Author: frodopon

More tick stuff

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A lazy, rainy day yesterday.   Some of you may have seen my photo on Facebook.  It was not funny.

  


The good news- no new tick discoveries.  Could be due to the fact that my human started spraying that Atlantik stuff on our collars and on our harnesses.  One of the main ingredients is lemongrass.  So now we all smell like walking citronella candles.   My human has this idea….we should wear coats made of a lightweight fabric.   Maybe even something like that microfiber stuff.  Then, she can spray the coats.   The stuff is not toxic for pets, but she still would rather that we not be licking ourselves after we have been sprayed.  So putting it on our coats would be fine.  She just needs to make the coats.   This is where anyone who knows my human’s seamstress skills starts laughing loudly and hysterically.  More than likely she will find someone who can make them for her.  That would save much crying and moaning in our house.

Thanks for the suggestions that we got about what some of you are using against the dreaded insect demons.  I liked the suggestion about using garlic.  Our friend in France, Dominique explained that they crush a few cloves of garlic, dilute with water and spray.  Which reminded my human about these specially formulated garlic tablets for dogs that we used to get years ago.  She dug them out of the cupboard – and we have plenty.  All of which have a Best By date of November 2017. So much for that idea.  But we could make the spray….

Turns out we can’t get Wondercide shipped to Canada.  Something about regulations around labeling.    So that option is out.  So we’ll stick to our Atlantik.  Besides – we like to support local!

Seriously- do ticks have any redeeming qualities?  I’m mean they are not helpful like bees who pollinate plants.  Or Ladybugs who feed on harmful insects. Or earthworms who help to aerate soil.   Nope. Ticks are just plain evil predators.  Who I would be happy to see on the extinct list. But it doesn’t look like that will happen any time soon.  One friend told my human how she put one in boiling water.  Twice.  And it still lived.  My human knows of one that was sealed in a jar without food or moisture or ANYTHING – and it lived for MONTHS.  Ewwwwww.

Well, time to get my human moving and make the most of this week.  Hopefully the rain will let up today.  Maybe.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 7

Tick crisis

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Trouble in spring paradise.  Actually, paradise is a bit of a stretch – as it has still been rather cold out.  The good news about that?  The black flies have not yet been bad.  The bad news?  It HAS been warm enough for ticks. And Houston, we have a problem.
My human’s sister was over Saturday evening. They had finished supper and we canines were checking for the chance of some leftovers.   The FG was just really just checking for some ear rubs and hugs.  My human was petting him and scratched his muzzle.  And she felt something odd.  Aggghhhhhhh!  A TICK!!!! She quickly rushed him into the grooming torture palace (aka garage) and hoisted him onto the grooming table.  She got out her trusty tick extractor, and removed the intruder.  He didn’t appear to be alive, but she proceeded to smash him to smithereens as her sister just watched the routine.   My human felt the FG all over for any other vagabonds, but found none.  Then she examined me and Einstein.  All clear.  As best as she could tell.   I have been wearing the clay tick collar sent to me by one of my loyal blog readers.  Last fall, I did have one tick that I got while wearing the collar, so I’m not sure about its effectiveness.  But that was the only one so I’m still wearing it.  Besides- it’s pretty!
So of course my human began to worry after she found the tick on the FG.  But that wasn’t the worst of it…
We all returned to the bedroom Saturday night. She didn’t sleep again in the DFZ, although she threatened it when I was on the bed and licking certain parts of my anatomy. She said all licking must stop, or it would be “everybody out.” She’s so dramatic.  I stopped licking. Until she fell asleep.
We let her sleep in until 5:15. Then I put two paws on the bed and stared at her – about four inches from her face. She got up after that.  She went into the bathroom to get dressed. She took off her nightgown – and that’s when we heard the blood curdling scream.  She had a tick on her arm. She raced past us, and ran to the garage for the tick removal device.  Which was a bit of overkill, as the tick wasn’t attached to her. She picked him up with the tweezer-like device and dropped him on the grooming table.  She then got a jar, picked him up with a tissue and stuffed the tissue and tick into the jar.  Like some kind of science specimen. I’m not sure what she plans to do with him.  I’m not sure she knows either.
So.  It’s clear we need a tick battle plan. Only problem- she’s afraid of giving any of us chemicals to kill them.  Especially me – with my seizures.  She had bought some natural sprays last year- but both contain Rosemary- which is a known seizure trigger in epileptic dogs. We need to do something though – because yesterday, she found ANOTHER one on the FG!!!! Ewwwwww.
We could wear hazmat suits whenever we go out – but that doesn’t seem too practical.  It looks like there is a spray in the US called Wondercide which is effective and does not contain Rosemary, but she couldn’t find a way to get it shipped here.  She has written to the company – so hopefully she may be able to get some of that.
She also heard about a product made here in Nova Scotia- which reportedly is having good results.  She actually drove to several retailers yesterday to find some. It wasn’t easy to find, but she eventually got some.  It’s called Atlantik.  Clever. She sprayed it on our collars and harnesses when she took us out yesterday afternoon. We’ll see what happens…
If people have suggestions, we are all ears.  We know that last fall, the FDA warned that products of the isoxazoline class can cause neurological problems.  Those products include Bravecto,  Nexgard and Simparica.  So those drugs are definitely OUT.   We have read mixed results on Seresto collars.  Any type of collar we would need to remove when indoors – as all of us like to do hair styling on one another.  So licking heads would likely not be a good idea if wearing a collar.
We have found some homemade natural remedies that can be sprayed on us – or collars, but I’m not sure about the effectiveness. There was a recipe on-line containing lemon juice, vanilla extract and something called catnip oil.   If it doesn’t work for ticks, you at least smell like a lemon loaf. But you are followed continuously by cats.  Maybe that’s how it works – the ticks jump on the cats…
Let us know your opinion – and we’ll let you know what we try. In the meantime, I’m not sure I want to sleep with my human – as she clearly has ticks.  Just kidding.  I think…
Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 6

Human need for rest

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The NERVE of my human.  Sometimes I think I need to take her back to obedience classes.  She is acting a BIT like SHE is in charge here.  No treats for her this weekend.

We KNOW she has been working- and in order to avoid the ongoing traffic jungle with the current road construction in the city, she gets up at 4:30 so she can walk us before she has to go to work. And we also know she has been tired because she hasn’t had a lot of sleep.  But her “solution” on Friday night was utterly unacceptable. 
She announced that she wanted to SLEEP – so she went into the DFZ with her pillow- and went to sleep on the couch.  We were appalled.  I mean, none of us could sleep with her on her bed!  Which we essentially use as a trampoline all night.  In rotating shifts.  One or two of us are on, then one gets off, another gets on.  And so it goes.  Not to mention intermittent licking of various parts of our anatomy.
While she is quite used to this routine, she said she wanted a FULL night’s sleep.  Hence she sequestered herself in the DFZ.  We all just stared at each other, but she was sound asleep before we could even protest.  But not to worry…
Promptly at 4:00 AM, we took turns standing by the gate to the DFZ and we began squeaking.  First it was me.  She opened one eye, looked at the time, said “it’s Saturday – go back to sleep.”  Fifteen minutes later, it was Einstein’s turn.  He let out a single bark. She said “it’s raining. Can’t you hear it? You hate rain. Go back to sleep”.  Fifteen minutes later, the FG chimed it with his high pinched squeak.  She said “10 more minutes. Go back to sleep.” Our rotating protests occurred every 10-15 minutes.  She FINALLY got up at 6:30.  And we were OVERJOYED to see her. Admittedly, she DID look more refreshed than she does at 4:30…
We hope she is now back on her schedule. She is MUCH easier to train when she is well rested.  Nothing worse than trying to control a cranky, overtired human. Thank GOODNESS she is not working this week…
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 5

Owney

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It’s May 18. Which according to the crazy calendar is International Museum Day! So let’s take a look at some connections between us dogs and museums.

First off, we have a place on my human’s bucket list – the recently reopened American Museum of the Dog in New York City. I have mentioned it before.  Here is the link to the new location- which was housed in St. Louis for many years:
It looks like the place has as much pup-aphernalia as we do!  My human REALLY wants to go there…
I’ve talked about all the dog stuff at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.  But I found a place that MIGHT have even MORE dog stuff – in Washington, DC. Check out this link to the Smithsonian Museum:
Now that’s fun to look through. And it was while I was scrolling through the site, that I found the story of Owney.  Never heard of Owney?  Well here is a short video about his story:
How’s that for a ramblin’ guy?   He traveled everywhere!!!  What a life he had!  And Owney is still around.  When it was time for Owney to leave his mail route and deliver letters to the Rainbow Bridge, the mail clerks reportedly raised funds to have Owney “preserved” for future generations to see.  In plain language- he was stuffed.  He is on display at the National Postal Museum – so you can see him to this day. I think reading about him is enough for me.  I find something about stuffed canines kind of creepy.
Anyway, it looks like there is PLENTY of cool canine stuff at the Smithsonian. I have to study the site more myself!
Well, wouldn’t  you know that after 4 weeks of work – when my human finally has a totally free Saturday, it is raining. Oh well – indoor rounds of find the stuffed bunny today.  But not a REAL stuffed bunny.  Mind you, THAT could be interesting….or maybe we’ll go to  a museum.  Sure we will…
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 4

Artwork.

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So we know that my human likes to take pictures of us.  Surprise, surprise.  JUST in case she forgets what we look like.  She currently has 50,455 photos in something called the “cloud.”  Let’s hope it doesn’t rain and she loses all those images.  Just wondering – where IS this cloud…. My guess is that 50, 000 of those photos are of dogs.  I am NOT kidding.

In addition to thousands of photos, my human also loves canine artwork.  So when she saw a posting by an artist on Facebook, advertising that she does digital images of dogs – you KNOW that my human could NOT pass up the chance to get some. And we love the results!

MoonCollie Art does digital portraits, caricatures of your dog, detailed portraits, logos…all kinds of wonderful artwork.
https://www.facebook.com/mooncolliearts/

Kim will be ending all of her different types of custom portraits after this week – SO, if you want to have a quick sketch done – like one of these – contact her TODAY!   And I MEAN TODAY!   This offer is over on Saturday night.  These sketches were each done for $15 US.  Kim also does logos for National Dog events – and she will be busy doing that – so portraits will be put on hold.  IF you contact her – tell her Viktor sent you!  Check us out!

Me:

Einstein:

The FG:

Kim emails you the sketches- so it is easy to do.  You just need a good photo of your dog.  I know that she is quite busy – so you MAY have a wait a bit – but it’s worth it!  And no – I am not getting anything for this plug – just the pleasure of sharing an artist’s work with you!

IT IS FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And we survived four weeks of my human at work.  She has next week off and then she works just ONE more week.  And then we are back to retirement.  More walks, extra snacks, extra belly rubs, more games of fetch….What’s another word for retriement?  Heaven.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up:
Seizure free days: 3

Bear

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The other morning, after getting my human out of bed, as we PONs raced into the kitchen we suddenly halted in front of the gate into the DFZ.  For those who may be new to my blog, the DFZ – or Dog Free Zone, is the ONLY area in the house where we canines do not have free access.  That and the laundry room – which contains the garbage can which often contains dryer lint.  Because we KNOW about my appetite for dryer lint.  Anyway, the DFZ, which contains a bunch of “stuff” that my human would prefer NOT to have destroyed, is blocked by a custom designed black aluminum gate.  It has proven to hold up just great – and even PON-dini (Einstein) has not been able to breach the secure entrance.

As we were running past the gate – we suddenly put on the brakes and started barking into the DFZ.  It was 4:35 AM – so it was still dark outside – and we pushed our noses through the bars in the gate and started sniffing.  My human flipped on the lights in the DFZ, with fear that maybe a mouse had run by.  We haven’t had a mouse all winter – but she couldn’t think what else it could be. Surely a squirrel had not gotten into the house – we would have heard that, right?  She looked around and saw no traces of an intruder – and then remembered that the window in the DFZ was open.  We must have been sniffing something which had enough scent to come through the window.  Right about the then, the FG wandered in from the bedroom.  He sauntered past us, not paying attention to our interest in the DFZ, and walked into the dining room.  At which point, HE suddenly woke up and jumped up on the door to the deck, barking.  OK – clearly there was SOMETHING in the backyard.  My human flipped on the outdoor lights – but couldn’t see anything.  Besides, our place is surrounded by woods – so anything that MIGHT have been out there could have taken off in the woods.

When we went out for our walks, Einstein wanted VERY much to go in the backyard.  My human dragged him up the driveway to the road, wearing her trusty headlamp with new batteries.  She was glad she could see more than a foot in front of her.  That will last for all of a week.  She made noise to scare off any intruder – and wondered if it had been the porcupine in the backyard.     We marched along and spotted no creatures on our walk, and neither did the FG.

A day later, one of our neighbors posted a photo of a thick metal post in their yard that holds a bird feeder.  It had been bent like a blade of grass.  Another neighbor had their green bin raided and dragged several feet.  Which pointed to one thing.  Pooh is back.  It was almost a year to the day that we spotted that big black bear in our yard at sunset. 

Sure enough – the next day, another neighbor actually spotted him.  We will be sure to make extra noise on our morning walks.  Not that we don’t ALREADY make our presence known.

And speaking of bear news – did you hear about the dog in Northern Ontario who is taking bribes from a bear?  It seems that the bear “offers the dog deer bones” to keep him from barking, while the bear destroys the garbage.  It has reportedly happened three times.  Here’s the story:
https://www.wthr.com/article/bear-bribes-guard-dog-deer-bones-get-familys-trash

I’m just putting that out there  to any bears that might be reading this – because I want to mention that I CAN be bribed… Just sayin’.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 2

Nylons

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May 15. And it’s Nylon Stockings Day. Now THAT is the biggest waste of money in this household.  AFTER holiday attire from the Dollar Store.

In this day and age of technology and invention, why can’t they create dog-proof nylon stockings/pantyhose? And it doesn’t matter what my human pays for the stuff – whether she buys “good stuff” at a department store – or the stuff from the dreaded Dollar Store – NOTHING can withstand us canines.

When I was searching for a link between us canines and hosiery – I of course found horror stories of dogs who ate them.  Now I like to eat things – but ONLY edible things.  Pantyhose is more in line with the appetite that Paxton had. Obviously, the consumption of pantyhose can have serious results. 

I also found that around 2013, there was a BIG trend in China for DOGS to wear pantyhose.  I am NOT kidding.  I was going to post a video – but frankly, it was just TOO weird.  Wearing antlers for a quick photo is one thing.  Pantyhose – well I’m not even SURE how you would manage to get them on us.  Trust me – even my human draws the line there!

I did find a GOOD use for used pantyhose – you can make a rope tug toy!  That’s one way to reuse all those pairs that have runs in them.  Which is pretty much every pair that is currently in this house.  My human always has one or two damaged pairs – JUST IN CASE, she needs them –  if the run is in a location not visible.  For the time being.  Anyway – if you have a dog who won’t CONSUME the toy – here are the instructions:
http://kelseyskreativekorner.com/braided-pantyhose-dog-tug-toy/

I also found this short video with another use for pantyhose – they can be used to create a muzzle for a dog in an emergency situation.  Seems like a reasonable idea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S45-4PIvqFI

Apparently, if you use pantyhose as a glove, it can remove dog hair from fabric.  Now THIS one we have to try out.  I don’t think my human owns a piece of clothing that doesn’t have dog hair on it somewhere.  We can make our hair stick to silk.  It’s an art.

I also saw that if you put a piece of nylon over a brush (with the bristles poking through) it makes cleaning the brush easier.   I say skip the brushing.  That makes cleaning the brush unnecessary.

So those are my nylon/pantyhose suggestions for today.  Wasn’t that was riveting info?

On another note….thank you for all your kind messages and concern about my seizures.  My human is anxious to be home with me – to get this hopefully, under control again. We are eternally optimistic.  Some days.

Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days:  1

AGGGGGHHHHHH. Happy BELATED!!!!!!!!!

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We have a bad dog Mom.  I CANNOT believe I am writing this.  YESTERDAY was the FG’s BIRTHDAY!  YESTERDAY!  She forgot to remind me!  For SOME crazy reason, she was thinking his birthday was the 17th.  WRONG.  Mind you – she’s never good with dates.

So happy belated to my quirky, crazy, fussy, funny, wild adopted sibling. He has truly grown on me.  I can chew on a bone and he can be literally 10 inches from my face, and I don’t care.  He wags when he sees me and the feeling is mutual.

This past year, he didn’t accomplish much in the show world – probably because he wasn’t shown much!  My human was waiting for him to mature – and she is thinking he is almost there.  In body anyway.

He did have an introduction to one new sport – the rat thing.  And while it initially appeared that it wasn’t going to be successful (like me and sheep) he DID get the idea of the game within the hour he was there. They plan to try it again.

He has definitely matured overall – although if given the opportunity to bust through the screen door and go for a solo run, he will still grab the chance.  The irony is that when he is going for a walk with my human and he is on a leash, he stands in the doorway like he doesn’t know how to go out.  Seriously.  Some mornings she has to push him out the door.

I have trained him how to countersurf – mind you he never actually TAKES anything.  He just goes up to “inspect” the counter.

He has acquired a taste for yogurt – standing in line each morning to lick the lid and the container.   He’s still not crazy about bananas.  Some days he takes a piece – other days he recoils like the banana is a poisonous snake.  Or a lint roller.

He likes carrots – but he WILL fling them around the room.  Which can have several results: a.  he flings it under furniture or appliances, making it impossible to get;  b. he flings it and Einstein grabs it before he does.

He is still not crazy about retrieving – even after he watches me and Einstein doing our thing.  He does it once or twice – after that he thinks humans should pick up the toy themselves.

He LOVES people.  And he has been able to visit stores and has been well behaved.  I think my human should take him and let him off leash.  Now THAT would be entertaining.

He is NOT crazy about having his picture taken.  But he WILL give in when it is clear my human will not give up.  But he is a pouty model – he rarely smiles for the camera.  That being said, my human has been able to capture some candid shots of him – and those are the best kind.  He also DID smile for his birthday photo at the top.  Here are some of our favorite shots from the last year….

So happy belated to my big little brother. I really AM glad that you joined our family.  Now.  Can I have that biscuit?

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 0. Back to the drawing board. I had two yesterday.  One while my human was at work.  And one just as she turned off the lights to go to sleep…it was a long night.

Fashion

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I have a question.  Do any of you live with a dog who likes to do fashion reviews?  We do.  It’s the FG and he is famous for it.

At first my human thought it was coincidence.  She would appear from the bedroom wearing some new piece of attire and the FG immediately needed to inspect  it.  It generally involved him burying his nose in the fabric.
After this past week, my human is certain his fashion review is not coincidental.  She had purchased a few new items for spring to wear to work.  Given that she only has two more weeks of work, I think the money would have been better spent on dog biscuits.  Or dog toys.  But no – she had to outfit herself.
First there was a new pair of pants.  Personally, I think they are too short- but what do I know about fashion trends.  I prefer to wear my birthday suit. Anyway, she came out of the bedroom and went to take each of us out for a pee.  She nearly tripped over the FG- he was so busy sizing up her pant legs. 
Then she had a new jacket.  He sat right up and had to bury his nose smack dab in the middle of her stomach. He checks out everything she wears – but new items are his favorite.
I think he has his own blog writing style reviews.  It probably has to do with that Picard trait where they notice details.  And they notice change.  She isn’t wearing her usual at-home-dog-attire so he notices and pays attention.  It’s either that, or his French sense of style.  For us PONs, there is zero interest because new attire does not yet have dog treats in the pockets.  So the Picard is definitely the fashionista in this house.
Well it’s Monday.  With a full week of guard duty ahead. But then NEXT week my human is OFF.  Then one LAST week of work.  And then OFFICIAL retirement and full time dog servant.   We cannot WAIT.
Have a good one.  Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 11

A prickly situation

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First off, a huge Happy Mother’s Day to all the human Moms out there! I hope your kids are as good to you as we dogs are. Well – at least sometimes we are good.

Yesterday morning we let our human sleep in.  OK. I did try to get her up at 4:30, but she reminded me it was Saturday. We then let her sleep in until 5:45.  
It was a grey and very foggy morning.   It had rained the night before, so although we had hoped to go for a walk on the trail, we decided we would rather not dodge the puddles and the mud and we stayed on the road. Einstein and I did our thing and then my human took the FG out.  Despite the fact that he should have been compliant because it was Dog Mom’s Day – he was NOT cooperative or interested in a photo op.  When he stopped in the road, and was standing and just listening and watching – as he loves to do – my human kept trying to get a photo of him.  She would SLOWLY walk around him and he would literally keep looking away from her.  She would go to his other side and he would face the other way.  You have to keep in mind that he is NOT a morning dog. She did manage to get a shot or two, but it wasn’t easy.
Anyway, as they headed down the driveway, my human suddenly noticed something.  Right there.  Not 10 feet away.  In broad daylight.  On the side of the driveway. A big fat porcupine.  He was munching on greenery.  The FG was thankfully on leash, although he actually didn’t appear TOO interested in the walking pincushion.  But no doubt, if he had been off leash he would have gone to meet the intruder.   My human stomped her foot, and Spike took off into the woods.  She breathed a sigh of relief and realized that she had let Einstein off leash as we had come down the driveway earlier.  For some reason, she didn’t let yours truly off.  Talk about LUCKY.  As you may recall, I have been up close and personal with Mr. Needles before – and it wasn’t pretty.  I have had two encounters – one worse than the other. But like many dogs, my human fears that it wouldn’t stop me from greeting  Spike again – so she’ll be extra vigilant now.   Did you know that because porcupines eat a lot of foliage which is high in potassium and low in sodium, they often have a potassium-sodium imbalance.  Which means they end up craving sodium.  And where can they find sodium?  Road salt.  And when road salt splashes on cars, they then chew on car parts.  They have been known to chew through brake hoses!  Talk about dangerous.   They also like to chew on things that may contain sodium from human sweat.  Like canoe paddles or even axe handles!   Because there is sodium in human pee, they often like to chew on and destroy outhouses!  Who knew! I’ll be sure to remind my human to always bring in her axes.
We have no big plans for today.  Probably some fetch and some extra long walks because the forecast is calling for sun.  Doesn’t matter what we do – as long as my human is around, it’s all good!
Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure free days: 10