Viktor, was a Polish Lowland Sheepdog who shared his views on life and had a following of loyal readers from around the world . He sadly left all of us us way too soon. He left his PON brother, Frodo and his Berger Picard “brother”, Elroy to continue his “legacy.” We now welcome a new PON brother to our story- Wojtek- who in many ways, has the very same “bigger than life attitude” as Viktor. So we know Viktor’s spirit lives on, as does the spirit of Paxton, his Bernese Mountain Dog…
Howdy blogettes. Elroy here. And do I have news today.
Yesterday morning, Her Highness’ friend Wendy came over. And she knows lots about dogs because she arrived with two fists full of super yummy treats. We love her. Frankly, I love her even without the treats.
Anyway, the next thing we knew, Her Highness said “Be good boys- see you later!” And she left us!
But don’t worry – she’s coming back tomorrow. And we are in great hands. Like I said we all love Wendy – and we’re behaving pretty well. So far we haven’t locked her in a crate or stolen her lunch. Yet.
Meanwhile, Her Highness went hunting. For tiny pieces of glass. I’m not kidding. Humans are sometimes rather weird. She collects something called sea glass. So she went with an old friend to a special beach where you can reportedly find lots of the glass. She said we would find the hunting rather boring – so she couldn’t take us with her. She’s probably right. Actually, Frodo and Viktor went sea glass hunting once – and they did find it boring. They said would rather have rolled in dead fish or seaweed, but it wasn’t allowed.
The PONs are hoping Her Highness brings home guilt gifts. I’m not sure she’ll find special dog treats on the beach other than driftwood. She’ll probably stop at a gas station on the way home that sells snacks, and she’ll buy us a hunk of cheese. That works for us.
We’ll give you the whole review of her mini hunting trip when she gets back. In the meantime, we’ll behave for Wendy. Or I guess I should be speaking for myself. Who knows what the PON twins will do – especially that little guy. The true test will be if Wendy says she’ll ever watch us again. Wonder if she can be bribed….
Well guess who? Squirmy is the answer. And guess what I did? Why I escaped the new jail!!!
As My Enforcer would say – I’m really something!! Not only am I a jumper, but I’m also a contortionist!!!! Whatever that is!!
You see, yesterday morning when she went to take the other guys for their walk, she put me in my giant wire cell. The one she resurrected from the garage.
The gate on the cell has a mechanism where you lower three “hooks” to lock it in place. My Enforcer lowered the first hook, and thought the other two were in place – but guess what- they weren’t! So I discovered that if I pushed really hard I could create a gap of about 3 inches and somehow I managed to squeeze my way through!!! Imagine how surprised she was to see me when she came through the door!! The top gate was still firmly locked. I was so happy to see them – and to show them what I did.
Yesterday we got the first part of that tropical storm/hurricane- so it poured rain ALL day. And it was crazy windy. I mean not windy enough to blow ME around – but let’s just say I’m glad I’m not a chihuahua.
Oh and My Enforcer’s friend Wendy came by to say hello. We thought she was really cool – and she had some great treats. Now we overheard her and My Enforcer talking about some “trip” – but the only trip I have ever been on was to come here. So who knows what they were talking about.
The big part of the storm is due today – so paws crossed we don’t lose power. My Enforcer could have trouble finding our food in the dark – which would be a tragedy. But not to worry – we can help lead her to it. It could be my first attempt at being a Seeing Eye Dog.
I hope everyone is having a super duper DRY week. And I hope everyone around here survives Hurricane Teddy. You know – that’s kind of a silly name for a hurricane. I mean who thinks of the names for hurricanes? When I think Teddy, I think fuzzy, soft bears. Nice bears. And a hurricane is just the opposite. And I checked – there has (as far as I can tell) never been a hurricane named Frodo, Elroy or Wojtek. At least not the kind that causes wind and rain. My Enforcer said we are hurricanes in our own right. Whatever that means.
Salutations blog readers. Frodo today to deliver your daily dose of “better-her-than-me.” Also known as the Circus review. And yes, I have QUITE the circus act to report on today. It seems that little oscillating sea creature with fur has truly decided to take on the role of PONdini – we have QUITE the magician and escape artist in our midst.
We have discussed the arrangements we have when Her Highness leaves us for any extended length of time: the Shark is placed in his ex pen – a 3 foot high heavy metal jail of sorts. It is not made of flimsy wire – but rather a heavy duty wire – which makes the 4 x 8’ enclosure rather difficult to transport around the house. So it was set up in the rec room downstairs. Yours truly is in isolation with the Shark because there is a gate at the bottom of the stairs which is bolted to the wall. That gate prohibits me from going upstairs. Try as I might (and trust me I have tried) I cannot open that enclosure. So I am subsequently stuck with the shark in the lower level of our home, while the Beatnik is in isolation upstairs. There is a gate at the top of the stairs, which is QUITE easy to move, yet as many times as I have shown the Beatnik how to move it, he refuses to do so. No sense of adventure in that boy. Unless the front door is left open….
But back to my story. Her Highness had errands to run on Saturday, so she supplied the Shark and I with Kongs, and left us in our respective cells. The gate on the Shark’s ex pen was SECURELY fastened. Here is the diagram of how we were left:
Her Highness did her shopping duties and was probably gone not longer than 90 minutes. Which is equivalent to six hours in canine time. She came in the house and prepared to quickly empty her groceries. The PON duet had begun- but it seemed one voice was “closer” than the other. She looked down the flight of stairs – and there on the landing was the Shark. Note the large orange “X” in the diagram. Her Highness opened the first gate and let the Shark up the stairs. She then went down to see where I was. Well of course I was where she left me! I couldn’t get through that gate at the bottom of the stairs. But HOW did the Shark do it? She came down and found the ex pen in the same location, with the door firmly latched. The latch on the stair gate was also secure. She stood there with her typical puzzled look seen after one of us canines has performed a “magic trick.” Like when she found this odd material on the dining room carpet and finally deducted that it was the “stem” from a banana – which Viktor had stolen – and eaten skin and all. Minus the stem. But I digress. She could NOT figure out HOW the Shark escaped the ex pen, and then HOW he scaled a 3 foot high gate. I don’t want to be one to tell tales, but frankly there is one logical word to explain how he ended up on the landing. I believe the word is “jumping.” I mean let’s face it, the lad didn’t fly, and I certainly didn’t lift him over.
So now the great dilemma. How to be SURE that he is secure and safe when she goes out. And the solution? Go into the garage. The graveyard for assorted dog paraphernalia- everything from grooming tables to toys, leashes and of course, crates.
So yesterday, amidst much moaning and groaning due to the removal of assorted other “things” in order to access the wire crates- she found a giant wire crate that should work to secure the lad. I mean it’s not like we don’t already HAVE a wire crate for him in the bedroom, but that would require moving it back and forth – as we aren’t allowed in the bedroom when she is gone. Some problem with eating pillowcases. Anyway, the new abode is set up in a lovely location in the dining room. Which makes yours truly happy – because I no longer have to be sequestered downstairs. I can be on the level where all the action is when groceries arrive. Oh happy day. And the Beatnik will not longer be left on his own. Not that I think he really minded….
The weather forecast which includes an impending hurricane the other day has now been downgraded to a post tropical storm. Tropical is hardly a word to describe Nova Scotia, but I’m no meteorologist. Although my predictive skills are quite good – if I refuse to go out, it is raining. And I can predict that with 100% accuracy. Better than some weather people I might point out.
We’ll see how the new enclosure works today while Her Highness runs errands. This could be interesting. And this time, Big Brother will be watching. Our new escape artist may finally be thwarted. We’ll see. He IS a PON after all.
Squirmy here! And I am here to tell you I am afraid. Very afraid. But I don’t know why…
It all started because My Enforcer went out to do some shopping. Which is fine with me because I always get a yummy Kong when she leaves and I get a treat when she returns. And we are all happy when she returns whether she has been gone an hour or whether she has just returned from taking out the garbage.
But the other day when she returned, the other guys were initially all happy and then they stopped their joyful welcome. It seems My Enforcer was carrying a bag that said Dollar Store. I don’t know what’s in the bag, but clearly something scary because the other guys were shaking in their paws. WHAT could possibly scare them so much? I don’t know, but I know enough to take a cue from the guys that I should be afraid.
Whatever is in that bag must have something to do with some new pumpkins that appeared the same day outside our front door. We’re having a contest – guess how many days before the Coyote pees on the pumpkins! We figure he’ll be the one to christen them because I haven’t figured yet out how to lift my leg to pee, and the Boss is too picky about where he pees. He has to walk back and forth 15 times- so in that time, My Enforcer can redirect him somewhere else. But the Coyote is the fastest leg lifter on the planet – so it will no doubt be him. I’m giving those orange orbs 2 more days to be pee free.
Yesterday I got to go to the lake again and I ran up and down the trail and sometimes took a detour into the woods – running with all my might. My recall was again good – BUT I learned that detours into mud and sticks will land you in the tub – and on the grooming table for a quick fluff up. I must confess, I did look better afterwards. Then it was the Boss’ turn for his weekly brush-a-thon. And after we were fluffed up, the two of us promptly began to restyle each other’s hair on our own. Kind of like when you go to a new hair stylist and then redo it the way you like it when you get home. My Enforcer was not impressed.
It’s Saturday- which is pretty much like every other day here. But we will be watching the weather forecast for next week. Looks like something called a hurricane could be heading our way. My Enforcer said I’m enough of a hurricane in this household. Whatever that means…
Hey hey hey- it’s Squirmy here. I hope you are having a fabulous day – because I am! And guess what?! If life wasn’t glorious enough – it got even BETTER yesterday. GUESS what I had yesterday? Guess. OK I’ll tell you. A bone! A real honest to goodness bone. A marrow bone to be precise. I’m telling you – it’s going to be hard to top THAT experience! And I got it because it’s Fall!
The last couple of mornings have been cool and crisp – they say Fall is in the air. Whatever that means. But I’ll tell you one thing – the cool mornings makes all three of us boys even more crazy than normal. My Enforcer even said “What’s with you guys?!” Everybody was barking and jumping around in preparation for our morning walks. Usually I’m the only wild one, but the last couple of days, everybody has been wild.
So after we came home and had our breakfasts, licked the yogurt container, ate our blueberries AND cleaned out our Kongs, yours truly was still raring to go. And so were the other guys. The Boss was pawing at My Enforcer’s pockets and the Coyote was staring at her toast. He recently decided he LOVES bread. Plain bread. The craving will last a week or so and then he’ll change his mind. He even went off blueberries for a week. He’s an odd guy – I just don’t get the whole picky food thing. But I’m going sideways from my story.
My Enforcer had not finished reading the paper or having her cup of coffee- so she announced “I have a surprise.” And she went in the fridge and pulled out these big marrow bones. The Boss got his and ran away. The picky Picard also grabbed his and took off for the hall. I didn’t know what all the excitement was until I got mine. Holy Moly Marrow – after a sniff and a nibble I was HOOKED. I could feel my inner beast take over – it was like I was a wolf in the wild enjoying my prey after the hunt. OK, truth be told I had a hard time carrying it – so I don’t think my hunting skills would be that good. I’m just glad all I had to do was stand by the fridge door.
I was chewing daintily while the boss was ravenously ripping off pieces. That’s because he knew that marrow bone feasts come with a time limit of 20 minutes. My Enforcer takes them away so we don’t get soupy poops. The Boss was trying to eat as much as possible before the Fun Police came over, traded a lousy piece of kibble and took the bone away. I was disappointed, but made the trade too. Still, I did need to catch my breath – what an experience. I can’t wait for that again!
Plus guess what else I got to do yesterday? I went on our trail to the lake and I wasn’t on a leash! Sometimes I would run ahead – and then My Enforcer would call me back. I’m doing pretty good with my recall as you’ll see in these two clips. In this first one you can see me peeking over a log, waiting for My Enforcer. It’s a quick clip.
In this one I have run ahead out of sight.
She stops the recording before I get to her so she can brace herself for my landing.
What else did I do yesterday? Oh I know!!! While My Enforcer was having a good chat with her friend Iza, who lives in Poland, I was really quiet. No barking and squeaking like I usually do. Know why? Because I was trying to make up for previous bad behavior? Because I’m maturing? Nope. Because I was chewing a hole in an oven mitt that I pulled off the counter!!! My Enforcer WONDERED why I was so quiet (she was in the DFZ). Yup. I found a way to entertain myself. I’m such a joker.
So that was my large day yesterday. The Coyote is still coughing a tiny bit, but the Boss is MUCH better. And I’m 110%! And looking forward to another new day!
Guess who? It’s me – Squirmy Wormy!!!! I am SO excited to tell you dog readers about the coolest new trick I learned. Well – I didn’t learn it – I made it up all by myself! And you can try it and see if it works for you!!!!!
So when My Enforcer needs a break from us for 15 minutes she does one of two things. She goes in the bathroom OR she goes in this room with a gate – that the other guys call the DFZ – dog free zone. Apparently before I got here, the other guys were sometimes allowed in there. But because I don’t know the meaning of the word “settle” – I’m not yet allowed in. Now when My Enforcer goes in there, I’m initially OK with it. I find other ways to entertain myself – like chewing on the carpet or harassing the other guys. And sometimes I even fall asleep. But here’s the trick…if she’s in there AND she starts to talk on the phone – well all “quiet” behavior ends. To tell the truth, even if she’s NOT in there, but she gets on the phone – all heck breaks loose. I will throw around every metal food dish I can find. I bark and growl at the guys. But most effectively- I bark at My Enforcer. Non stop. If she’s in the DFZ, I shake the gate and shout out “enough with the phone. Lock it up!” And guess what happens next? Well because she’s on a call, she will do all sorts of things to keep me quiet. Most of which involve treats – which are distributed freely. Sometimes if the call is really important, she’ll heave a handful of kibble on the dining room floor so we can go hunting for it. The Boss gets the benefits of my bad behavior. Because the Coyote doesn’t care about hunting for treats he just watches us PONs go mad. Of course, that keeps me quiet for 53 seconds – until all the kibble is found – and then I start barking again. My barking behavior is particularly effective if she has a ZOOM call. I’m a baby. I deserve her undivided attention. At all times.
So to all my dog friends who I have never met – always remember that you are Numero Uno – so don’t let a phone call, Zoom call or FaceTime chat EVER take away your RIGHT to personal attention. And the trick to getting that attention is being vocal and protesting! Hey – I’m so free in sharing my opinions and tricks – maybe I should go into politics!!!
Greetings blog readers. Frodo here. Also known as Father Goose. My bout with canine COVID is improving – just more slowly than the young lads. But not to worry – my appetite and energy are fine. And my imitation honking goose call has evolved to a less deep, more dry quack. The Beatnik still has the odd honk, but not much. And the Shark seems to be over his round. Patience. Patience.
According to our odd calendar, today is something called National Defy Superstition Day. Aptly chosen for the 13th of the month. I suppose it is a day when one should walk under a ladder, or ignore the black cat crossing their path. That would be a difficult one for the canines in this household.
I have investigated superstitions having to do with dogs and I found a few – most of which I have never heard of. Probably because I am not the superstitious type. But here they are, according to Rover.com.
– A howling dog is supposed to be an omen of death. There is some truth to this. We have no doubt killed Her Highness’ previously normal hearing with our barking and howling. To defy this one, she needs ear plugs.
– Dogs who stare or growl at nothing are actually seeing ghosts. We’ll have to keep the Beatnik off the deck tonight. He definitely “sees” and hears something. Mind you – it probably much more likely to be a chipmunk than a ghost. But he DOES tend to do it more at night. In the dark. Spooky.
– If you meet a stray dog and it follows you home, it is good luck. Personally, I don’t think so if you then need to share your treats. What could be lucky about that?
– One of my favorites- if you step in dog poop with your left foot, you will have good luck. Is that not a bit counterintuitive? I wonder what happens if you step in it with your right foot? It seems either foot is not exactly pleasant. Particularly in sandals. Or flip flops.
Not much else new here as we are in quarantine. We do go for short walks on our road, wearing masks and staying clear of any other dogs. I jest about the masks – you KNOW we would try to shred them.
It is time for our constitutional. I bid you a pleasant day and I’m certain it will be. Knock on wood.
Hey everybody- it’s Squirmy. Spreader of joy, happiness and kennel cough. Yup it’s official. We have a trifecta. The Coyote now sounds like a goose too. The good news? We’ll all be over it! So we’ll be invincible! Unless another strain comes along…
Today I have to tell you about my new talent. Guess what new skill I learned from the Boss? Escape artist! Yup- call me PONdini Junior.
When My Enforcer goes out – like to the grocery store for our yogurt or the pet store for our food (note it’s all about us dogs), she leaves me in an ex-pen in the downstairs rec room, and the Boss is stuck down there with me because she latches a gate at the bottom of the stairs. The Coyote is on his own upstairs.
So yesterday, when My Enforcer went to the grocery store, she carefully latched the door on the ex pen and gave both me and the Boss frozen Kongs to keep us busy.
She wasn’t gone too too long, and we heard her return- as she unloaded the groceries in the kitchen. She claims it’s easier to unpack without having two PONs in the refrigerator “helping.” We both of course, shouted out our “welcome homes.”
When she was done, she walked around the house outside- to enter through the patio. Well. Imagine her surprise when I greeted her at the patio door. She opened the door and the Boss and I ran out. She tentatively walked inside to examine the room. It was pretty evident there had been a party going on. Throw pillows all over the floor. TV remote controls also on the floor. Toys scattered everywhere. Yup it was a real party. She doubted the Boss was responsible for the mess because he’s always free down there- and never touches anything. So yours truly became the prime suspect. But guess what? No camera- no proof!!!! She’ll never know how long I was out – OR how I got out. It’s our little secret. Yee haw! PONdini Junior! I like it!
Hey – speaking of frozen Kongs- I have another story!! So we’ve told you how those yogurt and kibble-filled wonderful rubber toys provide necessary peace while my Enforcer is having breakfast. She says she truly cannot live without them. And here’s proof. The other night, she woke up at 4AM and realized she had not stuffed and frozen our Kongs. She broke out in a sweat. She realized the PONdemonium that would happen without Kongs to entertain us for 20 minutes. So what did she do? She got up at 4AM, went into the kitchen and stuffed Kongs. Really. In this house, if those Kongs were stolen, she would pay a ransom to get them back. Then again, maybe she’d just go and get new ones. She said she wishes she had like 20 so she could stuff and freeze loads of them at once. We told her to put it on her Christmas wish list.
Hey and speaking of holidays, what’s this Halloween thing at the end of October. The other guys said not to speak of it. They said something about the pandemic and maybe the Dollar store doesn’t have “any special things”. What’s THAT all about? Why are those guys so afraid of a Dollar Store? I have to investigate this further.
Time for my joyful walk. You know what? I’m joyful EVERY morning when I get up!!! What’s not to be joyful? You have a day full of potential- and you never know what might happen! And besides that – it’s Friday!
Hey everybody- Squirmy here! Livin and lovin large.
Well I have some good news and bad news. I’m almost finished honking like a goose. I feel much better. That’s the good news. The bad news….I passed on my cough to the Boss guy. Yup. He started coughing yesterday. So now HE sounds like a goose. My Enforcer was worried – because he is older ( mind you everybody I meet is older than me!) – and he was sounding like a GIANT goose. So my Enforcer called the vet, and got some special medication for his cough. Which smells an awful lot like the stuff she bought for me at the drug store. Anyway, it will hopefully make him feel better quickly. He’s still hungry, and he wants to go on his walks, but he sounds a lot like me the first night I started coughing. I keep sitting right next to him to make him feel better. So far the Coyote seems OK.
In the meantime, I continue to terrify my Enforcer with my imitation of a Crash Test Puppy. I seriously love to climb up and jump off things. Here she is carrying me up and down stairs and I get outside and now jump up on the garden bed in the middle of the driveway (which is like 3 feet high) and up the retaining wall that I talked about the other day. Of course I also fly OFF those walls as well. AND I can now easily jump on my Enforcer’s bed!!!! Which is great because it makes it much easier to steal her pillows!!!!
Oh plus I have a favorite new toy which will probably not be around very long. It’s a huge inflatable rubber ball with a fabric cover. I think it’s for horses. All I know is that when I first saw it sitting in the yard, I didn’t want to go near it. And when it rolled, well I thought it was out to get me!!! But within minutes, I was fine with my new rolly friend and I attacked it. I quickly figured out that if I could grab the cover, I can control the ball. In this video, you see me grabbing the cover and at one point I somehow manage to pull the plug on the ball. I stop because I hear the air coming out. But not for long…
There is actually a dog sport called Treibball where dogs move balls like this around a field – following specific directions. Think herding without the sheep. Here’s a sample video:
I’m thinking my attack strategy is NOT advisable in playing the game. For now, I just get some exercise – since I still can’t play with the Coyote. He screams from the deck sometimes when he watches me play with it. I think he likes the big ball too.
So that’s my news today. I can’t go on any adventures or to any classes until my cough is 100% gone – probably for at least 1-2 weeks. So we’re back into quarantine again. Just keep your paws crossed that the Coyote manages to evade it. Heck, he’s already damaged with his muscle sprain. We have to keep my Enforcer in good health because the rest of us are currently on the injured list. And I guess I better be careful jumping off those walls. And the bed….
Yo. Readers. Elroy here again! Happy Labor Day from three very hard working guard dogs. We take our jobs seriously. We guard against intruders – like the guy who delivers oil- and other interlopers like bunnies, birds, moths and the ever-dangerous falling leaves. We are particularly vigilant and quick to bark when it’s dark out or when Her Highness is in the shower. One can never be too careful…So Happy Labor Day to all workers – and all retirees!!!
Now I must tell you about my excellent adventure to the beach yesterday. It is THE best story.
Her Highness and I picked up our friend Marg, and off we went yesterday morning. I was so excited. Mind you, I didn’t really know where we were going.
We took the “scenic” route to our destination, which from a crate in the back of Ludwig is not all that exciting. But the two leggeds appeared to enjoy the coastal views.
We finally arrived at the beach, and what was the FIRST thing we saw? Come on. Guess. Beach bathers? Surfers? Beach umbrellas? Beach balls? Children building sand castles? Nope. In perfect blog story fashion the FIRST thing we saw was…….a llama. Sounds like some kind of children’s story book, doesn’t it. But I’m not joking. And here’s the proof:
The llama people parked right next to us. Her Highness didn’t quite know what to say, so instead of mentioning the llama, said something about dogs. Talk about the “llama in the room.” The guy said something about their dog too and off they went. For a walk on the beach road. I hadn’t been to this beach before, so I was thinking this just must be common here. I couldn’t wait to get over the dune to see if I would find a zebra.
Anyway, when I got in the water, the only thing I was interested in doing was drinking it. Here’s a tip for people who have never taken their dogs to salt water before. It’s not advisable to drink ocean water. Because it will “return” like a wave, from different ends of your body if you drink too much. Needless to say, Her Highness wouldn’t let me drink the water.
We had a fabulous long walk – which in the packed sand was good for my muscle. Her Highness tried to get me to walk in the water- but that was rather futile as all I did was stop and try to drink. Despite the fact that I also drank water that Her Highness brought for me.
It’s a long beach- and home to some shore birds called Piping Plovers. I saw no signs of their bagpipes, but lots of them running and flying along the shore.
Dogs are supposed to be on leash so as not to scare the birds. That’s why I couldn’t run free. That’s my idea of a joke. As if the birds were the reason I couldn’t be off leash. But that’s my story.
I had a good time walking, watching people and their dogs- and listening to the sound of the waves. As usual, Her Highness tried to get photos of me – and I refused to give her ears up. Still, I don’t look too bad.
All in all it was a great adventure. A wonderful day. All was right with the world. Despite the fact that I DID have the poops when I got home. Precipitating a call to the Emergency clinic because Her Highness Googled salt water poisoning ( which is a very serious condition) and she just wanted to be SURE I didn’t have it. Thankfully I didn’t.
Really. What would our house be without at least one call to the Emergency Clinic each week. We’re at two for this week. The other night it was to check which over-the-counter meds she could give to the goose in the house. The goose is the shark with his kennel cough. Her Highness knew he didn’t need to be seen by a vet as he was happy, hungry, and energetic- but he did sound like a goose. Long story short – she found out through her “dog village” that he could take human cough medicine. A certain type – WITHOUT any xylitol. He slept better that night, and already seems to be on the mend. And last night not even one cough!
So that’s the story of our weekend. Llamas, plovers, a goose sound-alike and no emergency room visits. Life is good. Very good indeed.
Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter. 