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Feeling blue. Part 2.

OK.  So yesterday, I shared the “good part” of the blue day.   Well – good for Einstein and me – but not so good for my human with the blueberry cravings. But then there was the not-so-good parts of that day…

In the morning, before the grocery shopping hunt, my human went to take Einstein and I out for our morning walk.  And she thought the FG would be happy in his run outside while we went.  Guess what?  He wasn’t.  He started squeaking and barking and moaning – like he was being tortured.  And this was OF COURSE at like 6 AM.  So she raced back down the driveway and gave him one of those Yak chew things.  Your remember them?  The things that Einstein and I tried to devour – and we ended up with the poops.  Well the FG is a much more careful chewer – so they were not a problem for him.  So my human took one outside, gave it to the FG  and attempted again to take Einstein and I for our constitutional.  The FG dropped it and proceeded to let out his mournful tune again.  So my human took him back in the house.   She grabbed the Yak thing on the way in.  She noted that it was shorter – clearly the end broke off when he dropped it.  But she didn’t search for it and took him (and the longer piece back in the house).  By now you are no doubt wondering why the long discussion of Yak treats.  Trust me there is a reason I am yakking on about this.  So with the FG now in the house, with the windows closed and his Yak treat IN his crate,  off  we went for our walks.   Then the FG went for his.  All was right with the world.

After getting the groceries, and after the blueberry frenzy, my human started doing some much overdue housecleaning.  She claimed you could “grow tomatoes” on our kitchen floor.  Talk about dramatic.  Anyway while she was cleaning, she decided to put ALL of us in the run outside.  So off we went.  But yours truly doesn’t really like it out there – so I started barking.  AND barking.  She decided to let us back in so she opened the door to the garage and we ran through and into the house.  And she noted that Einstein was unusually quiet…and he raced under the dining room table.

And that’s when she heard a crack and some chewing.  “WHAT do you have?” my human asked Einstein.  And her often slow brain quickly made the connection – he found that piece of Yak treat and was trying desperately to chew it up.  She got a hold of him and pulled the thing out of his mouth.  Phew.  Poop problem averted.

It wasn’t until later in the day that she noticed Einstein pawing at his face.  She wondered if he had been stung by something.  She looked his face over, but couldn’t see anything.  He stopped the pawing and she forgot about it.  But later in the day, he was at it again.  So she whisked him onto the grooming/operating table.  She looked all over his face.  His ears.  And then decided to look at his teeth.  Well GUESS what?!  If one tries really hard to chew a Yak treat, one can BREAK OFF his canine tooth.  Well, not the WHOLE tooth.  Just 2/3.  “AAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH” my human shouted.  Einstein just looked at her.  No more beauty pageants for old snaggletooth.

He has an appointment with the Vet on Thursday.  He doesn’t seem to be in major discomfort – and it certainly hasn’t changed his appetite.  Never a dull moment.  We figured our Vet hasn’t gone on a nice vacation lately – so we should help with paying for the holiday.

And if THAT wasn’t enough of a blue story – stay tuned tomorrow for the REST of the story…and my new journey into the world of cannabis….

A blue day….

So yesterday was a blue day.  Literally…

My human went grocery shopping in the morning.  And she bought a LOAD of stuff.  She has been pretty busy lately and so she hasn’t really had time to get the BIG grocery order for awhile.  Yet it seems we never run out of OUR food.  And I have to admit – most days lately, we were eating better than her.  I really should learn how to cook – now THAT would be a good dog trick.  Mind you – I think cooking food is a waste of time.  Throw it raw in a bowl, and we canines are happy.  No special bearnaise sauce required.

Anyway, my human brought the grocery bags in and we demonstrated typical canine “curiocery” – that curious desire to know what is in the bags when our human comes home from the hunt. She put the bags on the counter and started to unload the contents.  The FG was in his kennel and Einstein and I were watching.  She looked at the array of bags on the counter and realized one was missing.  So she went back into the garage to get it.  And she wasn’t gone more than a minute.  48 seconds to be exact.  But when she returned, she found two PONs racing frantically around the kitchen and vacuuming up a sea of blueberries that had mysteriously ended up on the kitchen floor.  She shouted “stop” as IF we would.  So she calmly tried to grab as many as she could – knowing that her desire to now eat this particular batch was now diminished.  And you know, I THOUGHT she had forgotten about Big Brother.  And she did, initially.  She didn’t check the tape immediately.  But when she did, several hours later – who do you think was the culprit? Yup – you’re looking at him.  To pose for this photo was sheer agony – I wanted to polish off the last of those tasty morsels.  But I figured I had better behave and take the shot.  Besides, my human gave me one for being cooperative.  And despite the fact that she was NOT impressed with my counter surfing – she was just very thankful it wasn’t the chicken for dinner.  Always look at the bright side – no point in being blue.  Sorry I couldn’t resist.

Have a good one!

Hot Enough for Ya?

Today is July 23 and according to the crazy calendar, it is Hot Enough for Ya Day.  And in a word, YES.  OK, OK – I know people around the world experience REAL heat – like in the triple digits in Fahrenheit- and that is HOT.  But we refrigerator dogs here in Nova Scotia, find it HOT when it reaches 28 degrees Celsius or 82 Fahrenheit.  We melt.  And we pant.  And because temperatures like this don’t last all that long here (not months on end), lots of homes don’t have air conditioning. Like ours.  That’s not to say we don’t have a half dozen fans going at any given time.   To beat the heat, we quite enjoy chewing on bone shaped ice cubes.  Well the FG and I do.  Einstein is not so crazy about them.  Because when they melt- they get his feet wet.  And we KNOW how he feels about getting wet feet.
Despite the heat, we still want to play fetch – which my human will not allow – because she doesn’t want us to get overheated. And as for our walks – we go EARLY in the morning -even before sunrise – because it’s nice and cool. And then we go just after sundown.  This is just like the winter – we never get to see the light of day!
Apparently the temperatures will be in the mid-70’s Fahrenheit this week coming.  Which we think is a perfect score.  And speaking of perfect scores, my human happened to watch TV the other night – for the first time in probably 3 months.  She was flipping through the channels and caught that talent show – America’s Got Talent. And what did she see but a DOG who is competing.  His name is Hero and his human is Sarah. Apparently they didn’t wow ALL the judges in the first round – but they DID this time – so they are continuing in the competition.  Check him out:
Now there are some pretty incredibly talented humans in this competition – who sing and do magic and all kinds of things. And I don’t know how far Hero and Sarah will go – but one thing for sure – they DO show people the cool things you can do with your dog – with the right training.  They are a testament to positive training.  I hate to admit this – but I didn’t know that a dog actually WON the title in Britain’s Got Talent in 2012.  His name was Pudsey – and he was a border collie, bichon frise and Chinese crested cross.  Sadly, just this past week, Pudsey went to the Rainbow Bridge at age 11.  Maybe it’s time to pass the torch to another canine – this time in the US.  Go Hero!  We’ll be watching.  And oh – we are NOT attempting many of HIS tricks.  We would without a doubt, put my human in the hospital.  At least the FG would! 
Anyway, have a good one – and stay cool!

Happy birthday Alex



It’s July 22 and the birthday of my favorite Canadian game show host – Alex Trebek!  Alex is the host of Jeopardy.  Alex appears to be a pretty smart guy – but then again, he is the one who reads the questions – I don ‘t think he makes them up.  He once owned a dog who was taken away by a coyote.  Yowza.  BIG bummer.  On a lighter note, geography is his favorite category.  He is a philanthropist and has traveled to many countries with World Vision.  So there is some Alex trivia for you – if Alex himself is ever a category.

So while we are on the Jeopardy topic – try the following link to see what you know about dog breeds. Just press start to try it out.

https://jeopardylabs.com/play/enter-title54311

How much money did you win?  Or lose?

And the following question was the final Jeopardy question on May 24, 2017.  Do you know the answer?

This popular small dog breed is named for the man who was the Vicar of Swimbridge for almost 50 years, beginning in 1832.

And the answer is……..






What is a Jack Russell terrier?

 And here’s a final Jeopardy question from April 6, 2017.
Old circuses like “Gentry’s Equine & Canine Paradox” gave rise to this idiom referring to any elaborate presentation.

And the answer is.…….. 






What is a dog and pony show?

My human says if she was on the show and they asked those  questions, she would have gotten them correct.  But with her luck, the question would have been about quantum physics.  Not her forte.  

Anyway – Happy Birthday Alex.  And hey – do you know Liam Neeson?  Any idea when he is moving in?

Have a good one.


World records

OK.  I have NO idea how I missed this news item last fall.  LAST FALL.  But I JUST became aware of this video – so I thought I should share it.  And it gives the dogs in this house something to aspire to.  Bwhahahahahahhaha.

It seems last fall that a Parson Rusell terrier by the name of Smurf made his way into the Guinness Book of World records.  Not for the smallest dog, or the fastest dog – but for the dog who could do the most tricks in one minute.  Check him out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx3mwsZmEvw

So of COURSE you know my human wants to see how many WE can do. Sure we can do some of them – but it’s more like a trick a minute.  Not ALL of them in a minute.  And lots of treats are required.  Too much work to break this record – I vote that we try for something we are REALLY good at.  Like the dog who can eat the food in his bowl the fastest.  I’ve got that one.  Or the dog who can most quickly steal food off a counter.  Or the dining  room table.   I have a good shot at that record.  Or the dog who can bark incessantly when my human takes another dog out for a walk.  Einstein would get the trophy for that.  I’m not quite sure what the FG’s talent is – oh wait – the dog who can most quickly slobber my human’s clothing before she leaves for work.  Bingo.  And speaking of that talent – here’s another reason why I question that humans are said to be the smarter beings.  White pants.  Seriously.  What a RIDICULOUS form of attire – ESPECIALLY for humans owned by dogs.  Come ON.  WHAT is the point in even attempting to wear white pants?  You know the pristine look will never last.  Yet you keep trying.  Hey – there’s a record!  The human owned by dogs who can keep his/her white pants clean the longest.  Now THAT would be a challenge!!

It’s Friday and today my human ends a special program at work.  Then it’s just paperwork next week – and after THAT she is FREE.  For August!!!!!!!!  Let the fetching begin!!!

Have a good one!

Battle of the Poles



OK.  We have an all WAR going on in our house.  I’m calling it the battle of the Poles.  It’s not between me and Einstein.  It’s between Einstein and MY HUMAN.

Let’s set the background for this particular war.  Since the beginning of May, my human has been working long hours at work.  It’s her busy time – and tomorrow it comes to an end.  Not that she doesn’t still have to go to work to get money for our treats, but the hours will be MUCH more manageable.  Basically back to a normal work week.  I should add that there are “other things” happening on top of work – so she has been going flat out.  Beginning at 5 AM when she takes us out on our long, daily  morning walk and often ending around midnight.

Anyway, all this to say that in the last week, Einstein has had ENOUGH of my human’s work.  He continues his morning chorus and is as loud as ever – even with the 3,396 pieces of kibble we search for while my human is walking the FG.  Einstein is FAST – so he can begin the chorus. 

And to further demonstrate his protest, he has “forgotten” how to sit and wait while our food is being prepared.  And THAT put my human over the edge Monday night – and the official war began.

My human gets our bowls prepared – and while she is doing so, we are asked to sit and stay.  And honestly, the preparation takes like .907  minutes.  Or even less.  Now Elroy just lies down – he needs more obedience work – but my human excuses his behavior – because she needs to train him more.  I sit and wait fairly patiently.  But Einstein?  The GOOD dog?  The one with the CD obedience title?  And several Rally titles?  As SOON as my human turns her back to get our bowls ready – he stands up.  Or lies down.  My human returns to him and instructs him to “sit”.  Which he does.  And as SOON as she is 15 feet away, he either lies down or stands up.  Again.  The other night my human hit the “non-dog-stay-breaking-point.”  She looked at him after he broke his sit stay for like the 4th time – and she decided to go ahead and feed me and the FG.  THANK goodness.  She told Einstein to “sit” and she set a timer on the microwave for 2 minutes.  She meant business.  As soon as she set the timer, he went down.  Oooooooo—eeeeeeeeeeeee.  These two ARE stubborn.  She told him to “sit and stay” again, and set the timer AGAIN.  This time he didn’t move a muscle.  She quickly fed him when the timer went off. 

Now for those who don’t know Einstein, you MAY think my human was being tough on him.  Trust me – he KNOWS about sit-stays.  He has done them for 5 minutes or even LONGER in training sessions – and has done FINE.  But honestly, we dogs are pretty darn smart.  We will attempt to get  attention even by doing bad things.  Which my human TOTALLY understands – the last couple of months have been a challenge.  For everyone.  But Einstein really does need to give her a break – and simply WAIT until SATURDAY – when life will return to our regular level of craziness.  

By the way – Einstein  DID “stay” last night – so I think he does understand that he NEEDS to behave right now. Oh yeah – but he still IS barking….

Have a good one!


Bigfoot

First off – thank you for the all the wonderful blog congratulations!  Your support is so greatly appreciated!  You have NO idea!

And now onto our mystery for the week….so Monday morning, my human got up EXTRA early.  Probably because I was breathing in her face. She was dressed and ready to take the FG out by 4:45.  Yes, 4:45 AM.  Since it was just before sunup,  she wore her headlamp.  And it was foggy.    She and the FG went up to the golf course – even before any of the workers were there.  They walked the cart paths, and despite the calm, rather spooky atmosphere, it was actually rather relaxing.  In the meantime, Einstein and I were madly vacuuming kibble from room to room.  We are getting faster and faster at scooping up the stuff.  So that by the time my human and the FG returned, Einstein was barking.  My human  raced down the driveway, making loud footsteps – in the chance that Einstein would hear her and will stop barking.  Nah.  He waited until she OPENED the door – and he fell silent.  The war continues.

So my human put the FG in his pony-sized crate, while she went to take Einstein and I out for our walk.  She opened the door.  It was now starting to get light out.  And within .00056 seconds, Einstein spotted “it” on the lawn.  And in that .00056 seconds, before my human’s still sleeping brain could fully register what he was looking at, she actually braced herself and held on tightly to my leash – but let Einstein go.  And he RACED over to “it.” “It” was our large, heavy squirrel-proof bird feeder – you know – the one that the squirrel got caught inside.   The one that hangs on a tree branch not far from the front door.  Einstein barked madly at the offending object.  The tree branch was broken, and the feeder, which had been pretty much empty, was lying on the ground with the cover off.  I pulled my human over to the feeder and inspected it.  We wondered what caused the branch to break and the feeder to fall…. Maybe the bear!  Well he probably wouldn’t have been tall enough to reach it from the ground and if he tried to go out on the branch, I’m sure it would have broken closer to the trunk of the tree.  Maybe it was a raccoon.  We haven’t seen any – but there are no doubt some around.  Then again – maybe it was Bigfoot.  Sure it was.

After we fully examined the downed feeder, we continued on our walk up the road – to go on the trail.  And JUST before we turned off the road and onto the trail, my human heard a noise in the woods.  Bigger than a bird.  She looked down the trail – and not 50 yards away was a beautiful deer.  We couldn’t see him, because of the angle where we were standing.  Humans do have the height advantage thing.  My human waited until Bambi raced away and we followed on the trail.  We knew SOMETHING had been there just before us – but we never got to see the deer.

So that’s the mystery for now.  But get THIS.  So the feeder went down Monday.  The FG went by the downed feeder at least THREE times on Monday (not counting his first walk in the morning).  It wasn’t until Tuesday morning that HE noticed “it”.  And boy oh boy – you should have heard the big dog bark that came out of him.  He cautiously leaped around the mysterious object, barking and growling.  Einstein and I watched from in the house, rolling our eyes.  He’s not exactly got this “observant guard dog thing” down just yet.  But I have to hand it to him – he does have a great bark.

So what do YOU think?   What caused the branch to break?  Hey – maybe a really heavy squirrel!  Nah.  I still like the Bigfoot idea.

Anyway, it’s hump day.  Have a good one!  And don’t go out on a limb. At least not a skinny one.

BIG blog news!!!!!!!!


Well today is a special day.  For me anyway. Today marks my… are you ready… my 1000th blog posting.  Seriously!  1000 postings about historical dog trivia, dog product reviews, commentaries about world dog news and most importantly – the sharing of our personal stories about the day to day life of three canines and the human they own.  In Nova Scotia, Canada, of all places.  We have shared our triumphs – like if we get a 25 cent  ribbon at a dog show or we manage to steal something without being caught (although this is much more difficult since Big Brother arrived) and we have shared our tragedies – like the loss of Paxton or my battle with seizures.  It’s pretty hard to believe we have hit the 1000 entries mark – seems we should be getting some kind of 75 cent ribbon for this!!!

Some days we find it hard to come up with a topic – and we think it’s time to hang up the iPawd.  But we carry on – and are reinforced by your comments – and by you sharing your own dog stories!  Or ideas that you think we would enjoy.  My human is also grateful for the many friends she has made around the world – who she would probably never had connected with had it not been for this crazy blog.  It’s nice to know there are other bad dogs out there too – misery loves company!   One thing we do know about this blog thing – we do love to make you laugh.  And while some may think we embellish our stories for that purpose – I assure you – this stuff is real.  Really real.  We are REALLY that bad.  No doubt some readers shake their heads about our disobedient nature, and may even become annoyed with the fact that we create such havoc. But seriously – what kind of blog would one write if the dogs were always well behaved?  How boring would THAT be?  “Today I walked obediently  at my human’s side.  I came when called.  I waited patiently and silently while my meal was being prepared.  I only chewed on my bones.  I loved being groomed.  I slept obediently on my dog bed.”  The end.   Do dogs like that even exist?!  OK.  Don’t answer that.  I know they do.  And that’s OK.  We won’t hold it against them.  Good for them.  But we DO have our OWN talents – hey not every dog is cut out to be a comedian.  Or a storyteller,  Or an escape artist.  Or a full-time singer.  Or a vacuum cleaner.  Or an aquamaniac.  That’s my new title for the FG with this whole water bowl thing.

For those who may have read 100 of these postings – we thank you very much!  For those who have read 500, we truly admire your resilience!  And for those who have read almost ALL of these postings – the check is in the mail.  Along with a bag of dog treats.  If one of us doesn’t steal them first.

Have a fabulous day and remember to smile.  And wag.  It always makes others feel better – and it will make you feel better too!

Thank you for reading – and have a good one!

Vik-advisor Review

So every now and then, my human comes across some dog related product on the internet, she’ll purchase it, and I’ll do a Vik-advisor review.  Like those educational puzzles.  That we tried to eat.  Or the cool rubber eggs.  That made the most obnoxious sounds.  Until we pushed the squeakers inside them.  So they are now soundless – and now we don’t want to play with them.  Or all the dog beds we have destroyed.  So far those fetch toys are still holding up.  Mind you – we are not left alone with them.  You KNOW we would destroy them too.

Anyway, my human saw the following video, and started thinking what it would be like if the dogs in this household tried this invention…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8RyWF8vo5s&feature=youtu.be

CAN YOU IMAGINE what this would be like?! Keep in mind that we PONs do not LOVE the rain – so perhaps we would be happy with this.  OK – Einstein would be happy.  But me?  Not so much.  And the FG?  Picture a Picard racing down the driveway trying to attack the thing over his head.  Plus my human would no doubt end up with some kind of elbow injury trying to keep the thing steady.  Not to mention his darting back and forth while walking.  Yes, indeed – this could be very entertaining.  VERY entertaining. 

My human also saw a device that you attach to the garden hose.  And your dog can step on a pedal to shoot water up – like a drinking fountain.  Picture the FG with THIS device.  Knowing his enjoyment at splashing in water bowls – well… I think we have THE perfect Christmas gift for him.  I’ll put it on his list.

http://odditymall.com/pawcet-a-drinking-fountain-for-your-dog

Tomorrow is a VERY special day. A LANDMARK day.  Check in to see why I will be celebrating!

Have a good one!

Food

Well I think we are experiencing the “picky Picard” phenomenon.  I mentioned how the FG has trained my human to feed him by hand.  NOW he gets her to top his food off with Parmesan cheese.   Seriously.  I’m going to refuse my supper.  As IF that would EVER happen.  He DOES eventually eat his meal – he’s just pokey about it. And of course, his food can’t be left out as you know it wouldn’t last more than .008 seconds with us PONs around.
And speaking of food, my human has a new strategy for keeping us quiet while she walks the FG in the morning.  Well – not me.  I’m not the barker.  It’s to keep Einstein quiet but I also reap the benefits.  What she has started doing is putting kibble all over the house when she goes to take the FG out.  Really.  So Einstein and I search like mad for the food.  We’re not talking a dozen kibbles.  We’re talking three fistfuls.  Probably almost equivalent to our regular meal size.  And it works.  For a while.  On Friday it was still quiet as she came back with the FG from his walk.   Because we were so busy looking for the food.  But yesterday  – well we are becoming REALLY good at finding the food.  So Einstein’s chorus was ringing out when she came back down the driveway.  But she also shuts the windows – so his song doesn’t carry quite so far.  So it’s not a foolproof method – but I certainly don’t want her to stop. 
Well it’s 5 AM – time to get my human moving.  Rest on the weekend is a foreign concept in this house.  But hey – enjoy those daylight hours – just think how much you humans complain about the long winter nights.  Carpe diem!