Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter.

Happy birthday!!!

May 13, 2018Leave a Comment

Well it’s a big day here. The FG is celebrating his birthday. The big 2. Now if he was a human, we could expect the Terrible Twos. I think we have already endured the Wild Ones. I must say, though, that he IS beginning to settle down. A bit. The other night when my human went to take me and Einstein out for our last pee, she must have been really tired – because she didn’t close the interior door. And just as we turned to come back in, the screen door burst open and out came the FG. And it was dark out. And he was FREEEEEEE. My human had visions of him bolting for the woods and ending up as a porcupine pin cushion. She whisked us into the house, and calmly went out to get him. She sweetly said “sit” at a distance of about 10 feet and she nearly passed out when he did! She calmly walked over to him, he wagged his tail and let her guide him back into the house. So I guess he IS maturing.

I have also decided I am really starting to like him. We frequently lie side by side and just hang out. He doesn’t attempt to lick my face, like he does with Einstein – he won’t go that far, but we are quite comfortable together.

Last year he had two remarkable events – the dog show where he got a Group 3 placement AND he passed his herding instinct test. Without maiming any sheep. So although he didn’t get to compete much – he had two big results. We will see what this next year holds for him.

Happy birthday to my picky- eater adopted brother. Just remember bro, any time you don’t want to eat something, I’m here to help. And by the way, I do think you are pretty cool.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days: 11

Guilt

May 12, 2018Leave a Comment

My human is pooped out. No wonder. She gets up each day at 5AM. If I don’t get her up before then. I often try around 3 – but she is on to my fake requests and tells me to go back to sleep. Which I do.

She is feeling kind of guilty today because she entered the FG in a dog show this weekend. Actual 4 dog shows. She paid their entry fees and everything. But she is pooped. She has had a very busy time at work the last couple of weeks – so she doesn’t feel like she has the energy to go to the show. I’m not sure what the big deal is. I mean all she has to do is pack the vehicle with everything one needs for a show – grooming table, all kinds of grooming supplies (for a dog who basically needs a brushing. But one never knows what one will need.) Water. Food. Chair. Mat for the floor. Dryer. In case a flood occurs and she needs to dry him off. A change of clothing. In case she drips ketchup from a dog show hotdog on her attire. Extra shoes. Crate. Oh yeah – and then an assortment of leashes and collars. One to walk the dog into the building. Another to use in the show ring. Bait (or treats in real world verancular). Oh yeah – and then she needs the dog. Who probably won’t fit in the vehicle with all the other stuff.

Imagine that she didn’t feel she had the energy to lug all that stuff into the show site. And then lug it all out the next day.

Anyway, she still feels guilty because she DOES like to show him. But his show career will have to wait until later in the summer – when her work is done.

In the meantime, today is also Limerick Day. And I must confess, I’m reusing these from a previous blog. I think they are good enough to repeat!

PONs

There once was a Polish breed

You cannot forget to feed

PONs will bark to remind you

To eat and to go poo

And will tell you JUST what they need.

PICARDS

There is a very special French breed

The Picard is made for herding and speed

They love to leap and to run

Their middle name is “fun”

Look out when they are off leash and freed.

And here is a variation on a previous version…

DOGS

You’ll know right from the start

That we dogs are very smart

We’ ll charm you

Never harm you

And steal a piece of you heart.

I THINK we may even let my human sleep in today. Then again – she could use the exercise….we shall see….

Have a good one! Peace and pawsup!

Seizure-free days: 10

Trivia

May 11, 2018Leave a Comment

It’s Friday, so time for some dog trivia that you can share with all your friends on the weekend. First question – how many US states have official state dogs? You know what I mean – states have official flowers, trees, etc. But how many have an official state dog? The answer: 12. That surprised me. I thought there would be more. Now let’s see if you can figure out some of the the breeds that go with the states. Let’s start with some easy examples…

1. Alaska

2. Massachusetts

3. Virginia. Hint: George Washington was instrumental in starting this breed.

4. Wisconsin. Hint: a state with LOTS of lakes would have this American hunting breed.

OK. Now these are tricky.

5. Pennsylvania. Some say the head of this giant breed looks like the shape of the state. Others say that William Penn who founded the state just liked these Gentle Giants

6. Louisiana. Contrary to the name of the breed, they did not hunt for these big cats.

7. South Carolina. This bred originated there! It is a type of spaniel.

8. New Hampshire. This sledding breed is said to have descended from dogs used by Adrmiral Perry in his travel to the North Pole.

9. Maryland. This sporting breed is named after a Bay in the state.

10. North Carolina. This hound descended from hounds in Germany that used to hunt wild boar. They have a rather conniving name.

So how do you think you did? If you get all of them correct, you are an extreme dog trivia expert. Here are your answers:

1. Alaskan Malamute

2. Boston terrier

3. American Foxhound

4. American Water Spaniel

5. Great Dane

6. Catahoula Leopard Dog

7. Boykin Spaniel

8. Chinook

9. Chesapeake Bay Retriever

10. Plott Hound

Nova Scotia has an official dog. The Polish Lowland Sheepdog. JUST kidding. The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. They give them away free to tourists when you come to visit. JUST KIDDING AGAIN. I don’t want all the Toller people getting mad at me – they are some of my most loyal blog readers.

Anyway, feel free to share that trivia with your friends . You will look very dog saaavy if you do.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up! Let the weekend begin!!!

Seizure-free days: 9

The morning….

May 10, 2018Leave a Comment

Picture this idyllic scene…

It is a Spring morning. The air is still crisp as the sun begins to rise. There is a fine mist which the sunlight beams through. The world is quiet, except for the birds who are chirping and calling their joyful “Good Morning” song. There is dew on branches, and all the trees have buds beginning to burst open. The stream along the trail rushes along. Two PONs silently walk along the trail, smelling the ground for traces of wildlife who had been there before them. Their human breathes in the fresh air and is ready to begin a new day. They walk and walk.

They decide to traverse the golf course on the way home. They actually see a rabbit on the fairway, but for some reason, the PONs just watch as he runs away. (Mind you, they ARE on a leash.) They continue along and pass two ducks silently swimming across a pond. There is no wind and it is a PERFECT morning. PERFECT.

They reach the road, and continue on toward home. And then, in the blink of an eye, the idyllic, mystical world changes. A neighbor comes up his driveway, with garbage to leave at roadside. And THAT is when heaven on earth becomes the quick road to hell. Because the peace and solitude of the morning is broken – actually make that SMASHED – by a PON who explodes at the sight of the neighbor. Everyone within a five mile radius is now, no doubt, awakened (at 5:35AM) by the sound of the PON turned Cujo. And of course, this is one of two neighbors who is not EXACTLY enamoured by dogs.

As my human tries to put on her happy face greeting and explains the typical “he is just saying hello” the neighbor sidesteps the whirling dervish on the end of the leash. Luckily yours truly doesn’t make a sound. My human tries to say a few words over the sound of the PONerator, while she is dragging him down the street. She weakly waves good-bye. No point- the neighbor isn’t looking. She, of course, tells Einstein that his behavior is unacceptable. Blah-blah-blah. He rolls his eyes. I just want to get home for breakfast.

And then she gets to take the FG out…Luckily, THAT walk was uneventful. For a change. Thank goodness for small miracles…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Seizure-free days: 8

Barbara Woodhouse

May 9, 2018Leave a Comment

May 9. And today is the birthday of Barbara Woodhouse – who died in 1988 at the age of 78. Don’t know who Barbara Woodhouse is? Well you should – because she was a famous dog trainer. She was born in Ireland but spent much of her life in the UK. She had her own television series and even appeared on the TV show 60 Minutes. She was famous for her “walkies” command, with a high pitched tone. I watched a couple of videos with her demonstrating her training techniques. Let’s just say the some of the positive reinforcement trainers of today would not agree with some of her “jerk and pull” techniques. You can see her in action in this clip…sorry it ends rather abruptly- but it gives you an idea of her methods.

https://youtu.be/lou83JMvbCM

She sure had her work cut out for her training those humans. And I wonder if kids were well behaved.

But before you assume Barbara was totally tough on dogs, watch this video with the actor William Shatner.

Note she doesn’t care too much for “show obedience” dogs. Ugh – that would be Einstein. He has obedience and rally titles. BUT really, compared to me and the FG, he IS easy to live with. Except for the barking. Which is incessant. Like all the time. Morning, noon and night. OK. Maybe Barbara was right…

Anyway, you see in the last few minutes how she really feels about her dogs. She dreams of them every night…

https://youtu.be/RGjHf5-vQ6k

My human decided to try Barbara’s “sit” command with the three of us – with the emphasis on the “t.” Guess whose butt hit the floor instantaneously. Yup. Einstein. The FG and I just stared at my human. Seriously. She had no treats….

I think we would be in BIG trouble if Barbara was our trainer. Although that thought scares me, I DO think Barbara understood us canines. After all, one of her book titles was “No Bad Dogs.” Really- that says it all, doesn’t it?

Have a good one! Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days: 7

In the news. Literally.

May 8, 2018Leave a Comment

I sometimes write about dog news, but I just came across these two videos of dogs IN the news. Literally.

The first is a dog who interrupted a news anchor in Russia. Check out the woman’s reaction when Fido appeared out of nowhere. Apparently he was with a guest on the show, and he got loose. The anchor woman said she is a “cat person.” Can you tell?

https://youtu.be/tSJ69ZwWwzg

But if you really want a chuckle, check out this dog who appeared during a weather forecast. It was apparently “take your dog to work day.” Only problem – it wasn’t the weather guy’s dog. Talk about “ the show must go on.” He hardly stopped his forecast!

https://youtu.be/N9DhAFfw_hg

I want to be on the news! I could certainly do a weather forecast… the PONs won’t go out- it’s raining. Who do I call for my screen test?!

Have a good one! Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days:6

Play NICE!!!

May 7, 2018Leave a Comment

OK. The FG needs to learn how to play nice. Or he won’t have any friends…

Yesterday morning, my human made arrangements to meet our neighbor and Jackson to go for a walk on the golf course just after the sun came up. My human knows that if she wants a “relaxing walk” she should take me and/or Einstein- because we run around but generally stay close (unless there is a bunny…) and we are very well behaved with Jackson and his human. But my human figured that since I had over 5km of walking the day before, AND the FG really needed some exercise, she should take him. So much for relaxing…

Remember that Jackson aka Pig Pen is a Lab so like a magnet to a dog tag, no body of water can be passed by. And for Pig Pen, the muckier , the better. My human made the FG stay on his leash for the first part of the trail, where there are many mucky spots. But once they got up to the golf course, both canines were let off leash. And Pig Pen went in every pond, followed by his sidekick. Now keep in mind that the wild child had not seen his buddy in quite a while. And they were both happy to run and chase one another. Which was fine for a bit. But then Cujo appeared. That’s when the FG gets a little TOO rambunctious in his play and he attempts to grab poor Pig Pen’s tail. And the FG races around him. Resulting in Pig Pen running toward my human for help. And then my human has to try and catch the FG as he circles around both of them. It’s like he goes totally nutso. Which eventually results in my human grabbing him by the collar and walking him on leash. The thing is, if Pig Pen would tell him off, like we PONs do (so well!) , the FG would probably stop. But Pig Pen is sooooooooo very sweet and nice- he never tells the FG to stop.

I think the FG needs a porcupine as a playmate. That would teach him not to bite tails! Mind you, I had better take that back. That’s ALL my human needs! Maybe he will start to behave when he turns 2. Fat chance – his birthday is right around the corner. Maybe age 3….or 10.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days:5

New world record

May 6, 2018Leave a Comment

So here is my latest timeline for trouble.

3:56:37 AM. PON places paws on counter and begins to eat something that human has left in a bag. Human thought the bag was empty and it was supposed to be put in the garage for recycling, but she forgot…

3:57:17 AM human has heard sound and thinks it is PON having a seizure so she runs into the kitchen. She spots PON with paws on counter and shouts to get down.

3:57:27. PON jumps down and runs into dining rooon with bag and contents. Human chases PON around dining room.

3:57:09 Human finally catches PON who has stopped to swallow something. Human grabs PON and finds him trying to swallow two bananas. Whole. Human removes two intact halves of bananas with the other halves being chewed mush.

Human throws away banana remnants, and then recalls that there were FOUR bananas to begin with. There are no signs of the other bananas. They must have been devoured while said PON was standing at the counter.

OK. The PON was me. And let me tell you, my human said some pretty colourful things at 4:00AM. And for some reason, I didn’t get much for breakfast. She expected to meet with a mess when she came home from work – but luckily she found none. And I had a giant poop when she did get home. BUT the fun was not over.

Yesterday morning she assumed I would still have another big poop. I mean I ate probably the equivalent of three full bananas with peels and she still DID feed me supper. IMAGINE her frustration when I wouldn’t poop the next morning. So she kept walking me. And walking me. For over 5 km according to an app on her phone. So no breakfast for me. In the afternoon – still no poop. And at supper time, still no poop. Of course I was STARVING by then so she relented and fed me. And then she just stared at me. She had visions of a major obstruction with all those peels.

Finally at 8:30 last night, after she could not get me to poop anywhere on our 2.5 acres of land, she loaded me in the car, drove me to the public trail up the road and tried once more. Score. She should have immediately gone out and bought another lotto scratch ticket.

So I’m off the hook for now. Truth be told, this REALLY was just part of the exercise program I have for my human. She SAID she wanted to get rid of the results from that Halloween candy. From 2016. I’m just trying to get her out and moving. Sure I am…

Oh and if you are wondering about those times in the timeline…they are EXACT. Thanks to Big Brother and the ability to replay footage. I think I might be eligible for some banana eating world record. I knew I could get my name in the books somehow…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Seizure free days: 4

Kentucky Derby

May 5, 2018Leave a Comment

The things you learn when writing a blog. So today is the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby – that famous American horse race where humans drink mint juleps and wear funny hats. So of course I had to see if there was ANY connection to dogs and the Run for the Roses. And here is what I found…

I found this cute video with Jimmy Fallon :

https://youtu.be/wkxWlY6tlK4

And then I found out about Jim the Wonder dog. Never hear of him? Me either. Jim was a Llewelyn Setter who lived from 1925-1937. And apparently, Jim had an uncanny ability to “predict” things. He could predict the sex of an unborn child and the winner of the Kentucky Derby – which he did 7 times in a row! The Director of the Veterinary School at the University of Missouri even tested Jim and said he had unique talents for predicting things. In 1999, a statue of Jim was erected in a park in Marshall, Missouri where Jim died. Here is more info about the interesting things that Jim did.

http://www.jimthewonderdog.org/foj_story.html

OK, Disney, do I see a Jim the Wonder Dog movie coming soon?!

So that’s a few dog related connections to the Derby. Now excuse me while I go and race Einstein to the treat jar.

Have a good one! Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days: 3

Flying the unfriendly skies…

May 4, 2018Leave a Comment

So what’s new in dog news? It seems United Airlines has banned 40 breeds of dogs from travel aboard their flights in the cargo hold – for fear that it could be dangerous. They have also banned some cat breeds as well. The dog breeds include short or pug nosed breeds like pugs or bulldogs or surprise surprise French bulldogs – like the one who died in the overhead compartment a while back. I decided to look up the list of banned breeds – and here it is from the United website:

Dog Breeds

Affenpinscher
American Bully
American Pit Bull Terrier/Pit Bull
American Staffordshire Terrier/”Amstaff”
Belgian Malinois
Boston Terrier
Boxer
Brussels Griffon
Bulldog
- American Bulldog
- English Bulldog
- French Bulldog
- Old English Bulldogges
- Shorty Bulldogs
- Spanish Alano/Spanish Bulldog/Alano Espanol
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Chow Chow
English Toy Spaniel/Prince Charles Spaniel
Japanese Chin/Japanese Spaniel
Lhasa Apso
Mastiff
- American Mastiff
- Boerboel/South African Mastiff
- Bullmastiff
- Ca de Bou/Mallorquin Mastiff
- Cane Corso/Italian Mastiff
- Dogo Argentino/Argentinian Mastiff
- Dogue de Bordeaux/French Mastiff
- English Mastiff
- Fila Brasileiro/Brazilian Mastiff/Cao de Fila
- Indian Mastiff/Alangu
- Kangal/Turkish Kangal
- Neapolitan Mastiff/Mastino Napoletano
- Pakastani Mastiff/Bully Kutta
- Pyrenean Mastiff
- Presa Canario/Perro de Presa Canario/Dogo Canario/Canary Mastiff
- Spanish Mastiff / Mastin Espanol
- Tibetan Mastiff
- Tosa/Tosa Ken/Tosa Inu/Japanese Mastiff/Japanese Tosa
Pekingese
Pug
- Dutch Pug
- Japanese Pug
Shar-Pei/Chinese Shar-Pei
Shih-Tzu
Staffordshire Bull Terrier/”Staffys”
Tibetan Spaniel

I see SOME similarities in THE breed NOSES but I am not sure how the Belgian Malinois got on this list? I sure as heck wouldn’t call those guys pug nosed! I also wouldn’t really call a chow-chow pug nosed either.

Frankly, I think this whole ban smacks of discrimination. OK, maybe those breeds COULD be at greater risk. But isn’t it up to the owner to sign a waiver acknowledging that? I am SURE many short nosed dogs have been flown before without horrible consequences. Apparently this ban comes into place in June. So if you are planning a vacation with your short nosed breed, and you plan to travel with United (why would you?) you had better do so quickly.

I understand the bad press that airlines get when something bad happens with a pet. Like the horrible overhead thing – which as you may recall I also blamed the owner. Or stories of pets getting off on the Tarmac and getting lost at the airport. Or pets being sent to the wrong destination. But really – shouldn’t the AIRLINE be more careful – and not punish the pet passengers as a result of their errors? Just the humble opinion of a dog who has never flown anywhere. And I guess I still can fly as PONs aren’t on the list. Clearly United does not read my blog. Einstein’s barking would no doubt be cause for an additional ban.

Personally, I would REALLY like to be at the airport when someone arrives with a pugacockadoodle. Now THAT would be fun to watch…

Have a good one! Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days:2