Anybody awake out there? It’s Squirmy here. It was a LONG day yesterday. We were watching TV until early this morning. Well – we weren’t really watching – let’s face it- there were no dogs or animals on the shows My Enforcer was watching last night- so it was kinda boring for us canines. All I know is there was some big political thingy going on- and it was a big deal. Even more political than figure skating or dog shows!!!! That’s a joke. Kind of. I’ve never skated or been to a dog show – so what do I know.

Anyway – my preference for the thing yesterday was simple. Pick the guy who has a dog. I’m honestly not sure why they didn’t use that as a campaign strategy. Really. Know how many dog owners there are out there? Like dozens and dozens. Anyway, one guy has a dog- and the other guy doesn’t. That’s my pick. Although I heard the other guy has a pet fly….

After all that watching, the results are still not known! They need counters who work as fast as we PONs eat. We’re too bored to watch this for days. But whatever the result, let’s hope two leggeds can act like dogs when this is over – be happy, live for today, appreciate the little things in life (like food in your bowl, a roof over your head and toys to play with), and don’t dwell on something bad for too long. The bottom line – we may not all like the same kibble – but we all need to eat . So get on with things. Mind you, I’m a dog so it’s easy for me to say….

In other news – GUESS what happened here yesterday. OK- you give up. We had SNOW! Our very first unexpected snow. The weather people kept it a big surprise so there were all kinds of accidents and traffic jams. Not that we had to go anywhere. But still.

I didn’t quite know what to make of it – but within 3.67 seconds I decided I loved it! I raced around and the Coyote chased and chased me. We had a ball. Good thing My Enforcer mowed the lawn the other day. And mulched up those leaves. The good news after that was that we were no longer tracking big leaves into the house. Before the mowing, our dining room and kitchen looked like there was a tree inside the house. After the mowing, no more big leaves. Now we just tracked in 2,000,000 little tiny leaf pieces. So much better.

But with the snow we just tracked in snow balls. Here’s a quick clip of me and the Coyote playing…

It was a winter wonderland. Inside and out. And today it will likely disappear.

So it’s time to get moving. Don’t worry too much about those politicos. Remember every minute you worry – you can’t get that back. Play fetch with your dog instead. Everything WILL work out. I don’t think any party has plans to ban dog ownership – so things will be fine. We’ll still be here.

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

Guess who?!! It’s me! Squirmy!!!! Here to brighten your Monday after a busy boo weekend.

Well we only had three very cute kids come to our door for treats on Saturday night. They live across the road from us. They were super cute – and we wanted desperately to say hello as we threw ourselves against the French door to the hallway. One little guy wanted to pet us- but given that The Boss and I would likely bark at him and the Coyote would try to give him kisses- no doubt resulting in a downed child – My Enforcer said we were a bit too excited to say hello. That was an understatement. But like I said – they were adorable and very nice. Thank goodness they came by. Now My Enforcer only needs to eat the other 297 bags of treats that she bought. The Boss explained that this is actually a good thing – because we get more walks after the results of eating those treats end up on her hips.

Yesterday morning we got up at our regular time. Who knew we were an hour early? OK. My Enforcer tried to explain it – but we didn’t really care to listen. Besides – it was a crisp, sunny day. Might as well take advantage of it! Carpe Diem! Whatever that means.

After our walks, we ran in the yard until our tongues hit the ground. My Enforcer has to monitor all our moves so there’s not too much Humpty Dumpty going on. The Coyote is kinda obsessed with me. And my feet. Go figure. So when things get too wild, My Enforcer breaks things up. We played. She refereed. We went down to the lake. We played. After hours of activity, My Enforcer came in the house to look at the clock. She figured it must be around 2:00. It was 10:30. Yup. We keep her hoppin’.

Oh! Oh! I forgot to tell you about The Boss’s return to academia the other night. He went back to work on his Rally Masters degree. My Enforcer was a bit concerned because it’s been YEARS since he has gone to a class. Well I guess it’s true that we PONs never forget. I guess he did really well! My Enforcer was SO pleased!

Today The Coyote is going to the vet for a little visit. Something about his poop glands. I thought My Enforcer could take him to the grocery store to have it take care of. I mean they have an express lane. My Enforcer said no. He needs to go to the vet. Better him than me.

OK. Time to get this house shakin’. Good thing they have me around here to get things movin’!

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

Howdy doody spookaroos. It’s Squirmy!!!!! I’m here celebrating my very first Halloween! I understand that usually humans give out treats to kids who get dressed up in costumes and who come to your door. This year I heard that the best treats are hand sanitizer and disposable masks! Anyway, My Enforcer said we usually don’t get many kids – although she bought enough treats for 300. And she’s already been eating them herself! The Boss said it happens every year.

Well I found out why the guys don’t like those Dollar Store bags. But guess what?! It turns out I like to dress up! A little anyway. So My Enforcer did get some good individual shots of us. Like these:

But you’ll note there was no head gear. I actually was OK with head gear. BUT it didn’t always work out . Like these sparkly cat ear things. You couldn’t even see them on my head.

I didn’t mind these weird things…

And we could even get a shot with two of us…

But everything falls apart when we try THREE of us. First of all, the Coyote has no interest whatsoever in wearing head gear. He really doesn’t love photos in general. It’s super tricky because if My Enforcer makes weird sounds or throws something to get The Coyote’s ears up- well I can’t possibly just SIT there. This is a sampling of the indignant Coyote and wild me…

In this one, I decided to stick out my tongue for fun. Look how much fun the Coyote is having!

Here The Coyote and I spot some fuzz on the floor.

Here is one where I’m thinking of doing something else, the Coyote continues to look miserable, and the Boss…of course he cooperates.

And then we have the wardrobe malfunctions…

This is probably the best one. Although the Coyote has no ears. Must be a way to put some on him…

If you take away the head gear, the Coyote is marginally more happy…In this one, he refused to lie down. He looks like he lost his best friend…

This one is a little better…

Another alternative is to take us outdoors. The goal was to get us in photos with pumpkins. Well. As you might imagine, this can also be a gong show. Here we are just wearing festive collars. Putting those on was a challenge in itself. That would have made a great video….Here The Coyote and I think we see a squirrel. Or a bird. Or a leaf blowing in the wind. Note the Boss.

Here the Coyote and I discuss an escape plan…Note the Boss.

This one is pretty good…After 629 shots.

But we really liked this one because even the Coyote looks kinda happy!

So 1,387 weird sounds and repetitions of our names, 3 lbs of liver treats, and probably 1 bottle of wine later, we made it through our Halloween photo shoots.

Now I heard something about reindeer antlers in a few weeks…. so we’ll have to see what THAT’S all about. In the meantime, Happy Halloween!

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

Hello readers! Remember me? It’s Elroy-whose role as the “wild child” in the household has now been taken over by the Shaggy Shark. As you may recall, when he first arrived I thought he was the best thing since sheep. Then we went through the needle teeth period – and the post exuberance injury period when I wasn’t so sure I liked him after all.

Now I am pleased to announce that we have entered into a new period. The “I think you’re REALLY cool” period- so cool that we are also calling this the Humpty Dumpty period. And well, when I get a little TOO serious about my Humpty moves, Her Highness puts a stop to my antics. At 4 years old one would THINK that my coming-of-age Humpty hormone surge might have already occurred. Mind you, it’s not like I haven’t attempted this move with The Boss. But he protests – loudly. So I quit. However, the Shark is all up for a game. So Her Highness intervenes. Come on – we’re just playing.

And speaking of the Shark – he had a “date” yesterday too!! Just like yours truly and my gal, Willow, he met a girl of the same breed. Not to worry – no hanky panky Humpty Dumpty moves went on there either – he’s still too young. Way too young. But he met a PON girlfriend, named Pola. Pola owns the humans who created Frodo and Viktor! She’s a little older than the Shark. When they first met- she told him to bug off. I think she was playing hard to get. The Shark was a little taken aback and showed her his pearly whites. Anyway, within 20 minutes they were good friends. He put on his best manners (hard to believe) and was pretty well behaved. They plan to get together again sometime – for more play. Thanks to his human for the photos!

Tonight The Boss goes for his first class in Rally Masters. Which means that The Shark and I will be left at home. Wonder if I can help break him out of his crate…. Now wouldn’t THAT be a surprise when Her Highness gets home….

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

Greetings blog readers. It is Frodo – the best behaved dog in the household. In all truthfulness, my competition is currently fairly easy to beat. I mean we have a dog who, at 4 years old, often does not even respond to his own name- so much so that Her Highness actually said perhaps we should just call him something else and start anew. Perhaps he doesn’t like the name Elroy. Mind you, it does suit him. I don’t actually believe his unwillingness to respond has anything to do with his disdain for his own moniker. I just think he just prefers to do his own thing. In his own time. Actually, I think it’s in Picard time.

My other competitor is rather smart, but has the attention span of an infant gnat. And his flying behavior leaves much to be desired, especially if one unprepared for the plane landing. Despite his rather boisterous attitude about life in general, he reportedly did well at his second obedience class. At least he wasn’t dismissed on Day 2.

And speaking of classes, guess who else is returning to academia. Yes, yours truly has decided to dust off the dumbbell and come out of retirement. I’m not certain I will do formal obedience, but we we will give Rally a try. Since I retired from the Rally world, they have added another level of competition called Masters. The tasks required at this level are more challenging, and it will require some studying on Her Highness’s part. You see it all began because while she was practicing homework with the imp, yours truly wanted VERY much to be involved. So we will give it a try. My first class is Thursday. Let’s see if I can remember what the word “heel” means…

In other earth shattering news, the imp went on another mini road trip – and this time went with another dog – a Sheltie by the name of Tup. Short for Tuppence I believe. The two reportedly got along quite well and they plan to do future walks together.

Oh and I forgot to mention that the flying PON can now single pawedly jump onto the grooming table completely unassisted. I have never been that excited to be groomed – so it is not a trick you will ever catch me performing. Her Highness has begun to try out the new grooming products which arrived last week. And unfortunately, she also decided to try them on yours truly as well. In fact – I had a complete bath totally unexpectedly yesterday. I believe it was a combination or trying products and the fact that because I will be attending school again, I must look somewhat presentable. Yawn.

Today we have rain in the forecast. At least through our morning walk. After all I had to go through with my bath and grooming- I think it’s critical that my walk be cut very very short. I mean who would want to ruin my wonderful coiffure? I must be clear in my protest. Either that – or hide…

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

Happy Sunday blogaroos. It’s me Squirmy again! Because I have to tell you all about my latest adventure!!! My Enforcer and I went on a little road trip. It was supposed to be just a trip to the pet store – but it was a super sunny warm day, so we decided to hit the road. Well, I didn’t decide. She was driving. So I guess she made the plan and I literally went along for the ride.

First stop was actually a little hiking trail. I was kind of wild and it’s clear to My Enforcer that I need more training to walk nicely on a leash. Bla bla. Anyway, we walked – well I pulled and she tried to keep up with me – and I explored all the new scents. Then of course we had to take the obligatory photos to prove I was there. With my shark leash and collar. I probably would have scared people away wearing that attire – but we didn’t run into a single person, dog or bear.

Next stop- a pet store. I actually stayed in the car for this. So much for socializing. Anyway, she emerged with a BIG bag of stuff. There were some yummy treats, and she did say something about Christmas gifts. She thinks I wasn’t listening, but I heard her loud and clear. Gotta find that bag.

Next stop was a town called Lunenburg. It’s an old fishing town and home to the famous Bluenose. For those who don’t know, I’m not referring to cold temperatures and frozen faces. Yet. I’m referring to a famous schooner that’s on the Canadian dime. It was built in 1921 and sailed in lots of races. Until it sunk. Then the province built another one and its kind of a Canadian icon and ambassador. And speaking of the Bluenose – did you know that Nova Scotians are sometimes referred to as Bluenosers? In fact, the name came BEFORE the schooner got its name. There are several stories about the origin of the name – but the one I like best is the fact that back in the olden days, fishermen would wear thick woolie mittens out at sea. And sometimes, the mittens were dyed blue – just to add some color to their wardrobe, I guess. Anyway, when they would be out on the cold seas in the winter, they would wipe their running noses with their mitts – leaving a blue dye mark. So they really were blue nosers!!!

So that’s your Squirmy history moment. Anyway, I went down to the pier where the Bluenose hangs out when it isn’t being an ambassador. But it wasn’t there.

It was my first time on a pier, and all was going great. I was looking around. Enjoying the breeze. Looking at the water. It was an enjoyable experience.

But then, when we went to leave the pier, something unexpected happened. Now I had passed people on the pier. No big deal. In fact My Enforcer had to keep me from going over to people – I wanted to say hello. But what I had not expected was a strange four wheeled vehicle with a small two legged on board. A stroller with a kid. Well. You’d think I was shown a scene of Frodo eating the very last morsels in the dog food bag. I mean I was horrified. Clearly I need to get out more. I put on my brakes and would not move. Even the yummiest treats in my face would not get me to move. My Enforcer envisioned me slipping my collar – which is not loose- but she was still worried. She worried either that would happen – or we were both going for a swim in the ocean. And what did the man with the stroller do? He stopped right by us. Even though it was pretty clear I wanted nothing to do with that strange device and miniature human. My Enforcer explained I was just a puppy. I’m still not sure how we managed to get off that pier – it’s a blur now. I think it involved some dragging and pushing – but I made it out alive. And then I happily marched down the street.

I posed for another shot at a gazebo. I’m starting to get this whole picture taking thing. Sit still for two clicks and then you get a treat. Easy peasy.

After all that we went home. And I was exhausted. For about an hour. Then I was raring to go.

Yesterday My Enforcer went to some kind of seminar about dog obedience and rally competitions. Dogs weren’t involved. Go figure. I hear it was all about some new “rules”. No dogs in this house are interested in rules, so probably just as well we didn’t go.

Tonight I head back to my obedience class. I did my homework but as many of you humans owned by dogs know, whether I will remember what I practiced at home will be another story at class. I call it performance anxiety. Actually, The Boss calls it that – I just stole his words. What do I know – I’ve only been to one class.

Hope you have a happy Sunday!!! I know I will.

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

Howdy doody do. It’s me everybody!!!!! Squirmy!!!!! Ready to bounce, fly, tug, bark, chase, harass, and eat my way through another day! Life is good!!!

So….I am discovering a variety of ways to get attention lately. Admittedly, the attention is not always positive! Like when I bark incessantly when My Enforcer is on the phone. She’s caught on to the fact that when I bark and she gives me something to keep me quiet, she is kind of rewarding me for bad behavior. But what can you do when you’re on a call like with the doctor or the bank or the phone company and a poor little dog keeps barking? (That would be me.) Why you throw some kibble on the floor to keep him busy. For at least 48 seconds. It drives her crazy but I look at her with my adorable eyes when she’s all done and she forgets what a pest I can be.

Meanwhile, I have a way to drive the Coyote crazy too. I have a couple of squeak toys. And it drives him totally bonkers when I go up to him with one of those toys and I stand there and look at him and just keep squeaking the toy. I mean repeatedly. Over. And over and over and over. Until he can’t take it any more and he starts barking at me. I do that to him at least once a day. My Enforcer even audiotaped me – but we decided not to include the sound – because it would probably drive your dogs nuts too.

The Boss is pretty tolerant about most of my actions- but if I try to lick his face too much, he does say “enough!” I listen to him most of all.

What else is new? Oh yes! My Enforcer tried to take some photos of us guys for Halloween the other day. She took us into the “studio” aka garage and pulled out some stuff from the Dollar Store and tried to get us to sit still. Note I said “tried.” First she told us to sit, and the Coyote went to lie down. She got him to sit up, and then the Boss and I went down. So she figured we should all just lie down. But now the Coyote wanted to sit. You’ll see the results of that photo session one of these days. Suffice to say – there were no successful photos with head gear. All I know is that My Enforcer was dripping in sweat by the end. Who needs a home sauna when you have three dogs?

Well let’s go see what I can do today!!

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

Hey everybody? Guess who? It’s Squirmy!!!!!! Ready to begin a new day full of wild wonder! Who knows where my nose will take me today!

And I have to tell you- I’m learning to use my nose. It’s one of those cool things that you use – and you can learn to use it better. Like at class the other night.

Our teacher (who I really like and who I remembered because I jumped on her) showed us how to get our noses working, by putting some treats under a plastic container. You actually put out a couple of containers and the game is to find the one with the trears. So you have to use your nose.

We came home and My Enforcer got out some empty yogurt containers and tried to do some homework with me. I found the treats pretty well, and although I love treats a whole lot ( after all I AM a PON) , I equally enjoyed knocking over all the containers – just to be sure. We have more homework to do…

But I was also really good at “find the lambie” the other night – and I needed my nose for that. And then last night I was challenged by a really TRICKY nosework exercise….

As I mentioned, we PONs LOVE our food. And if you happen to accidentally drop a treat on the floor or on the ground outside- we will look for it until we find it. The Boss is super vigilant that way – he’ll keep looking and sniffing even after he has already found the treat. Just to be certain.

Anyway, last night, just before dark, My Enforcer took me out back to throw a bumper repeatedly in an effort to tire me out. The Boss saw what was going on ( and the fact that there were treats being given out for each bumper return)., so he decided to join in. So My Enforcer would throw a bumper a certain direction for me and the opposite direction for The Boss. And we would get a treat if we brought the bumper back. Well. You know how we dogs sometimes inhale a treat? And we don’t actually swallow it? Well. I did that and then I ran to get the bumper. And when I stopped, I coughed and spit out my treat. That’s where we canines employ what Viktor used to call regurgitreat. We re-eat the treat that we spit out. Because we don’t believe in letting a perfectly good treat go to waste. The only problem? I spit that treat out in the lawn. The lawn covered with leaves. Talk about a challenging scent work exercise. Problem was, despite all my sniffing, I couldn’t find it. My Enforcer called me over and said “forget about it.” Seriously? Forget the fact that there is a free treat somewhere on that leafy lawn?! Nope. I kept sniffing. And sniffing. She finally had to come over and redirect me toward playing fetch again. And I was fine when she threw it the opposite direction. But when she threw that toy back near the hidden treat, I couldn’t even remember to bring back the fetch toy. Our game ended shortly after that. My Enforcer tried to guide me away from the area – by my collar – and I did my dead dog routine again. It’s one of my favorite tricks. She finally left me and went inside – where I could hear the biscuit jar being opened. My hearing is excellent So I went in. But don’t worry I’ll look again for that treat today….

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

Greetings blog aficionados. Frodo here. I am writing today, because alas, I am the only one who didn’t do anything exciting on the weekend – so I have the pleasure of writing the blog. Clearly I was bribed with treats. Many treats. Many MANY treats.

So let’s begin with the Beatnik’s (aka Coyote’s) news. Yesterday morning he had a date. With his old Picard girlfriend, Willow. They met at a local park to go for a walk. Obviously, the Beatnik was forever on a leash – as we are all well aware that even in the presence of a lovely lady, he is a flight risk. Plain and simple. So while Willow walked beautifully through the woodland trails with her human, Her Highness was dragged through the wilderness by a Picard who wanted desperately to exhibit “unruly” behaviors with his “date”. Ah yes. The Beatnik and his manners. As one would say – he is thankfully a friendly handsome lad. Who Her Highness happens to love. Otherwise he would end up in a home for canine delinquents.

But despite his behavior – he DID manage to sit and stay for a photo or two. And here is the happy couple maintaining social distance.

Frankly, I think Willow was quite happy to stay away from the lad with the raging hormones. Keep in mind that Dear Willow has been “fixed.” I’m not sure why humans use that word – she was not broken. But alas- that doesn’t stop the Beatnik from trying. Mind you, he attempts the same with yours truly. We’ll just leave that right there. Suffice to say- like Willow, I am happy to remind the boy to take his hormones elsewhere.

Next in line for an adventure was the Shark. He returned to his obedience classes last night. As you may recall, he had his first class many weeks ago. And then we were plagued by canine COVID. So he could not return to class. But we are all WELL past our quarantine stage – so back he went.

There were apparently 8 dogs in the class. And the happy-go-lucky fella situated next to the Shark wanted nothing better than to kill him. Well. Maybe not KILL him. But he didn’t look like he wanted to share treats with the Shark. Or anything else. Her Highness kept stuffing the Shark with treats so he wouldn’t even look at the other dog. I’m certain he weighed 5 more lbs when he came home. But it WAS the first class – so no doubt all the dogs will settle down by next time. All in all, Her Highness was pretty proud of the Shark because he was actually well behaved. The teacher says he has potential. But don’t all teachers say that? I find it hard to believe that the flying wild child has obedience potential. Mind you – we PONs DO like our treats. And he IS a pretty quick study. For example, we all played “find the lambie” the other night. The bunny we previously used in the game requires extensive surgery – so the lamb has come in as a substitute. As you may recall, the object of the game is to find the lamb hidden in another room. Only one dog plays at a time – while the other two are sequestered in the hall behind the French door. First the Beatnik played and he was 6/6 for lambie finds. I played next and of course I was also 6/6. And then it was the Shark’s turn. Now in the past when this game was attempted, he would not sit and stay in one room while the lamb was hidden in another. But the other night, like a little soldier, he sat and stayed and waited until he was released to find the lamb. And he was 6/6!!! So he IS a good lambie finder. And he does learn how to play a game. So maybe he DOES have potential…

That’s the most exciting news from the weekend. The best part about the Shark going to class is that we all get to share in the leftover treats. So from my point of view – THAT was the best part of my weekend. Treats for doing nothing. Heaven.

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

Hey everybody!!! It’s Squirmy here! And have I got stories today!!!!!!

Guess what? OK you give up? I got MAIL yesterday!!!! Yup. My Enforcer got a note in our mailbox that there was a parcel at the post office. And it was addressed to ME!!!!!

It didn’t even have My Enforcer’s name on the parcel – so when she was asked for ID, she had to explain that it was for ME!!!!!! I’m surprised I didn’t have to go in and give them my paw print!!!

And guess what it was?! OK you give up? It was a gift from a PON who lives clear across the country – by the name of Takoda. That’s what it said on the parcel. He’s a SUPER smart guy who does all kinds of cool stuff like obedience and rally and nose work stuff AND agility. And he’s good at EVERYTHING!!!! He’s my idol.

Well Takoda sent me something to help me burn off some energy. It’s one of HIS favorite toys – it’s an Egg! Not a REAL egg. A very durable plastic one. One of Takoda’s two leggeds warned My Enforcer that it’s an “outdoor toy.” I think because one could end up crashing into furniture, etc. So what else is new. My new nickname is Crash.

But back to my Egg. Well. I LOVED it. Here’s a short clip of me with it the first time I saw it.

I played and played with it. Then the Coyote had to try it out. Watch my tricky move to get it back. And listen to the Fun Police commenting…

So thanks to Takoda, I have a new toy to tire me out!!! It was a super surprise!!!!!

After these videos were taken and we were all huffing and puffing, My Enforcer announced that we had to go in the house because she was going to mow the lawn. We trudged in and had a snooze while she was busy. When she finished the lawn, she had this “bright idea” to “fix” the garden boxes. You know the ones- they are like giant sandboxes. With mud. Anyway, she got some kind of black garden fabric and carefully cut pieces to go over the mud. She then put rocks around the edges to hold the fabric down. I mean those boxes looked all neat and organized. And that fabric was nice and secure. Until we were released.

I was the first one to notice the new arrangement, and I walked right in. We all did. My Enforcer shouted to get out. And that was fine. We did.

But um, it probably wasn’t 10 minutes later when I got an uncontrollable case of the zoomies. I jumped in the box and started digging like mad at that fabric. My Enforcer shouted “no!!!” Which made me dig faster. She grabbed me by the collar and I did my dead dog routine where I go completely limp so she can’t move me. She somehow managed to lift limp me out at which point I came back to life and dashed for the second garden box and started digging there. Again she shouted, grabbed me by the collar and I went limp. After she practically tossed me on the lawn, I did a complete circle, jumped up and dove into the mud. And rolled. My Enforcer was NOT impressed . She ran and grabbed a fetch toy and because I have the attention span of a miniature gnat, I leapt out of the box and took off to fetch the toy. My Enforcer quickly tried to repair the messy boxes. And she did. But let’s face it. That is just WAY too tempting. I think she needs plywood. Although that could be fun to chew…

Good thing I’m cute!!!!

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