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…
Hey blogaroos. It’s me. Wojtek. The Shaggy Shark. Also known as Squirmy Wormy. And a host of other names I can’t publish here.
So. It’s been some time since our last post. The post when we had to sadly announce the departure of the Coyote to some magical place called the Rainbow Bridge.
While my favorite pastime was to irritate him, I must confess…I miss him terribly. He was such a good guy to put up with my shenanigans. And he never once told me off. OK. Maybe ONCE. But I didn’t believe him.
Things have been weird since he left. I find myself as the sole guard dog and protector against birds, butterflies and delivery guys. It’s a LOT of work. But not to worry – I have a loud voice.
When the Coyote was here, I had no interest in sleeping on the bed with the Warden. Or should I say, sleeping on the bed with the Coyote. Who allowed the Warden a small sliver of mattress. But since he left, I have learned to appreciate the comforts of a nice soft bed. The Warden is not always pleased with my presence- as I often begin my bedtime routine with an attempt to “arrange” her comforter. I feel it should be mashed into a large ball – but for some reason she disapproves. I’ll jump on board, and attempt to gather the comforter into a “nest” while she runs around the bed trying to make me stop. And I don’t. Despite her yelling “STOP!!!!” Sometimes this activity can go on for several minutes. With me bouncing around scraping up comforter while she shouts and attempts to grab corners of fabric. Good times.
I’ve been allowed into the DFZ lately – because there’s no other canine to wrestle with amongst the glass cupboards. I quite like it in there.
The Warden and I can both be pretty boring when the sun goes down- which is at 5 PM now. I swear we were both ready for bed at 7 PM the other night. This whole clock change thing is a bit crazy in my opinion. But then nobody asked me. An hour longer to wait for breakfast? I would NEVER have voted for that.
So life has been pretty quiet. Except for one day….
The Warden had to go out to get some groceries. And unfortunately, dogs aren’t allowed to go in grocery stores. Or that’s what she tells me anyway.
So the Warden is shopping, and she gets this notification on her phone that someone is at the front door. We have one of those doorbell cameras that show what’s going on outside. They’re great. Except when a spider walks across the screen or a leaf blows by. So there are occasional false positive doorbell alerts.
On this day, instead of ignoring what she thinks is an error, she takes a look at her phone. And THIS is what she sees….
Yup. Yours truly. Running past the front door.
IMAGINE her shock. I’m free. And clearly headed for… who knows where?
The Warden quickly leaves the store, and races home- breaking several speed limits. In her mind, she has this horrible image of a ball of fluff at the side of the road somewhere. As she drives down our road, she slows to a crawl – watching for me. She creeps down our long driveway, afraid I might jump in front of the car. But no sign of yours truly. Instead of pulling into the garage, she parks in front of the house and jumps out. She slams the car door – and hears a familiar sound. It’s moi. Barking as I always do. From inside the house. She opens the door. And there I am. Jumping and ready to maul her as I do every time she comes home. Actually- every time she comes into the room. Even after she’s been in the bathroom.
But I’m getting off track. She looks at me all happy and fine and thinks she must have hallucinated what she had seen. So she pulls out her phone and looks at the video footage. And yup. It’s definitely me.
Now here’s the missing piece of the story….while the Coyote was still here, he had gastric issues, and needed access to outside if the Warden wasn’t home. So – we have this screen door that allows us to go in and out. We can go out into our fenced backyard.
Now that screened access was open ALL spring, summer and fall. And neither of us EVER attempted to leave our fenced yard.
However….with the Coyote gone, I got bored. We have 2 different gates that access our fenced yard, and after careful inspection, I realized I could push up the TWO hooks holding one of the gates, and I could go on a little walk about. I still argue I was on property patrol. And frankly, I could have kept my adventure secret, were it not for that doorbell camera. Because after my patrol, I came right back in.
The Warden discovered my escape route when she went to see how it was I appeared on the camera. One gate was securely latched. The other – well I guess I gave it away when I demonstrated how to push it open as she approached from the other side of the fence. Busted. The fence latch has now been secured and no more walk abouts for me. Ho hum.
Otherwise life is pretty quiet. I’ve been training for Open obedience, but when the Warden put our entry in for a trial in December, she found the trial was full. We were put on a waitlist. I think she was secretly relieved – as she’s again going through TP. Nope not toilet paper. Trial paranoia. She thought we were ready. Then she thought we weren’t. So not getting in was OK. But then yesterday- we got in. So now she’s in full-on TP. Heaven help us both.
We have been having some serious discussions lately about adding another canine to the asylum. And we both agree it is a good idea. I need a “sibling”. We have a plan – but it won’t be until next year. Just keep your fingers, toes and paws crossed that our plan goes according to plan!!! We need chaos back in our home. It’s hard trying to maintain that level of insanity all by myself.
Time to take the Warden out. Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.
Oh blogaroos. There really are no words when your voice is hoarse from tears….
My humping buddy has gone to see Frodo. And Viktor. And a bunch of other dogs he never met before but he will soon be a best buddy to. He’s also hanging out with a human dog friend who was actually there when he left this world. That’s a story for another day – but we know he’s in good hands. As long as our friend holds on to the leash.
The Coyote had a few bright days after he had some medical treatment- but then, well he pretty much quit eating. He MIGHT eat a bit – but it wasn’t enough to sustain him. And his already lean frame no longer looked like a runway model, but rather a street dog in a far off land. The once popular turkey burgers and the prime rib burgers were spit out like poison. And the Warden sadly had to admit that after fighting for success for two years, the battle was now over.
Her dear friend Patty went with her to wish the Coyote happy trails. And our wonderful vet who three weeks ago said it wasn’t “time,” now sadly agreed that things had deteriorated beyond a hope of improvement.
When the Warden came home, I knew something was wrong. And I checked out the vehicle to see where my wrestling partner was. And honestly- I understood. We PONs are a pretty clever lot….
So now I am completely stuck like crazy glue to the Warden and I keep licking away her tears. She even let me hang out with her in the DFZ – because now there aren’t two or three dogs to wrestle between the glass cabinets.
The Coyote always marched to his own drummer – but he had THE sweetest personality on the planet. Not to mention his patience for my raucous play complete with biting until he screamed uncle. But then he would come back for more. We’ll miss his zen-like staring at the lake – and I’ll miss cleaning up any food he didn’t want (which was a lot lately). We wish he had had more time with sheep – but after taking out the instructor at the knees during one session, it’s no wonder she never called us back. I hear there’s lots of sheep over the bridge….
No more shots. No more pills. Just an open door to run free. With no long line.
We’re still here. But geez, I’ll have to get in double the mischief to keep this blog going. But…never say never…
Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here. Remember us? A couple of crazy dogs who live in Nova Scotia, Canada. Dogs who totally, completely, entirely, 100% rule the life of the human we own.
This blog began in 2014. We are talking pre-pandemic, pre-Harry and Meghan, pre-Taylor Swift Eras Tour, pre-Temu, and pre-retirement for the Warden. Yup – she was working and still found time to type our dictation EVERY day for about 8 years – and then every few days after that. The blog was started by Viktor, a Polish Lowland Sheeepdog (who I believe I am the reincarnation of), a sweet Bernese Mountain dog, Paxton ( lovingly also known as Bucket Head) and Frodo, another Polish Lowland, (also known as the Boss and Einstein). When Paxton sadly left us for the Rainbow Bridge, a new character joined our asylum – Elroy, a Berger Picard (also known as the Coyote). Each of us has our own voice – which personifies our personalities.
In 2020, Viktor suddenly left us – and that same year, yours truly joined the tale. The pandemic hit the world and so did I.
Sadly in 2024, the brilliant Frodo – who was the only remaining original character in our story, also went to the Rainbow Bridge. And since then, well, we kinda hit a writer’s block. Sort of like a jump on an agility course that has a bar set way too high. You see that bar coming, you start running faster, but when you get to it, you go under instead of over.
Now it’s not that we still don’t have stories to tell – heaven knows we are far from a calm, quiet household. But since the Warden retired, she has less time than when she worked. Or so it feels. Or it’s just one of those things retired people say – even though they DO take advantage of opportunities to nap if the occasion presents itself….
We would love to be a three dog household again, but the Warden realizes those days are over. While we are extremely well-behaved (insert rolling eyes emoji), the cost of being owned by a dog has risen more than the price of eggs. Not to mention the costs for medications for the Coyote – who contracted Lyme disease (and subsequent nephritis) back in 2023. You know those pill box thingies that have the days of the week and times to take them? He has two boxes. He “takes” 13 pills each day. I put the word takes in quotes because unlike the Boss who would willingly take his daily meds in a pill pocket, the Coyote never takes them on his own. His mouth must be pried open (after you say the not-so-magic word “open”) and the pill must be shoved WAY to the back of his throat. Close to his stomach. Because if it’s not far enough back – pa-ding he spits it out.
Life with the Coyote has always been a roller coaster because he TOTALLY marches to his own drummer – and nobody else can even hear the music he is listening to. At 9 years old – he STILL presents a flight risk. Seriously. The dude would take off through the front door and go explore the world – drinking out of every filthy puddle he came to, peeing on every tree in his path, and watching the skies for …..whatever. Birds. Butterflies. Leaves. I say he’s pretty close to feral. That’s not to say he doesn’t like household comforts – like sleeping on the bed with the Warden every night. Recently she bought this crazy expensive fluffy donut bed that came vacuum sealed and had detailed instructions as to how it needed to be fluffed in the sun for hours every day for like a week or something for it to open up. Anyway, when it became completely fluffized, the Warden put it in the bedroom thinking the Coyote might choose it instead of sprawling out on her bed. She literally hangs off the side while he lays spread out in the center. So- she puts the bed down thinking this is the solution. Wrongo. Yours truly immediately started dragging it around, and I tried to pull off the furry fabric. When she yelled “no,” I hid underneath it. The Coyote just jumped on her bed. Meanwhile, I continue to sleep under it. Money well spent.
Currently, the Warden spends more money on attempting to feed the Coyote than she does on meals for herself. I say attempting, because she tries anything and everything to get Buddy to eat. He has ALWAYS been the picky Picard, but since his illness, he’s 1000000 times worse. Before you make a suggestion about how to get him to eat, here are some things she has tried…
Different foods. Different kibble. Freeze dried raw. Raw. Canned. The crappiest grocery store brands. The most expensive pet store brands. Home cooked. The last one was her most recent attempt. She knew he liked steak ( who doesn’t? ) He likes potatoes. She got recipes for dogs with renal issues. She took the steak and potatoes added other veggies, fish oil and a powder supplement (from the Vet) to be sure the meal was balanced. He took one sniff and walked away. It’s the “additions” like the fish oil and the supplements. Won’t TOUCH it.
Hand feeding.
Feeding from a raised bowl.
Feeding from a plate.
Feeding off the floor.
Feeding at different times.
Feeding in different locations in the house.
Feeding while on walks.
Feeding while the the Warden stands on her head and begs him to eat.
He goes through phases where he WILL eat. And he cleans his bowl. And then, he suddenly decides food is boring. So he will do this little dance around his bowl, bopping his head up and down and moving the bowl around. If left at it long enough, he’ll spill the contents and walk away.
So leave him alone when he doesn’t eat, right? He’ll eat when he wants to, right? Wrongo. He doesn’t care about food. Really. Sometimes he’ll come over to see what’s cooking in the kitchen, and the Warden will offer him a bite. He’ll examine it like a forensic pathologist, and then leave it. The Warden vows she’ll just put down food and if he doesn’t eat, so be it. She REALLY tries. After two days of waiting with bated breath, and him not eating , she caves. And she force feeds him. Does that bother him? Nope. He jumps around afterwards and is all happy and perky. Then he wipes his face in the carpet and any wall or vertical surface around him because heaven forbid he might have a crumb on him. No need to ever worry about that – I clean his face for him.
Except for the eating drama, the Coyote does enjoy a good quality of life. He trots along on daily walks, attempts to play Humpty Dumpty games with me all the time, enjoys a good chew on a bully stick and loves lying in the sun on the deck. He barks at things in the night – because his supersonic hearing probably picks up the sounds of real Coyotes in the distance – or the futile attempts of raccoons to get into our bungie corded green bin.
He’ll go to the road with the Warden to bring back the bundle of weekly flyers. He’ll jump around encouraging the Warden to toss them in a retrieving game. So she tosses it. He yanks her to the end of his leash over to the bundle of papers. And he stares at it. But doesn’t pick it up. So she picks it up. He jumps around for her to toss it. She does and they repeat the same scenario, with her picking it up every time. He has her so well trained in retrieving…
He has his own drummer. His own rules for every game. And an incredibly discerning palate. The Warden always says it’s a good thing he’s SO sweet….
In the meantime, I have assumed the role of Boss in the house. Or I think I am. I realize that based on seniority, the Coyote should be the Boss. But he doesn’t want it. He’s too easy going. He doesn’t want a leadership role. He doesn’t feel the need to bark out commands. He has no curiocery. That’s Viktor’s term for “our strong desire to know what is in the grocery bags that our human has just brought home.” He has no stealth-like skills in abducting hand towels from the kitchen and silently running away with them. He does not like to launch himself off visitors. He isn’t into counter surfing. A Boss needs those skills and I’m a master at all of them.
I’m still training in obedience, getting ready to hopefully trial in Open in the late fall. I was doing great at scent classes – finding the scent wherever it was hidden indoors. I loved the game. Until our last workshop. When the “hides” were outside. I had never done REAL scent work outdoors. Sure – I can find golf balls in the woods, and I can find kibble tossed in the lawn. But put a bunch of things outdoors – and find the scent? Hello? I’m a boy. A REAL boy. And what do real boys love to do outdoors? Well just look at some of the bushes around our house. We love to leave pee-mail. So before the Warden could warn me, I did a quick squat and peed on the outdoor find area. I didn’t even waste time lifting my leg. I just couldn’t hold it – the urge was way beyond my control. Not to mention several other dogs had already done their turns searching in the find area. And no – no one else peed. But me- I had to ruin the area. A big no no.
The Warden said we need to go back to basics outdoors. I need to learn that when I’m working outdoors in scent detection, I’m not allowed to leave my mark. Bla bla bla .
So our life has been pretty ordinary of late. Although…. For the last few weeks, the Coyote was on a serious hunger strike. I mean SERIOUS. And after almost two years of food wars, the Warden conceded defeat. Somewhat. She vowed that if she ever force fed him, and he later “returned the food” by throwing up – she would no longer force feed him. And that has sadly happened. In addition to vomiting, he has been plagued by ongoing diarrhea. He went to the vet and his bloodwork showed that his kidney values are worse. And a quantitative test for Lyme shows it is still in his system – and at a level that might again benefit from treatment. His physical exam was unremarkable although after partial sedation it still took 3 people to hold him during a prostate exam. Yikes. I don’t blame the dude for tucking his butt. They also were able to get his blood pressure taken – and it was good. Slightly elevated – but not crazy. So. He went to the vet a week ago for Lyme treatment via injection. The vet did not recommend pills for the treatment- as it would be harder on his already quirky stomach.
Before that vet visit, the Warden was seriously wondering if it was his time to visit Frodo and Paxton. And Viktor and Beamish and Harper and Guinness and Schubert and Barney. But she wanted to make sure.
So he got his first antibiotic injection. And is due for another one next week. Now keep in mind, before this he was refusing to eat. Almost everything. And this had gone on for quite a while. Throughout the day he ate MAYBE a small piece of meat, and dinner time was a no go much of the time. Blueberries- which he had enjoyed during our daily morning rituals were like poison to him. Bread? Sometimes – but not with his usual interest.
And what we are about to write we do with extreme trepidation. Because the past two years has always been up and down. But the most recent down was at a level similar to when this journey began. He was not eating, his weight had dropped significantly and his gastric issues were like those in the beginning.
But almost a week to the day after his first antibiotic treatment for the Lyme, it has been like a light has been switched. He is hungry. For the first time in months. And he is eating. Mind you, it IS turkey burgers and prime rib burgers (!) but he is eating every morsel. He eats bread again. He’ll eat kibble if offered one by one while on a walk. TODAY he came over and wanted blueberries. Instead of running out the door when food is being prepared, he is actually coming in to see what’s cooking.
While all of this may sound less than earth shattering news – for the Warden it is like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. She still holds her breath when she puts his food dish down – but the tightness in her shoulders relaxes when she sees the empty dish.
We also can’t get TOTALLY excited because he still continues to have way less than P3. (That’s Picture Perfect Poop if you’re just joining us for the first time. P3 has a direct correlation to human happiness when they are owned by a dog).
IF this treatment works, it may buy him more time. The bottom line -he has to eat. The diarrhea IS still an issue, but even that is SLIGHTLY better. He isn’t waking her up in the night to go out. And even in the morning , he’s not RACING to get out.
It’s funny, when you are owned by a pet, there is this heart-brain balance. And it’s tricky. Your brain can tell you that things with a sick or elderly pet are not good. Not good at all. Your brain is the fact checker. Your heart shouts out words of encouragement and hope. Your heart focuses on positive moments – and all the glorious moments in the past.
It’s important that the brain and heart work together. Because if they do, you can be sure that you’ll make all the right decisions for your pet. Life is about quality. And cherished moments and memories. When you have quality, you are so fortunate. Quality AND quantity are like winning the lotto. But not everyone wins the lotto. So focusing on the quality is what we really need to do. Every day. Every single day….
If you made it through this story today, thank you for sticking with us. Over the years we have “met” so many readers virtually AND in person – and we are thankful for each and every one of you. We’re not promising that we will continue to share our tales – but the itch to share our adventures is still there. Like a black fly bite. We’ll see. In the meantime, I have to go now and play Humpty Dumpty with the Coyote….
Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here. Do ya remember us? It’s been like a dog’s year since we last wrote. Somehow the Warden was less busy BEFORE she retired. Or so she claims.
So what’s new here at the asylum? Christmas and New Years came and went and so did Aunt Sue and Keith. Aunt Sue has actually been here twice since we last wrote – she’s a glutton for punishment. Besides being continually mauled by me and the Coyote, the Warden had her doing “projects” around the house. Like cleaning out the furnace room. That was precipitated because we’ve had multiple visits from the furnace guy this winter. First one zone in the house wasn’t heating. Then it happened again. And again. Then the furnace wouldn’t shut off so we felt like we were living on the surface of the sun. We’ve come to ignore the furnace guy when he comes in. Well – the Coyote has. I’d personally take his fingers off if he reached over the baby gate in the room where we are sequestered. He tried the old “I’ve got a treat routine” in a futile attempt to make friends with me. I grabbed the treat and continued to bark at him. He’s just not my favorite character.
As to the furnace room cleaning- it had become a repository for gift bags and wrapping paper. Collected over more than 20 years. We could have opened our own gift bag store. Seriously – it looked like the Dollar Store had exploded. Anyway- the two sisters sorted through the paper jungle – and the Warden agreed it was unlikely she would be gifting every single resident of Nova Scotia any time soon – so they were donated to a thrift store.
The snow is gone as I write, ALTHOUGH, the last remaining small pile in the Halifax area exists in our yard. It’s from the plow guy – and in a shady area – so it hadn’t melted yet. Every chance I get, I run to the top and roll down in sheer abandon- grabbing dirty mouthfuls as I go. Just like Frodo – rolling is my thing. I hate to see the white stuff gone.
The Warden, on the other paw, is thrilled she will no longer need to keep the Coyote on a 4 inch leash – in an ongoing effort to keep him from grabbing mouthfuls of the white stuff. We all know he pukes when he eats snow – but that doesn’t stop him from doing it.
The Coyote still very much has his ups and downs with eating. He’s pretty thin – but energetic and overall happy. His current taste buds favor this rolled dog food stuff – that likely isn’t the best for his kidney issues. BUT – he likes it. And eats it. So until he decides that is passé, the Warden will keep buying it. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
And as for yours truly – well I finally got the Warden trained well enough that I could take her in the obedience ring. We haven’t been in a real competition since we got my first Rally title back in 2022. Since then we’ve been concentrating on obedience. As you may recall, I DID have a little “issue” with acting as a Welcome Waggin Ambassador” during the long sit and down stays. What can I say? I’m a friendly guy. So although I knew all the exercises for Novice, the Warden didn’t trust me enough to enter me in a trial. But – in January, the CKC rules changed – and now sits and downs were to be on leash. No chance to be sociable any more. So the Warden planned to enter me in my first obedience trial. And juuuust before she did so, she entered me in a practice match. And lo and behold – I did the well known dog behavior of now not doing an exercise that I previously did pretty well. It’s called random training terrorization. Let the human think you know what to do. But pretend you’ve never done it in your life. Especially right before a trial. I started to back up on my stand stays – when the judge comes over to pet you. I had huge issues with that behavior two years ago – but we worked hard to “fix it.” And the Warden thought I had it. But nope. In the match I pretended I had never stood still and let another human touch me. I looked all wide eyed and backed up. The Warden was devastated. Here we were – less than 2 weeks to the trial – and spooky dog had returned. So we had to do boot camp stand stays. With TONS of treats for good behavior. I think I put on 5 lbs.
Anyway, we took the plunge two weekends ago – and entered two trials in one day. I wasn’t nervous – but I can’t say the same for the strange woman at the end of my leash. Holy chew toy. I could hear her heart pounding. So I had to listen to the judge’s instructions and do them while I guided the Warden around the ring. And I did a fine job – we had the highest score in our class. So we had one out of three necessary passes for my title. That afternoon we were in another trial. And thankfully after a few shots of alcohol at lunchtime, the Warden was much more calm. JUST KIDDING ABOUT THE ALCOHOL. I shouldn’t have joked about that. That’s how rumors get started. Besides, she had the alcohol in the morning.
What was nice about these trials was that Aunt Sue was visiting. She still can’t believe that the maniac she sees at home can be well-behaved in public. I’m a good actor.
With the Warden having gotten over the initial trial – and the fact that I stood for the Stand for Exam without moving, she was much more confident in the afternoon. I didn’t have to guide her around quite as much and she was more “in the zone”. So this time, our score was even better and we got another High in Class finish. PLUS – my score was so nice – it turned out to be the Highest in the Trial. So we got a ribbon bigger than me! The Warden was SO happy. She and Aunt Sue both got teary eyed. I just wanted some treats for my hard work. I couldn’t wait to get home to tell the Coyote. He just yawned.
Last weekend we entered two more trials to see if I could get that third leg I needed for my CD title. Our good luck charm (Aunt Sue) had returned home – so it was just me and the Warden going to the show on our own. Now one might THINK that after two good trials, the Warden would now be relaxed. Nah. THIS time she stressed because it was a male judge – and she wasn’t sure about the stand stay. Again. But here’s the thing – it’s all about how you approach me. If you’re too timid – I figure it out and figure there’s something to be afraid of. So I get worried. If you’re too pushy – like the furnace guy, I’m not all that enamored either. But this judge was very nice, confident and didn’t smell of furnace oil. So I didn’t budge on my stand. And I guided the Warden around the ring like it was nothing. We passed! And got another High in Class. And if that wasn’t enough – we ended up with a nice enough score to get another High in Trial! We were entered in another trial in the afternoon, but the Warden decided we should quit while we were ahead. We’re ALMOST ready to compete in the next level of obedience- but we need a bit more practice. The good news is no more stand stays at the next level. It’s fun stuff – like going over a jump to retrieve a dumbbell – and following signals to do things. My kind of fun.
Those are my big ribbons. And the other photo is of me guiding the Warden around the ring. I had to keep my eyes on her so she didn’t stray.
And not to be outdone- here’s a photo of the Coyote captured just yesterday- demonstrating HIS talent. Attempting to inconspicuously chew the carpet. Some things never change.
So what else is new? Oh. Oh. Oh. HOW could I forget to tell you this? Well – you know how we’ve been kinda off the radar. Not much news from us. Well. We can finally tell you. We won the lottery!!! $13 million! We had to get all our stuffed ducks in a row before we shared the news. It’s pretty exciting. We’ve decided to stay in our house, and the Warden says Ludwig still runs well – so no need for a new vehicle just yet. She bought us THE most expensive dog food on the planet, but the Coyote didn’t like it. So he’s back to the crappy rolled food while I eat the gourmet stuff. We did get new leashes and collars and I got a new pop up crate to use during training and at trials.
She bought herself a couple of new sweatshirts to wear during dog training and for our morning walks.
We will be getting some sheep for the Coyote – since they make him happy. She’s hired someone to cut some trees and landscape our property for the small barn for the sheep. Can’t WAIT to sample those tasty morsels those guys produce.
We’re also planning to add to our canine family. Another PON (my choice), an Irish Wolfhound (the Coyote’s choice – go figure), a Lab or two, a Glen of Imaal Terrier and a Bernese to round out the crowd. And do you know what else?!??????
I’m sure you’ve guessed! April Fools! Not sure if this was as good as Viktor’s April Fools stories about new feral kittens or the bear – but we wonder if MAYBE we got ya for a few seconds!
We hope all of you reading this are doing well – and that your spring flowers are blooming. Or, like here – starting to think about emerging. And as they do emerge here- we boys will be sure to water them.
Howdy blogaroos! Remember me? Squirmy here- with my sidekick the Coyote.
We’ve been pretty quiet lately, and we hear some people were starting to wonder what’s been going on. Well, if you look at the calendar, you’ll realize we are currently in the “threatening” stage of the year. The time when humans threaten “if you don’t behave, Santa won’t bring you anything.” I think it’s pretty coercive- but I’m not taking any chances, so I’ve been fairly well-behaved. Fairly being the key word. So when we’re well-behaved, there’s not much to write about!
Mind you…there WAS that little incident with an “escape” a few weeks ago. My hope is that Santa is way too busy to remember that small infraction.
It was a day when we were visibly bored, despite several long walks, some find it games and some exhausting chewing on a bully stick. The Warden had to drive to the pharmacy to pick up one of the Coyote’s medications. So she asked us if we wanted to go for a “car ride.” We flew to the garage door and jumped in the back of Ludwig. We weren’t in crates because this was a short drive.
Mind you – we knew nothing about the short trip. We envisioned some visit to a pet store or a park or hiking trail. But no. We went to the lousy pharmacy and stayed in the vehicle while the Warden did the pick up. And then we went home. It was a rip off ride.
Anyway, when we got home, instead of pulling into the garage, the Warden parked outside- because she planned to walk us to the lake. The Coyote was wearing a leash – because of his flight-risk status, but yours truly was restriction naked.
Now when either of us is in the back of the vehicle on our own, we never get out until told to do so. But there’s this uncontrollable mob mentality when there’s two of us, and instead of waiting when the hatch went up, we both jumped out in tandem. Remember the Coyote is on leash. BUT he realizes he is free, and before the Warden can grab him, he takes off up the driveway. Being the helpful brother, I chased after him in an effort to herd him back home. At least that’s my version of the story. The Warden took off after us. She was relieved to see the Coyote stop to poo. She was within about two feet of him, reached to grab the leash, and he bolted- heading for the road. It might have been mid-poo, but who knows. He takes off with yours truly in tow. The Warden ran back home to get the vehicle, jumped in and drove up the driveway. She could hear barking on the road.
As she was driving, she suddenly saw yours truly heading down the driveway, on my way home. She jumped out of the vehicle, tossed me in the back like a load of laundry and headed to the road. And it was there she saw the gathering….
One neighbor had been driving on the road, and narrowly missed making yours truly into a pancake. His wife jumped out of the vehicle, and went to get the Coyote because another car had stopped and was going to pick him up. And let’s face it, Mr Sociable will go with anyone. Across the road, another neighbor and her twin boys and their sister watched in dismay. One of the twins raced into his house to see if he could find a leash to lasso me. While Mr Sociable was loving the attention, that’s when yours truly aka Mr Aloof, decided to head home. It was too much drama for me.
The Warden thanked the neighbors profusely for grabbing the Coyote. And there he was, standing and wagging his tail, enjoying all the attention. We have great neighbors- they all figured something happened to the Warden (like maybe she fell and couldn’t get up!) so they were about to head to the house when she appeared. After more thank-yous and apologies, we headed home. And into the garage before the hatch was opened.
And speaking of falling- that DID happen too. But not to worry – yours truly came to the rescue this time.
We were on our early morning walk on the trail, and we were walking ahead of the Warden on leash zigzagging back and forth sniffing for other dog pee-mail, wildlife, and the odd pile of wildlife poo.
As we were busy in olfactory overload, the Warden thought there was someone walking behind us. So she turned to look. There wasn’t anyone but as she turned her head forward, she didn’t pay attention to a large rock on the trail, and boom – the next thing you know, she’s on the ground. She hit her knee, and rolled onto her butt to assess the damages. Insert dramatic music. I saw this as the perfect opportunity to be a hero. Ever see the video of the dog who jumps on his human’s chest like he’s doing CPR? Well, I tried that move- but the Warden wasn’t having a heart attack. And I didn’t exactly jump on her chest. She had to cover her head to fend off my wild jumping and she tried futilely to push me away. Here I was vying for one of those “dog hero of the year” awards and she’s thrashing at me trying to protect herself from my medical intervention. All the time she didn’t dare let go of the Coyote because he’d be gone. Good times. Despite a ripped pair of pants, and a pretty scraped up knee, the Warden got up and hobbled home. I think she was able to move due to my quick medical intervention. The Coyote said she got up because she didn’t want to be pummeled any more.
Since Christmas is right around the corner, our house has been invaded by a small army of Santas, elves, angels, snowmen, some Kings, shepherds, sheep, a camel or two, and Mary and Joseph. Baby Jesus isn’t in the manger yet- but I suspect he’s hiding under some hay until the big Birthday Bash. We are not allowed to play with any of the aforementioned characters. I told ya things have been boring here.
What else is new? The Coyote is STILL inconsistent in his eating. He’ll decide he likes something, and eats it for a few days and the Warden gets all excited, and she goes out and buys a whole bunch of whatever it is that he is eating. Then (because I swear he sees her bringing the bounty home) he decides the ___________(insert steak, freeze dried raw food, chicken, pork, potatoes, delux kibble) is no longer interesting and he refuses to touch the stuff. They have QUITE the battles. Otherwise, he’s happy, energetic, likes to pester me, sounds like a ferocious watchdog when the daily Amazon truck arrives, and loves to go for walks. The Warden hasn’t weighed him – but she thinks he’s about the same weight. That’s because when his appetite changes, she still gets food into him. She says her main wish for Christmas, besides world peace, is for a month with no force feeding. Maybe if you all send good vibes, it will come true!
I’m not sure what I’m putting on my list for Santa. The Warden is making some suggestions, and I’m thinking there’s a strong correlation between what she suggests and what Santa brings, so I might as well follow her suggestions. As long as it’s not clothes. Or educational toys.
We had our first real snowfall of the season today. So the Warden figured she could get our “Christmas photo.” And I thought it was a great idea too because I could smell the yummy treats in her pocket. And that was all grand. Until the snowballs started forming. Like a weird plague in a sci-fi movie, I was suddenly covered in these baseball size balls that made movement rather difficult. Like a cowboy who had been riding his horse for 36 hours, I ambled into the house. The Warden could barely lift me into the dog tub to rinse off the orbs. Some people say using a whisk works. The Warden didn’t feel like rifling through the kitchen drawer that contains the little-used utensils to find a whisk. So she sprayed warm water on my legs and nether regions to melt away the obstructions.
You’ll note the brushes on the bench behind me in the photo. Because we had to look presentable before we went out. Clearly that was a waste of time. Mind you, the Coyote didn’t look TOO bad at the end of the shoot. It pays to be tall and lanky.
So that’s our news for now. We’re looking forward to company over the holidays – Aunt Sue and Keith are coming for a visit. Maybe the Warden will have some reason to use a whisk – other than snow removal!
Hey blogaroos. It’s been a long time. Probably our longest break EVER. We were going to tell you this story about how the Warden won $1million on the lottery – and we are lying low until we figure out where to spend most of the biscuit money. But seeing as she rarely buys tickets that seemed unlikely.
We’ve just been rolling in the leaves, bringing in the leaves, watching the Warden vacuum the leaves and then repeating the whole sequence. Over and over and over again. We actually need an indoor leaf blower.
And here we are. It’s the end of October and we are dressed in the obligatory Halloween attire. I’m not exactly sure what we are supposed to be. I think fairies. Because the intricate costume which came from the dreaded Dollar Store also had some kind of magic wand. Note we weren’t given the wands. There wasn’t a hope in heck that they would have lasted more than 2.3 seconds.
As usual, the photo shot was chaos. I didn’t want to sit and the Coyote hates to put his ears up. Top it off with the fact that he is in one of his super fussy eating stages and he kept spitting out the rewards – which I would then dive to retrieve. Well not really retrieve. It’s not like I gave them back to him. It was more hunt and devour. While he would sit there looking smug. Good times.
One would THINK that posing two dogs would be easier than three. But we can’t forget that the Boss LOVED to pose. So even though it was three – he was easy. Meanwhile, the Coyote and I didn’t want even want to be brushed – and although we look rather adorable and sweet in this photo, it was the only good one of 148 taken. Just kidding. It was only 139.
So what’s new here at the Asylum? Well Sue and Keith were here for a week at the end of September en route to New England. And after a few weeks there, they came to see us again on their way back to Newfoundland. As always, we have a great time while they are here. Aunt Sue goes with us on our morning jaunts and also joins us on our pre-bedtime pee walk. She walks the Coyote because he’s “easy.” But- you do need to divert him from drinking out of puddles and licking every plant yours truly has left my pee-mail on. So walking him is not THAT easy.
Last weekend I went to another scent workshop. We didn’t start off looking for treats like we did the last time. We were just supposed to detect certain scents. I think the instructor assumed we did lots of training since our last workshop. Wrongo. The Warden started sweating like she did when she was a kid and she went to guitar lessons and she hadn’t practiced. Bluffing your way through guitar cords is one thing. But sending your dog to look for a scent when he hasn’t a CLUE what he’s looking for – and well – it doesn’t look pretty. Still, I managed to save her by at least pretending to sniff. Clearly we need to do more practice….
The Coyote is the same, although there have been some real eating challenges again. So he doesn’t want to eat, and the Warden says “OK – one day without food won’t kill you.” Problem is, although he does eat some the next day, it’s still not the amount he SHOULD be eating. So she has to force feed him. Because she can tell that a few days of not eating his full amount, and he starts losing weight. He’s fine otherwise – his energy and attitude is good. But what was once his FAVORITE FOOD (like potatoes) are now not so interesting. One never knows what the flavor of the day will be.
The Warden bought loads of treats for Halloween. For the three kids from across the road who will brave our long dark driveway with the spooky sound of hounds baying at the moon. That’s the Coyote and me. We’ll be sequestered away from the front door. So we don’t scare the kids. Or steal the treats.
We hope everyone reading this is doing well. Stay safe if you’re going trick or treating.
We’ll close with one more holiday photo. So we had the fairy costumes. And we also had these lion costumes. They weren’t much of a costume – just a headdress that on a chihuahua would probably look cute. Or even on a Labrador. But two shaggy sheepdogs? Judge for yourself. The Warden told us to look fierce and mighty. And this is what she got….Before you look, start singing this song….
A wee ma way, a wee ma way, a wee ma way, a wee ma way. A wee ma way, a wee ma way, a wee ma way, a wee ma way.
In the jungle, the mighty jungle The lion sleeps tonight In the jungle the quiet jungle The lion sleeps tonight….
Howdy blogaroos! Did ya miss us? We’re still here – enjoying the last days of summer – but also anxiously awaiting our annual Fall Leaf Rolling. That and “Find the Poop” are two of our favorite autumn activities. We play the first game and the Warden plays the second. We COULD help her with her game – but it’s more fun to watch her straining to see where we left a small monument in the leaves. Great fun.
So. What have we been up to…
Well Aunt Sue has come and gone. Every morning we took her on a walk. Usually, she walked with the Coyote. He doesn’t zigzag as much as yours truly.
Mind you, while walking him, one has to be aware that he will drink from disgustingly gross puddles if given the chance – so he needs to be “guided” past puddles quickly. Very quickly.
In addition to our early morning walks, Aunt Sue also joined us on our late night jaunts. And she got to see how crazy we can be if we smell a foreign creature on our property. One night, I kept pulling toward a big rock. And the ladies spotted the source of my interest.
Two glowing eyes. Which we think belonged to a kitty cat. At least we HOPE it was a kitty. If I had been let off leash I could have found out.
And speaking of nighttime visitors, the Warden is currently tormenting the local raccoons. She puts things in our organics green bin – and to combat the critters getting in it, she has attached a bungee cord to the lid so it can’t be opened. That doesn’t stop the dudes from trying. They routinely knock over the whole huge can. We haven’t seen them but we picture a couple of them shoving it with all their might – thinking the lid will fly open. But nope – it’s firmly attached. The Warden woke up the other night and swore she heard a repeated “twang” sound. She figured the masked marauders were plucking the bungee cord in an effort to get into some corn cobs. The Coyote heard them and gave one “BOOF” and went back to sleep. We’re not exactly good garbage guards.
What else? Oh. Oh. Guess what I did?! You’ll never guess so I’ll just tell ya. I went to my very first scent workshop! And I’m here to tell ya – that’s my thing. Sniff out treats in a box? Hello? Is this for real? At first I thought it was a joke. I mean COME ON. Make a PON look for food? I thought I died and went to doggie heaven. I had a blast! By the end of the 3 hours, I could even find the box which didn’t have a treat – but did have the scent of Wintergreen. Yeah – I caught on to the game pretty quickly. Mind you, you will recall that the summer before last I sniffed out over 500 golf balls in the woods. So I do get the whole “ use your nose” thing.
Shortly after Aunt Sue left, a friend of the Warden’s from Virginia came to visit. Alice was here two years ago – and we like her very much. Even though she’s a cat person. Good thing she doesn’t live in Ohio…
Anyway, Alice clearly liked us too. She called me a Wild Man – which I don’t totally understand. But whatever. She let us lick her yoghurt container – and that makes her a goddess in my books.
While she was here, she and the Warden took off for a few days leaving us to fend for ourselves. Just kidding. We had our dog sitter/trainer – Saint Jane come to stay with us. She brought along her two shaggies – Kwik and Fidjit. And we all got along great.
The Warden had been worried that the Coyote would go on a hunger strike because we know he doesn’t deal well with change of any kind. But he decided to shock her – and ate all his meals. And Saint Jane didn’t even need to stand on her head!
Now there WAS a brief moment of panic when Saint Jane texted the Warden and said the Coyote refused to open his mouth for his daily assortment of pills. And Saint Jane has LOTS of experience giving pills to dogs. The Warden had forgotten in her 30 page list of instructions to mention the magic word “open” used when prying his jaws open. And voila! It worked! So all was right with the world!
The Coyote had a semi-annual vet check a few weeks ago. His blood work showed some changes in his kidney values- but nothing critical. His weight is steady and he weighs exactly what he did before his health crisis began. He never WAS a heavy boy – weighing only 56lbs at his highest weight. We never shared this – but last September when he was diagnosed with the often fatal Lyme Nephritis, he was down to 44lbs. He was literally skin and bones. He was one very, very sick boy.
But – we have passed the one year “anniversary” of that scary time – and here we are – back to his pre-diagnosis weight. Now please don’t be fooled – he and the Warden still have food wars – and he still needs to be force fed at certain times. Not fun for either of them. But he’s happy, bouncy and he LOVES playing Humpty Dumpty games with me. The vet was pretty impressed with him and as she said “he looks like a normal dog!” I think that’s going a bit far. He’s never been totally “normal.” At least in my opinion. But I’m here to tell you- we do like each other. And he’s pretty tolerant of my rough play. I’m pretty lucky.
Good news in the obedience world – Canada has introduced some rule changes to come into place next year.
Currently there is an exercise at the Novice level where dogs are lined up and their handlers have to leave them and walk a mile away while they stay sitting for one minute. Then they do the same thing in a down position for 3 minutes. (Note: it isn’t really a mile – but it feels like that to some of us). Anyway…I am NOT great at that exercise. Frankly, I find it boring. I look around, check out the dog next to me and IF I don’t know them, sometimes I go to say “hello.” This obviously is NOT cool. Just because I’m friendly, it doesn’t mean the dog next to me is friendly. So my “innocent” exchange of pleasantries could cause a huge problem. Now it never has – because the Warden KNOWS this is an issue for me- and besides class, and a few matches, she would never put me in a real trial. And thankfully, during my occasional walk overs in class (or in one match), I never caused a huge ruckus. Still – the Warden was wondering if I would ever be able to be in a real trial. But ta da – the rules have changed – and dogs are now on leash for the exercise. So obviously, the handlers are only 6 feet away. We did it in class the other day and I didn’t move an inch. I’m no fool. I know I’m on leash!
So now- maybe when the rules come into place in January, I’ll FINALLY be able to compete. Or I’ll think of something else to do wrong. Just for fun…
Otherwise, we have no other boring news. Sadly, our neighbors with the cats have moved. Not sure where the Coyote will go if he ever escapes now. That was his favorite destination. In fact….a few weeks ago, before they moved….he did just that.
A friend was coming to visit and the Warden went to greet her at the door. Here’s the thing about the Warden – she’s a hugger. If she hasn’t seen someone in a while – she hugs them. So she hadn’t seen her friend, proceeded to give a hug and whoosh- the Coyote saw it as a perfect opportunity to race past and out the door. Her friend jumped in her car to search while the Warden grabbed a leash. She raced up the driveway, shouted his name – and lo and behold he ran out of the bushes from the direction of the cat neighbors. Clearly the cats weren’t out. The Warden did that “hey buddy!” in the fake voice that sounds like she’s happy but you KNOW she wants to strangle him – and he ran over to her. She leashed him wearing the fake happy face telling him how great he was to come over to her (meanwhile her blood pressure had finished climbing). She grabbed her phone and called her friend who was cruising the road on the lookout for the escapee – and told her the emergency was over. I tell this story lest anyone think he doesn’t feel well with his kidney issues. There’s still PLENTY of energy there!!!
So that’s it. A rather long review of our pretty ordinary lives.
But this blog would not be complete without some “other” news. If you didn’t know it – it’s an election year in the US. Cough cough. And here’s the thing – NEITHER Presidential candidate owns a pet. Not even a goldfish. Who are these people? BUT both Vice Presidential candidates thankfully own dogs- so all is not lost. And it appears that one of them is a dog who I can totally relate to.
Eating glasses and locking out humans are seriously cool actions. Scout is my hero. But then again, he’s not running. And I can’t vote. But if I could….
OK. Gotta go lick some body part that will drive the Warden crazy.
Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ
Howdy blogaroos. Greetings from the asylum. Squirmy here. Yes – we are still here- tolerating the heat while being deafened by fan noise. It’s all good.
In a few weeks, it will be a year since the Coyote was given the death sentence. We hope we don’t jinx things by writing about it – but really, 11 months is a huge deal. Every day is a bonus – so why not celebrate now?! Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring so party hardy today!!! Biscuits all around!!!
Yup – tubby continues to maintain his weight even with his fluctuating appetite. Sometimes he needs to be force fed – but afterward will come into the kitchen looking for more food. Go figure. Potatoes, which were the magic food for a few weeks have fallen out of favor. His taste buds then favored steak. And some days it’s awesome- others not so much. The Warden has tried everything short of standing on her head to feed him – different bowls, different food, different feeding times, different feeding locations – you name it- it’s probably been tried. In fact I think she DID try standing on her head. Once.
Otherwise, he’s doing great. The above photo was taken this morning after our 6AM hike and subsequent wrestle mania match. We have to hike early, before it gets too hot. AND before the kamikaze deer flies start dive bombing us. Part of our walk is on a wooded trail and the Warden calls it “running the gauntlet.” Can we get through the trail before the flesh biting monsters attack. They go for the Warden’s head – and my head too. They don’t seem to bother the Coyote quite as much – we think it has to do with hair color. The Warden and I have darker hair. Mine being natural. But I didn’t say that.
And speaking of the gauntlet – lest anyone thing the Coyote lacks energy with his kidney issues- I’m here to tell you he is FAR from lethargic. And lest anyone THINK he’s become well behaved in his “veteran” years – wrongo again.
So about two weeks ago we were up bright and early – but we canines were more “bright” than the Warden. We set out on our walk – and get this – she forgot poop bags. Seriously. I think she was sleep walking. We weren’t far up the driveway when she realized- so she tied the Coyote to a tree and told me to wait. That return to home put us slightly behind our schedule – so when we arrived at the parking lot at the head of the trail, there was a car there. There’s usually NO one around in the morning – BUT it was Saturday and we were a bit late. There was a man beside his car and he walked to the back and opened the hatch. And the Warden spotted the terrifying contents in his vehicle. A dog crate. With a dog.
She commented as we passed the vehicle that we would start out ahead of him on the trail- and we are always on leash. He said they would be running- so they would probably catch up to us. So the Warden suggested they go ahead of us, and the man said “sure.” And then the man did something that I doubt he realized would be the catalyst for at least 30 minutes of drama. While we were patiently waiting probably 20 feet from his vehicle, he threw open the crate door and his dog flew out and raced toward the trail. She didn’t even look at us – but the sudden action of her racing out caused a spontaneous explosion in both our brains. How do you spell prey drive? The man shut the hatch and ran after the dog – leaving a woman with two Tasmanian Devils howling and tugging at the end of their leashes. The Warden waited and all was OK. But once she started moving, something about physics and momentum made the ability to hang on more difficult. I pulled to the large rock at the head of the trail and slowed down but the Coyote had all engines on high speed. He pulled and the Warden, in a split second, realized she would be facing a possible concussion with the large rock – or she could let go. She let go. And he was off.
The trail starts and makes a sharp left turn. The Warden and I ran to see where the Coyote was. We turned the corner- and there he was about 20 feet away. No sign of the dog and runner, because the trail is twisty and you can’t see far ahead. The Warden saw the Coyote and did the “Hey buddy- there you are. Come here- we’re going THIS way” – in the fake sweet voice that humans do to entice us to something “fun”. Like a bath. He wasn’t falling for it . He looked at her – and gave her the paw – and took off. So we continued to “run”. Really, I was running and she was trying to catch up. It wasn’t pretty. She’s futilely calling his name – AS IF he would come back. Suddenly she hears the sound of two dogs having an…altercation. She can’t see them but she’s shouting to them. The noise stops and we keep running. Still no visual on the Coyote or the runner or dog.
After about 1/2 km of walk/ running we get to the place where the trail passes the golf course. No signs of anything. She’s still shouting for the Coyote. Suddenly, we hear the sound ahead of another dog altercation. She figures he has again met with the dog and runner but she still can’t see them. Now instead of shouting his name, she starts shouting “Tie him to a tree. Tie him to a tree!!!!!!” The Coyote was dragging a long leash – and she figured if the runner would just STOP and tie him, we could catch up.
We came around a bend and saw the man, holding onto his dog’s collar. The Warden apologized, explained that he got away (clearly) and she’s no runner (clearly again). There was no sign of Usain Picard, but then she spotted him ahead. He realized he was busted and walked back to her. She said he hoped he didn’t do anything to his dog. Not that he would – he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. BUT, his pushy, friendly behavior isn’t appreciated by all dogs. The runner said “no- but she probably gave him a few good nips.” The Warden grabbed his leash and grumbled “well, he deserved it.” The man said “enjoy your walk.” Right.
The Coyote was panting – but FINE – no signs of injuries. We backtracked and started on our walk on the golf course – which was our initial destination- and then realized in the frenzy that the Warden had lost all the poop bags out of her pocket. So we had to retrace our way back down the trail. We found the bunch of bags near the parking lot. And there we also found ANOTHER vehicle- which the Warden recognized as belonging to another dog and owner…
The Warden said “let’s go HOME” so we started our way back down our road. And who do we see but the OTHER dog. Now Frodo once had a run in with that dog when Frodo was on leash – and the dog was off. So the Warden knew to steer clear. She placed the Coyote’s collar and leash in a death grip and repeatedly said to me “leave it.” After some grumbling and tugging we passed the dog and were able to cross over to the correct side of the road. We walk no more than 50 feet when a woman jogging with a husky approaches on the other side of the road. The Warden said aloud “for the love of God…” That woman knew enough to keep her dog on a tight lead so it wouldn’t go ballistic like it usually does. We passed by without incident- probably because the Coyote was experiencing anoxia, and I was just tired from all the excitement.
By the time we got home, the Warden was exhausted. I don’t think she’s ever “run” that far. Within 10 minutes the Coyote and I were ready for another walk. She locked herself in the bathroom.
Other than that, things are pretty quiet. BUT….drumroll….Aunt Sue is arriving on Wednesday!!!!!! We know she is going to LOVE going on our 6 AM hikes, dodging the deer flies! On second thought – don’t warn her. She may change her mind.
The Warden says she has a surprise for me at the end of the month. A surprise…. What could that be? I hope it’s edible. And no – before you start thinking PUPPY- she said it’s definitely not that. Maybe a kitten! Could you imagine that? No. I doubt it’s a kitten. We’ll see….I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, send good vibes that the Coyote’s appetite improves. Then again, if it gives him MORE energy, maybe things should stay just as they are….
Have a good one! Peace and paws up! Stay safe. JBJ.
Holy moly blogaroos. We just looked at the calendar. It seems that when humans retire, they don’t know what day of the week it is, let alone day of the month!!! We are REALLY getting slack – no July 1st or 4th headgear photos! The Warden says it’s partly because she has no time orientation- PLUS – since her easiest photo model is no longer with us, she’s left with two sour puss pups. Neither the Coyote or I like the idea of photos. Although if food is involved, I CAN appear more interested. Him – it’s a coin toss on whether food is attractive on any given day. We’re still in a period of VERY PICKY eating – so the treat for one day may be poison the next. Good thing he’s cute.
So let’s see what’s new… Hmmmm- I’ve had a bit of a naughty streak lately- but that’s not exactly new for me. Mind you, the actions WERE new for me. First, there was this little “incident” at the vet- and then there was just a wee little incident with counter surfing.
So let me begin the vet story with an explanation. I want to set the stage and explain myself. As you may recall, I went to see the Vet a few weeks ago to get a Lyme shot. And while I was at first a bit hesitant, the Vet took her time with me, sat on the floor, and gave me a chance to get to know her. Within a few minutes I was following her commands, taking her treats and even heeling with her across the room. We were official buddies.
So THIS visit I needed a booster shot and a blood test. And this part was to be done by a technician. The very nice girl came out to greet me – and when she saw I was a bit apprehensive, she offered me treats and took her time with me. Instead of whisking me away, she said the Warden could stay with me and we would go into an exam room. I followed along happily.
And that was fine. HOWEVER…I did NOT expect another technician to come in suddenly. And when she saw my adorable face with my hair pinned up in a topknot kinda way, she simply could not resist the overwhelming urge to pat my sweet head. She reached out- and in a flash I realized she was about to touch my freshly coiffed do – and I snapped at her. Yup. I snapped. I didn’t hurt her- but the Warden felt awful. She knows I’m not fond of head pats from strangers (it’s a thing I have until I get to know someone) – and she should have warned the technician- but it happened so quickly- she flubbed the guardian test. Anyway, the Warden always carries a muzzle to vet appointments- because let’s face it – it’s a freaky environment, and ANY dog can potentially react negatively. Some more than others. And I’m in the “others” category. So she put it on me. Keep in mind – I had never actually used the Hannibal Lector attire before – and remember- not at ALL when I had my exam by the Vet. It’s all about timing with me. So you can imagine how impressed I was.
After the shot and the blood letting, the Warden removed my bondage, and I happily took treats. Mind you, the second tech who I snapped at kinda threw them at me. She’s a quick study. She values her fingers.
So the Warden apologized about a dozen times after the whole incident. Frankly, I think it was a bit over the top – it’s not like a took her hand off. How would you like a stranger coming up to you and flattening your new hairdo. I bet you’d slap their hand away. Mind you, you likely wouldn’t use your teeth. I know- I SHOULD NOT be that way. But it’s a quirk. And here’s the thing-head petting isn’t just taboo for me – apparently there ARE other canines in my cult. Yeah – I know some dogs don’t care – like the Coyote- but some of us really are conscious of our personal space. And we need time, and we need to feel comfortable with a stranger.
Anyway, that was my FIRST behavioral boo boo. Then there was the counter surfing thingy.
So. The Coyote is, as I mentioned, still in his ultra picky eating phase. Sometimes he starts eating a meal, then stops and waits for the Warden to add something “better.” Yes. He has her VERY well trained. So while she went in the hallway and mixed some yummy addition to his meal, yours truly saw it as a great opportunity to help with mealtime cleanup. There was this 1/4 stick of butter – just waiting for removal from the counter. Which I did. The Warden walked in the kitchen and saw my downward head posture- clearly eating SOMETHING. She raced over and she could see the metallic colored paper from the butter sticking out the sides of my mouth. She said “drop it.” She might as well have said zippideedoda- because it didn’t matter WHAT she said – I was in cholesterol heaven. Licking and chomping. She attempted to pry open my mouth – but I sure had that stick of goodness in a death grip. She finally managed somehow to get her fingers in and pulled out what remained of the paper. I looked at her smacking my salty lips. “NO” she shouted. I shouted back (in my head) “TOO LATE.” She stomped off to see if the Coyote finished his supper. Which of course, he hadn’t. I believe that’s when she let loose the primal scream. I hadn’t heard that in a while – but it’s not completely rare here.
Of course after my novel dietary sampling, the Warden had to Google what would happen to me. Apparently, nobody in this house has ever eaten butter. Socks, mittens, grass, and bird suet with seeds have been consumed in the past by other canines – but no butter. LUCKILY I didn’t eat THAT much – so I wasn’t in any danger. Although, I DID produce some pretty dangerous farts that evening. The Warden just glared at me. And I smiled back. It was worth the gas.
Otherwise, not much new. We’ve upped our walking each morning and some days, the Warden can trick the Coyote into eating his entire breakfast along the way. Other days he takes a bite of kibble, walks a few steps and spits it out. For me, he’s like a walking gum-ball machine. I follow him closely.
No wildlife run-ins. We’re getting so used to seeing bunnies on our walk, we don’t even pull. Mind you, if they’re on the front lawn, and I go out off-leash- the chase is on. Haven’t caught one yet. Yet.
We have no big plans for July – but some company may be coming to visit in August and September. No news on who it is. They will likely be forewarned about petting me. Unless, of course I know them. Then I just bite them and they don’t even have to reach out to touch me. It’s my special way of greeting those I know with love nibbles. What can I say, I’m mouthy.
Hope you’re enjoying your summer – and each day you can think of one thing to be thankful for. It’s a good habit to get into. And it doesn’t have to be something huge – like a vacation or a new car. It can be simple. Like picking some fresh lavender. Or sitting in the sunshine. Or going for an early morning walk. Or eating butter….
Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ
Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy here to brighten your Thursday. Because let’s face it, for people who are working, Thursday is just Thursday. It’s not the dreaded Monday. Not is it Wednesday- which is hump day. And it’s not quite Friday. So we are here today to provide a thrilling Thursday.
See the puppy in the photo? Isn’t he cute? And do you know what breed he is? He’s a Norwich terrier! And his name is Rowan. And he’s the BEST!!!
But now we admit the Click Bait. Nope – he’s not living here in the asylum. He’s living with our Old English Sheepdog buddy, Declan -and with a “seasoned” Boston Terrier by the name of Leroy. His new jailers- Allan and Heather are in for some good times with the new addition. The Warden went over to meet him on day 2 – and said he’s so comfortable in their home – it’s like he’s been there forever! The Warden said he’s SUPER smart. Apparently that’s a trait of terriers. Just like PONs. And… OK – Picards are smart too – they just don’t always choose to demonstrate it. The Warden says Picards are like the kid in class, who before the exam says they didn’t have time to study, and they don’t know the material, but they ace the exam. Mind you, they turn it in 5 minutes late, because they were still “thinking.”
Anyway, the Warden smelled like terrier when she got home – and we went crazy. We literally sniffed off ANY scent of puppy that was on her body.
We are looking forward to hearing all about the adventures of Rowan – and we are SURE there will be many!
As a puppy postscript- for those wondering if a third musketeer will be added to our ranks – the answer is a sad, but firm “no.” The Warden has lived with a household of three canines for MANY years – but she says it won’t be happening this time. Because the Coyote has ongoing health needs – she says he counts as 1.5 dogs. And with my bigger than life attitude, I count as 1.5 dogs. So we’re hypothetically a household of 3 canines. Remember though, that math isn’t her strong suit.
Meanwhile, here in the asylum, the Coyote has decided potatoes are now boring. He has unfortunately, once again, become reacquainted with the practice of force feeding. Oh – it’s not that he won’t eat ANYTHING. In fact, if you call him into the kitchen and offer him a bite of potato, he’ll eagerly eat it. In fact he’ll eat two pieces. Three… But put the potato in with his vet diet food (which he happily ate last month), and he shoves the bowl around and tries to hide it in the closet. Oh. And after his force feeding ritual, he’ll happily eat biscuits or freeze dried sweet potatoes. Or blueberries. Go figure.
The crazy (but good thing) is that his weight is excellent, his energy is great, and he’s a happy guy all around. Except for mealtime. Back to the drawing board!
The Warden signed up for an interesting veterinary webinar series all about Canine Kidney Disease. If you’re interested in a variety of veterinary topics, you can join in the webinars for a very reasonable fee. She’s attending 4 sessions for less than the cost of a SMALL bag of dog food! You can check out their presentations under the Continuing Education link at
The info is designed for vets, but pet owners are welcome to attend. The Warden said some of the info in the first session was “a bit” over her head – BUT she did learn some things about blood pressure and Kidney disease – and she can now ask our vet some questions about one of the 100 meds the Coyote is on. Our poor vet…. Arm a pet owner with a bazooka full of info and the vet will feel like they’ve been bombarded. Ah for the good old pre-internet days….
What else… Oh – Happy First Day of Summer! AND the longest day of the year!!! We got the Warden up extra early so we can enjoy every minute of daylight. And it’s going to be a HOT first day of summer. We were back from our almost 3 Km walk before 7 AM. It will be too hot later to do much of anything so it was good we got our exercise in early. Carpe Diem. Which I think means “early breakfast.” Or something like that.
We know that lots of places are experiencing high temperatures right now. Here’s an important article about heat and us canines:
Hey. Do you know what movie was released on this day in 1975? Here’s a clue. This is the theme music. Do do (pause) do do (pause) do do (pause) do do do do do do do do…..
Here’s another clue. It’s about an ocean dwelling creature.
Surely with those clues you know it was Jaws. And did you know that I still have my nickname- the Shaggy Shark. Wojtek is my name – and biting is my game. My obsessive use of my teeth begins at the crack of dawn. I put 2 feet on the Warden’s bed and stare into her face. She”ll groan “good morning” and will scratch my ears. And the minute she stops- I start using my pearly whites. I attempt to bite her hands – OR I grab one of her slippers and make a run for it. Dental communication is in my DNA. The Warden says it’s a good thing the Coyote has such a good temperament. Any other dog would have clobbered me by now with my frenzied play biting. People look at photos of me and say “ oh he’s so cute.” Little do they know – I’m a shark in disguise.
Well, time to find another good spot to lounge. Hope you can stay cool today- and that every minute in this long day is great!
Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ
Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter. 