lately. And it’s not my fault – the little guy is equally guilty. Yup – even steven. Mind you 75% of the time I instigate things. My nose is like a magnet , and the Imp’s butt is like a piece of metal. Sorry for the description but that’s the way it is. Then once that happens, that’s the signal to the Imp that it’s game on. The game involves chasing, wrestling chewing and of course lots of humpty.

Anyway, either I or the Imp usually end up in prison if it gets TOO wild.

So get this, on a different note – we get company, and then what do they do? Pack up the car and take Her Highness on a little road trip. Yup. Gone. Leaving us to fend for ourselves for three days. Just joking. Our brave dog sitter has returned. As Her Highness walked out the door, she turned to the sitter and said, “God bless you.” That’s while the Imp was ricocheting off her back, the Boss was barking and I was doing my non-stop I-want-to-hump-the Imp squeak.

They went to some island. But not Bermuda or the Bahamas. Some Prince guy. Oh yeah – I know. Prince Eddie I think. Anyway, I’m sure there will be guilt gifts. Yawn. If they’re edible, I don’t really care. But the Mops will explode. That’s always fun to watch.

Time to go harass a Mop.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Hey hey hey blogaroos. Squirmy what-are-you-up-to-now Wormy here on another marvelous Monday. Our company is still here – and score – no trips to the Emergency Room yet.

I was quite enjoying our guests until they helped the Warden install a new, permanent gate to downstairs. We always had a gate that kind of leaned against the steps, but if someone (meaning canine someone ) REALLY wanted to go downstairs, all they had to do was knock into it and it fell down the stairs. Frankly, we were all generally respectful of that gate, but heaven forbid it did fall down – it was a a spontaneous parade rush down those steps. Anyway, the Warden bought a fancy black, metal gate which kind of matches the gate to the DFZ (as if we canines care about decor) – but she needed another set of hands to install it. So while I was sequestered in a crate, and the Coyote was sequestered outside, Susan read the instructions while Keith did the assembly. All under the watchful eye of the Boss. The Warden uselessly stood by with tools that they didn’t need. Anyway, it works great. And we are permanently stuck on the main level of our house. Until the Boss figures out how to lift the latch…

In other news. The Coyote is going through another serious Humpty obsession with me right now. He seems to go in spurts. His squeaking goes on for probably 75% of his waking hours. If we are left alone together, all heck breaks loose. There has been a LOT of rotating jail time for the two of us.

And in world news, here’s a politically correct article that just came out – claiming to answer the age old question: Who is smarter – cats or dogs?

https://www.livescience.com/amp/cats-dogs-intelligence

I say it’s politically correct – because they don’t answer the question! But come on. How many Seeing Eye Cats do you know? And I’ve never heard of Sniffer Cats at the airport. Bomb Detecting Cats? I don’t think so. Guard cats? Maybe guarding against mice. And how many cats do you know who can round up a flock of sheep. Yeah yeah. I know there are those who will argue that cats can’t be bothered to do all that “work stuff”. Some will say they know how to do all of those things, they just choose not to. Let’s be frank – I’m SURE you have heard people say that their cat is so great – he acts like a dog, retrieving, following instructions, etc. How many times do you hear people say about a dog “oh he’s just like a cat?” Not very often I bet. Now don’t get me wrong, I think cats are kinda cool – they can jump on counters and catch rodents and stuff. They even have their own “toilets”. But I don’t know many who have their own blog…Mind you, probably not many who have the talent for getting in so much trouble either…

Well time to start thinking about my morning walk…and a quick game of Humpty before jail time.

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

Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy put-that-pillow-down-now Wormy here on a super Saturday! Yup -we’re having a super duper time with our company! And I am trying my very very VERY best to entertain them. Keeping in mind that entertainment does not always equal good behavior…

So since Susan and Keith have been here, I have attempted to ricochet off them about 56 times. But who’s counting.

I have demonstrated my ability to circle the dining room table multiple times without stopping. While I am hanging onto Tuggie. I am encouraged to hold onto Tuggie because otherwise I just attempt to ricochet off people. Or bite them. So the Tuggianapolis 500 is encouraged.

I have also demonstrated that IF you leave the gate to the DFZ open by mistake, I am quick to steal throw pillows from the sofa and then race with THEM around the dining room table. You know the situation where a 2 year old acts out in a grocery store and a parent is left feeling embarrassed and helpless? Same story with a 17 month old PON and company.

While the two leggeds were eating birthday cake for Sue’s special day, I sat and stared at her, looking like a starving stray who hadn’t eaten in days. Sue looked at me and said “the last thing YOU need is sugar.” I’m not sure what she meant by that. I guess she meant that I’m sweet enough….

We did manage to squeeze in my obedience class yesterday, partly because when I come home I’m a TINY bit tired. I didn’t bite anyone or do any ricochets at class, so it was moderately successful. I think I would be a star in class if I had a different handler. But I’ll keep training her.

The other guys are behaving pretty well. I mean the Boss does bark out instructions to them, and the Coyote will sneakily leap on them from behind. Good thing they are family- they didn’t have to sign the danger waiver when they arrived.

I’m not sure what’s on the agenda for today, but you can be sure I will be right in the middle listening to any plans. I suggest more walks – but we’ll see….

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

Hey hey hey it’s me Squirmy get-down Wormy here on this special day! Guess what day it is! It’s Sue’s birthday! Sue who? You know Sue who – the Warden’s sister. And guess what? You give up? She and Keith arrived last night!!! Yup. Now we know why our house is so clean! And why the Warden literally rolled out the carpet for them. Which got yours truly in trouble…

So. The Warden didn’t want me to tell this story, but I said it’s too good not to share it.

You all know about our ongoing carpet battles. The last one was put down … sometime during the height of COVID. And I started to add my own decorating flair to it by giving it a rustic, worn look- by chewing the edges and pulling out random strands. Then the Warden sprayed it with that toxic horse spray stuff and I left the carpet alone. Still – it was looking kinda grotty – so the Warden had bought a new “spare” carpet which was wrapped up and stored in the garage. So since we were getting company, she decided on Tuesday night to roll up the old carpet, and drive it up to the road because garbage day is Wednesday. She sequestered us in the front hall while she moved around the dining room chairs and our rather large dining room table. All with much moaning and groaning. She battled with the carpet, tied it up and dragged it to the car. She drove it to the road (in the rain) and deposited it for pick up. She drove home, dragged the new carpet into the dining room (while we were again sequestered) and moved back the chairs and the table. Now the corners of the carpets were standing up a bit as the carpet had been rolled up for so long, so she put chairs on each corner. And then it was time for bed….

The next morning we all admired the new addition and the Coyote christened it by smushing his morning bed face into the fibers. I raced around it in my usual morning frenzy.

The Warden took each of us for our morning walks as usual. When she was finished, she prepared our breakfast and went to put our bowls on the floor. And that’s when she spotted it. SOMEONE had already started to nibble at a carpet corner. And it literally happened during the morning walks – as we were all in the bedroom all night. I’m thinking whoever it was just wanted to help make those corners go down.

Now the next part of the story is kind of a blur. I think there might have been like some kind of banshee cry and we were all suddenly sequestered in the hall. I recall watching her with a needle and thread, sitting on the floor and grumbling. A lot. Then she sped past us and went in the garage and came out with the toxic horse pepper spray stuff. The instructions say use in a well ventilated area – so she had doors and windows open and fans going and she saturated the corners of the carpet with the stuff. She then decided that she wanted the “repaired” corner on the far side of the room. So you know what that meant? Moving all the chairs and the banquet table all over again. Did I happen to mention this carpet is 9 feet wide and 12 feet long? More moaning and groaning and grumbling.

All through her breakfast she was coughing and sniffling – probably partly from the pepper spray and possibly a tear or two. She doesn’t know exactly WHO the culprit was – but all eyes are on your truly. Mind you, the Coyote used to be a carpet renovator before me. But nobody is talking. And trust me, nobody is touching those corners right now. I did give them a whiff – and that was enough for me…I hope Sue and Keith appreciate that we literally rolled out the carpet for them. Well- the Warden did.

Anyway, today we’ll get to celebrate Sue’s birthday! I hope there’s cake. We are going to have some fun days ahead!! And I promise not to touch the carpet. Not saying I did the other day, but moving forward, I’ll be sure not to do any renovating.

Good thing I’m cute.

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

Hey everybody! It’s me , Squirmy here on this terrific Tuesday. Well, I hope it’s terrific. There is rain in the forecast again. Yesterday was nice, but holy puddles is was raining Siamese and Chihuahuas on Sunday. It rained ALL day. We did manage to get out for our morning walks before it started, but just as the Coyote was coming down the driveway, the heavens opened. Who knew heaven had so much water!

Something is going on around here. The Warden has been cleaning an awful lot. So you know what THAT means. Either we are getting company, or the Warden is taking parole. I’ll keep you posted.

Today, according to the crazy calendar is the birthday of Confucius- a dude who lived a LONG time ago. He liked to philosophize about stuff. Wonder if he had a blog? Anyway, we took just a few of his quotes and paired them with photos. Of us. Of course. Here they are:

It’s almost time to get ready for bunny patrol. The Warden wishes she had taken a video of that photo you see above. My little stubby tail was just a wigglin’ as I watched Thumper. I just wanted to PLAY with him. Sure I did…

Have a happy Confucius party. And in the words of another Chinese philosopher….Remember, a journey of a thousand miles…is better if you’re doing it with your dog.

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

Salutations blog readers. Frodo here today for your reading pleasure. I felt it was my turn to share my views on the current state of affairs in our corner of the universe. It appears the Imp has stepped into Viktor’s writing role. I need to sometimes remind him that we were quite capable of providing entertaining content before he came along. Although I do suppose he adds some comedic material. A clown he is…

Well, as the Imp pointed out the other day, Fall has arrived in all its crimson splendor. And did you happen to notice the distinct “smells” of Fall? The aroma of freshly picked apples – which I happen to adore. The distinct smell when the furnace is turned on for the first time. The pungent, but sweet smell of leaves and earth as they begin to compost. Ah yes. The odors of Fall. And then we have those smells that are noteworthy- although not restricted to the season. The smell of the liquid on the road, that has come from a neighbor’s compost bin on recycling day. The smell of messy pheasant poo. The aroma of road kill – a toad who sadly met his demise at the hands of an unknowing driver. They are canine perfume samples. And I must say, while I enjoy a good whiff myself, it is the Imp who feels the overpowering urge to smell the target and then oh-so-quickly, lower his head and turn his cheek to the ground before he releases tension in all four legs and throws himself into a full on roll. Within a nanosecond his legs are flailing in the air and he is covering his freshly groomed coat in the offensive substance, as Her Highness shouts “no!” and attempts to drag him along. And rest assured, he does NOT forget where his odorous sample is located. Her Highness must make a wide detour to prevent the drop-and-roll on subsequent days. He has QUITE a talent as an acrobat.

And speaking of talents- he has a new one that he is perfecting quite well…

Each morning, he gets an extra long walk – in a futile effort to wear him out. He walks down the road, and then down the public trail that runs through the middle of the golf course.

We realize many people do not like flexi leashes – and to be honest, when we are walked in areas like parks or on city streets, we are always walked on regular leashes. But here, around our home in the “country” we do, at times use flexi leashes. And the flexi comes in very handy for the Imp’s new talent. When they walk on the trail, Her Highness will often spot golf balls that players have mistakenly hit into the woods. The woods along the trail are dense, with the fairways of the course running on the other side of the trees. It appears the Imp has become QUITE the little ball retriever! Her Highness will spot a ball in the woods and will instruct him to “find it.” The flexi lead is quite long allowing him to go deep into the woods to retrieve a ball. He is generally quite good at not getting tangled in the trees. Of course when he returns with his bounty, he gets a huge treat. He thinks it’s a delightful game. Better him than me. Personally, I don’t want sticks clinging to my coiffure. He doesn’t care.

To date, he has literally retrieved dozens of balls. Her Highness gives them to a friend’s father (who is in his 90’s) and who sells them at the roadside from his home.

It’s hard to fathom that the youngster , who at times can be a complete nuisance, can also have these hidden talents. He was in trouble the other day for hiding under the bushes. I did point out to Her Highness that she has actually been encouraging this behavior with his series of “Where’s Wojtek?” photos. She hadn’t thought about that. Tsk tsk.

Well I believe we have rain in the forecast for today, so rest assured yours truly we’ll be taking care of MY business very quickly. Let’s see what kind of trouble the Imp can cause today. And to think that the Coyote was once the “wild child.” My how times have changed….

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

Hey blogaroos! It’s a fabulous Fall Friday here – and I hope yours is super duper. Yup -Fall has crept up on us and although our temperatures are still pretty summer-like, the leaves are starting to begin their color change. Which you KNOW will mean photos. Oh yay.

Two pumpkins have appeared outside our front door, and bets are on as to who will be the first to “christen” them. The Warden is watching our every move when we go out or come in. But the Coyote and I have lightning fast leg-lifting down to a science- so we’ll see how long those orange orbs remain pee-free.

Today is something called “Hug a Vegetarian Day.” Everyone in this household is a carnivore, but there is one guy who really LOVES his veggies. The Boss. Whenever the Warden went out to pick tomatoes this year from her pretty small crop, he got to go along. Probably because he won’t take off in the woods while she’s picking the “bounty.” Nope- he stands and watches and if he is not given a sample quickly enough, he picks them off the vine himself. He loves all kinds of veggies – tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, celery, broccoli…the only thing he’s not wild about is lettuce. He chews it and spits it out. Which is kinda messy. We each got a little carrot the other day, and the Boss devoured his. The Coyote took his, and dropped it. So the Boss swooped in and ate that one too. I chewed mine a bit and then quit. But no worries- the Boss ate mine too. I won’t go into details, but his P3 was dotted with orange chunks the next day. I think you get the picture.

Meanwhile, I’ve been in the doghouse a bit lately. I have this new game that I JUST started. It’s called “Fetch ‘n Hide.” The objective is to fetch the throw toys like I always do, but then after a couple of throws, grab the toy and hide under the bushes in front of the house. Hide where you cannot be seen. And stay very, very quiet. After the noise you initially make breaking branches to get in there. I’m lovin’ this new game. The Warden not so much. Because SOMETIMES I come racing out from my hiding place- but I leave the toy way under the bushes. And I pretend I don’t know where it is. The Boss refuses to go and get it because he doesn’t want sticks in his hair. And the Coyote, well he never fetches period. So that means the Warden has to get a rake to get under the bushes to get the toy. I don’t know what’s come over me lately. I feel this URGE to be naughty. The Warden is hoping it’s a phase. Although I did see her looking at bus schedules to New Jersey….

Speaking of Fall, I saw a dreaded Dollar Store bag the other day. The Coyote is already unhappy about the possible attire. The Boss, of course, thinks it’s great. Me – it depends. I’m in- as long as the treats are good. Really good. Last year’s photo was not too bad. We’ll see about this year…

Well, time to get ready for the weekend. Let the good times roll. But not in something stinky.

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

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy stop-licking-your-brother’s ears Wormy here on this wonderful Wednesday. And a wonderful Wednesday it is! Because yesterday was a terrific Tuesday! Why? Because the Boss went to the Vet. But before you get worried- know that this was a routine check up. That being said, My Enforcer was super stressed about the Vet listening to his heart. We know he has heart problems- and although he is on medication, it’s been a year since the Vet saw him. Anyway, we can all breathe. His heart sounds the same. No worse. He’s doing great. Now his teeth…. Well he won’t be doing any toothpaste commercials. But they agreed to keep an eye on him – and if they appear to be bothering him, he could do with some removals. Knowing what a wimp he is, they opted to watch and wait. So all in all, a good check-up!!

We celebrated the blogiversary with about 50 of our closest friends. Just kidding. It was us boys and My Enforcer. Drinking beer and eating pizza. OK – she drank the beer and ate the pizza, but did share the crust. Yay.

Thanks to those who took part in our blog trivia quiz. We actually had TWO people who got 100% of the answers! Nora and Daniel are clearly long time readers! They’ll be getting a package from us, of some special Nova Scotian treats! For those wondering about the answers, here ya go.

1. What does FG stand for? Friendly Giant- one of several nicknames for Elroy

2. What was The Boss (Frodo) called previously? Einstein

3. Who is Pigpen? Our neighbor, Jackson, the Lab

4. Who failed the herding instinct test? Who passed? Both Frodo and Viktor failed. Elroy passed.

5. What is P3? Picture Perfect Poop! Worthy of a Google Image!

6. What is olfactory art? The slimey prints from our noses left on car windows – or any window really.

7. What was Paxton’s nickname? Bucket Head

8. What is picnore? The art of ignoring your human when they attempt to take your picture!

9. Viktor had a book of dog terms and definitions. What did he call the book? The Viktionary

10. What is the DFZ? The Dog Free Zone

11. What four word sentence do most humans say when they discover we dogs have done something naughty? What did you do? What have you done?

12. What is reguritreat? The action of swallowing a treat so quickly that you choke on it and spit it out. But it’s not worrisome, because you just eat it again!

13. Who is THE best photo model? Frodo

14. Who is Ludwig? Our vehicle. A VW Golf

15. Which is worse – antlers or rabbit ears from the Dollar Store? OK. That has no right answer . So it’s a bonus question. It’s a tie! Either is correct.

Thanks to all who participated. A few others didn’t quite get perfect scores, but we’ll send them some consolation prizes.

What else is new… Oh. My Enforcer took me to several pet stores to do some “attention” training. Where do I report her for cruelty to animals? I mean who takes a PON to a store with shelves loaded with dog food and treats, and expects him to pay attention to her?’ Seriously. Isn’t that just plain mean? Anyway, every time I looked at her, she gave me a treat. My head was like a ping pong ball. I would look at the shelves, then look at her, get a treat, look at the shelves, look at her, etc. I figured out the treat thing pretty quickly , but still would glance longingly at those shelves of food out of the corner of me eye. And let’s face it, when we walked down the toy aisle, I ASSUMED I was supposed to pick something out. I attempted to grab several toys off the racks. I DID get a new tug toy which she was more excited about than I was. When we got home, we played tug in the yard for a bit. I would tug. She would tug. She would tell me to do something. I would do it so then I would get to tug more. Blah blah. But then she made the mistake of tossing the tug toy. Which I ran to fetch. But instead of running back with it, like I do with fetch toys, I pulled an Elroy. I took off with the toy and ran under some bushes in the front of the house. We didn’t play that game very long.

Otherwise, all is well in our happy abode. Post-Breakfast Humpty wrestling is still on the agenda each day. The Coyote was about to be incarcerated the other day for excessive Humpty action – but when he was escorted to his cell, I attempted to join him.

That didn’t work. The warden put a stop to it. The warden. Hey. I like that name. I think I’m switching from My Enforcer to The Warden. It has a nice ring….

OK. Gotta get ready for my morning exercise. And I need to prepare for wrestling.

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