Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter.

Snuppy

November 17, 2017Leave a Comment

Hey – remember the story of Snuppy? In 2015, I wrote about Snuppy – he was an afghan dog – who was the first ever dog to be cloned back in 2005 in South Korea. Well, Snuppy is gone – he went to the Rainbow Bridge just a few weeks after his tenth birthday. But Snuppy lives on – because, you guessed it – they have recloned Snuppy. While there have been concerns that cloned animals may have shorter lifespans, and other medical problems, it seems that Snuppy lived a healthy life – and lived to a decent age for the breed.

So now there are three Snuppy puppies out there. I checked out a place in the US to see what the costs are to clone a dog. Looks like they have gone down – it’s just $50,000 now. What a bargain. BUT – what ticked me off – the price to clone a CAT is only $25,000. Seems like some canine discrimination if you ask me.

Clones are basically genetic twins. BUT just because Cujo LOOKS like Cujo – their persnalities may be completely diferent.

While the IDEA of preserving a cherished pet may seem appealing, let’s face it – each one of us IS unique and that’s what makes us so special. While humans have a hole in their heart when they lose a dog, the arrival of a new canine kid takes up a new place in their heart. My human said there will never, ever be another me. “Thank goodness”. I think she was joking. Actually, I think she should get clones of all three of us. Now. Wouldn’t THAT be a circus?

Have a good one. It’s FRIDAY! Peace and paws up!

It has arrived…

November 16, 2017Leave a Comment

It has arrived. Well not officially, but we have had a sampling. What am I talking about? Winter. Well, winter weather. Now I know that some folks have already experienced snow – but it was our first taste Tuesday morning. And taste it we did. My human took us out and while it was JUST a dusting on the lawn, we had to sample it. Nothing quite like fresh snow! As long as it’s not yellow.

My human is NOT ready for winter. She had to search for her mittens And she began to panic because she has not put the snow tires on Ludwig yet. Not that she REALLY had to worry with the snow we had on Tuesday – it didn’t amount to much and was gone by lunch time. Still – it was a wake up call for what lies ahead!

To get you in the wintry mood, check out the attached snow dogs videos. The first with some Bernese puppies is beyond cute…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e859wGiFnFg

And this one is a compilation of different dogs. I must say, I felt sorry for some of those guys on ice…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEutxAiytww

And then we have this gem, which I believe I have shared before. Einstein and I in our crazy snow suits. Looking like VERY strange creatures…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0p3YOESsQs

And this one of the FG last winter with the snow zoomies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyNxZdIeRGA

And of course, I MUST share some of my favorite snow pictures. Ever. Including one of Baby Pax…

So that’s your intro to snow. Might as well get used to it if you live in any northern climate. It’s that – or move to Florida. And trust me, once the shoveling begins, I KNOW we will be hearing my human suggesting that!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Faith. And Alyse.

November 15, 2017Leave a Comment

Well time for a good news story for a change. And it took place here in Nova Scotia.

A local breeder of Samoyeds went to the World Dog Show in Germany last week. I don’t know if she was showing a dog – or if she was there as a spectator – but it was obviously a BIG trip. Unfortunately, while she was away, two of her Samoyeds – a 7 year old and a 3 year old by the names of Faith and Alyse, went on the lam. Poof. They disappeared. I don’t know the details of how it happened, but I do know that an APB (All points bulletin) was put out on NUMEROUS social media sites – including the Lost Dog Network. People combed the rural farmlands where the dogs live – and there were no sightings. People put up posters. Everywhere. And no doubt, their human was crushed. Several days went by – with no sightings. There were rumors they could have been stolen. Or they got away and were shot by hunters. Things were looking pretty bleak.

And then – like in some Disney movie, along came Amy. Amy is a rural mail delivery person who drives a postal van to deliver her parcels and had seen one of the many signs that had been posted for the lost dogs. And as she was going about her job, she spotted two not-so-white-now Samoyeds along her route. She got out of her vehicle and enticed the pair with a rice crispie treat, and in a friendly but firm voice, instructed them to get in her van. And they did. And then Amy delivered one of THE best packages EVER to one very appreciative human.

HOW GREAT IS THAT?! Talk about good mail service! So two escapees were reunited with their human. And all it took was faith – and an angel named Amy.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Frost

November 14, 2017Leave a Comment

So yesterday morning, we actually let my human sleep in. Mind you, her flight didn’t get in until late and by the time she walked in the door it was well after midnight. After giving us hugs and taking us out for pees and giving us treats – well it was 1:30 by the time she went to bed. So we decided not to get her up at 5. We let her sleep in until around 6:30.

By the time we got rolling, it was light outside so we could go for an extra long walk – up the public trail. It was also VERY frosty – my human thought it was the coldest morning of the season – but she wasn’t here last week to know this is not new. But we love the crisp mornings – with a light sparkly glow of frost on the plants.

So glowing, frosty plants spell one thing in our world. Photos. My human HAD to capture some close-up photos of the tiny frost diamonds. Now Einstein and I are fairly patient while she takes some shots of fauna. We use it as an opportunity to sniff and explore. Within leash range. So she managed to get a few shots…

I was not as excited about the photo of us. I mean who wants to sit and take photos on such a crisp day. But she did manage to get a shot of two of us cranky looking PONs.

Then it was the FG’s turn to go out. Well I’m here to tell you that obtaining a closeup shot of any type of fauna is next to IMPOSSIBLE with him. Every time my human would stop and bend over to take a shot, he had to walk wherever she was aiming her phone. And attempt to pee on the subject matter. Or he would pull her – and she would get shots like the following.

She finally abandoned her attempts to get photos with him along – why she thought she could get any is beyond me. Mind you she did get one or two.

We had several games of fetch and lots of belly rubs yesterday. It was a GOOD day.

Today she is back to the bad 4 letter word. W-O-R-K. We heard the whole speech about making money to buy dog food and treats, yadayada. We’ll assume our role as guard dogs. Good thing she only has to work 4 days this week!

Anyway, I hope your day is crisp – and take a minute to explore the wonder of the world around you. Before some dog pees on it.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Home sweet home

November 13, 2017Leave a Comment

She’s BACK!!!! And while we had a great time with our sitters, we were happy to see our human return . For a few minutes . Until we realized that she had no guilt gifts. Seriously. Yeah, yeah she SAID she tried and apparently has colleagues who will testify to her efforts – but who knew the were no really cool pet shops around the convention centre. Or around the places she went sight seeing. I’m still not sure how she managed to do sight seeing while at a conference – but she ASSURED me it was legal. She even went in a store that had the following foot stool for sale- and thought we might enjoy it- but figured she couldn’t carry it on the plane…

Anyway, we will forgive her. Because we really ARE glad she is home. And get this – the sitters said we were well behaved! No stealing of cell phones ( like I did once with our old sitter – no wonder she retired from dog sitting), no fights ( not that we ever really have any big fights) and we didn’t steal any human meals. So we were honestly on our best behaviour! How boring is that?!

We all barked and jumped for joy when my human came in. Elroy actually screamed ( he was in his pony sized crate when she got home) and he nearly took her out when she let him loose. But she survived.

She is off today – so we have have lots of time for walks – and games of fetch. No sleeping in because of the time difference for her – we have things to do!

Have a good one. We plan to. Peace and paws up!

Tongue twisters

November 12, 2017Leave a Comment

So according to the crazy calendar, today is Tongue Twister day. Tongue twisters are basically statements or a list of words, which, when spoken quickly and repeatedly, get all mixed up. I did a search for tongue twisters that have SOMETHING to do with dogs – and here are two I found:

A big black bug bit a big black dog on his big black nose.

If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes does he choose?

And here are some I wrote:

Pick a perfect playful Picard puppy.

The shy sheepdog shook his shaggy short tail.

The sweet sheepdog surfed for sugar.

Rapid rabbits run recklessly.

I’m not sure what a tongue twister would be for us dogs…wood roof wood roof wood roof?

My human is on her way home today! We have had a great time with the sitter and neither she nor her partner had to visit the emergency room so that is a good sign. We would welcome them again. We’ll see if they’re ever want to come back and just how much they share with my human…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Remembrance

November 11, 20171 Comment

My human is still away, but I decided I could repeat some of my blog from the past – because today is an important day in many countries around the world. It’s a day that we remember and honor those men and women and even canines who have served their countries in times of war – and during peacekeeping times as well. We call today Remembrance or Veteran’s Day.

In the dog show world, the term veteran is used to describe an older dog. In the human world, the term Veteran means so much more.

Veterans are very, very special. They defended our rights and our liberties and without them, many of us would not enjoy the freedoms that we do today.

The poppy has become a symbol of this day with its connection to the poem “In Flanders Fields.” The poppies bloomed across many of the battlefields of WW I – and they became symbolic of the blood shed on those fields.

While we have this special day to honor Veterans, we really need to keep them in our minds and hearts all year round. We also know that due to the often unthinkable challenges of war time service, many Veterans have after effects – known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. As I understand it can be a difficult condition, not only affecting the Veteran, but family members of the Veteran as well – who see their need for help. And that’s where, in some cases, we canines can come in. We can work as Service Dogs to help Veterans suffering from PTSD. We are specially trained and we can detect when someone is feeling anxious or depressed or provide comfort if someone is having nightmares. We provide a service that is often life-saving.

When you look for websites and organizations that provide dogs to Veterans, it seems that there are a number of options. I even found one group in the US that has Veterans training the dogs to serve other Veterans. Now that seems like an excellent idea. Because I can’t research each organization right now, I’m reluctant to post a particular group – and I’m sure that many countries have at least one or two options. I urge you to research this – and consider supporting such programs for these men and women who have given so much for you. It’s a wonderful way to say thanks…

It’s my humans last day at her “conference.” I sure hope she took time to do some guilt shopping…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up….

Dog shows

November 10, 2017Leave a Comment

So there is a big event going on in Germany right now and until November 12. It’s called the World Dog Show. And as the name implies, dogs from all over the globe will be competing- with an entry of over 31,000 dogs. My human has been to Crufts and while it has always had the biggest show, it seems the WDS is bigger than Crufts was this year – as Crufts had an entry of 22,000. Now before all the Crufts lovers get their leashes wrapped around a tree – please understand that my human LOVES Crufts. She has been 4 times. And as she sees it, it’s the grand dog of big dog shows. It’s held in the U.K. each year in March – in Birmingham – and has been held since 1891. That’s a lot of history. The WDS is the new pup on the block – as it started in 1971. It is held in a different country each year and as far as I can tell, the dates for when it is held change from year to year. Next year it will be held in Amsterdam in August.

In The US, the biggest show held each year is the AKC/Eukanuba Championship which started in 2001. The entry for that show is around 3,400 dogs. Probably the best known show in the US is Westminster – the grant dog of American shows held in New York City each year in February. It started in 1877, and last year the entry was around 2900 dogs.

The World Dog show is held under the FCI – the Fédération Cynologique Internationale– an international federation of kennel clubs– which places all breeds of dogs into 10 groups. In North America we have 7 groups with PONs and Picards in the herding group. In the FCI, we are in the Sheepdog and Cattledog group – and they will be judged on Saturday.

If you would like to see the World show, check out this link to watch it on your computer:

http://www.wds2017.de/en/home/

I’m sure my human will take time out from her conference to watch. Sure she will. It will be her last day there – so she’ll likely be at the beach. Or in Hollywood searching for movie stars. She’ll watch the results later if they are on-line.

I’ve been to a number of shows locally, and personally, while the ribbons are nice, I prefer shopping at the booths. I wonder what the shopping is like in Germany….Good luck to all the dogs competing – and as you humans know, you always bring the best dog home with you!

Meanwhile, here at home, we continue to behave. I WAS a bit restless the first night, but since then, I’ve been good. And both sitters have are still alive -so all is well. I just hope the guilt gifts are going to be good…

Have a good one! Peace and paws up!

Sitters and stuff

November 9, 2017Leave a Comment

So my human left us and promised she would bring back extra great treats. Let’s just say she had better come home with SOMETHING for us. Get this – she went all the way to California! And there is more to the sitter story. We don’t have one sitter. We have two. The girl from our vet clinic is here and she has her partner with her. He’s a very nice guy. Elroy tried desperately to bowl him over when he arrived. Thank goodness he likes dogs!!!!

So far we haven’t eaten or destroyed anything. They are being super nice to us – and they send updates to my human. And guess what my human did the first night she arrived at this “conference?” She went out to dinner – with a PON friend! She met this friend last year through this weirdo World Wide Web – and they found out that they not only work in similar fields – but they are PON people. Kind of like a cult. People who have the same breeds will find each other – no matter where they are. And then they get together and sit and talk about us. And they extol our virtues AND our bad habits. Although my human said she was the one talking more about bad stuff for some odd reason…. Anyway, they met last year at this conference for the first time – and now they are BFFs. She hasn’t found a Picard person at this conference yet – but knowing her, she’ll find somebody in California who is owned by one! Then last night she had dinner with a friend who is owned by a Saint Bernard. She better not be planning to get one of THOSE. Talk about olfactory art on the windows. Walls. Floor. Ceiling…..

Well time to get the sitters up. And send my human a reminder about guilt gifts…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Instavikgram

November 8, 2017Leave a Comment

So my human started something new on this world wide web thing. Well – she didn’t START it – she just joined it. It’s called Instagram. My take on it is that you post a picture, add some weirdo line with the picture and you share it with the world. And if you share it with the 79 million other people who post dog photos, some people you don’t even KNOW will look at your pictures. And then they “follow” you. It’s kind of creepy if you ask me.

My human’s photos are surprisingly mostly of us dogs. Go figure. That and nature stuff.

I think I may start my own Instagram account. And here are some examples of the kinds of things I will post.

Bet I can get more followers than my human…Or heck – maybe I’ll start my very own webpage that ONLY dogs can use. Instavikgram. I like it. Now have to have to figure out how to use Twitter. Seems ANYONE can use it…

Have a good one! Peace and paws up!!!