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Well we have a new neighbor.  It’s the talk of the neighborhood.  And the new neighbor was actually spotted in Jackson’s backyard.  Others had seen evidence of the newcomer – including tipped over green organics bins.  Yup – we are not talking bunnies.  We have a BEAR.

We haven’t seen the bruin yet – but we were madly smelling something on the trail the other morning.  No doubt he heard us wild canines coming – and headed for his den. It’s a black bear – so they are generally not too dangerous.  Unless of course you run across a mother bear with cubs.  Now THAT could be dicey.   But for the MOST part, black bears don’t look to go out and attack people.  Unlike grizzlies or polar bears – who are MUCH more dangerous.  But we have no grizzlies here and no polar bears – unless one happens to swim around 1000 km from northern Newfoundland. Not likely.   

One neighbor claimed they saw bear poop on the road.  So of COURSE, my human HAD to go and see if she could find it in the place where it was spotted.  All she found was dog poop – and to be clear – that poop does not belong to any of the dogs in this house – we are scoopers.  Maybe it was from a coyote.  But we didn’t find the bear poop.  Mind you, my human is not EXACTLY a poopologist.  She once got all excited because she found “moose poop” in the backyard.  It turned out to be mushrooms.  Thank goodness she didn’t report the sighting to Lands and Forests…

The FG spotted some wildlife the other day and for a change, became QUITE interested in it.  A bunny.  One of the MANY bunnies running around here.  It’s actually kind of crazy.  They run up and down the driveway and are not the least bit afraid of my human or the FG.  That’s because he is on a leash.  On the other hand, the bunnies ARE quite afraid if I happen to be loose. Anyway, the FG has not generally been interested in four-legged creatures – he’s more into birds.  He watches ALL the birds and is especially enamored with crows.  He loves to listen to them – and watch them fly.  But our resident ornithologist became QUITE interested in Mr. Bunny the other morning.  And my human KNEW that if she didn’t hold on tightly to his leash, that he would be off and running.  I told him that bunny chasing is fun – so he decided he would like to give it a try.  My human did NOT want that to happen.

So every year,  a shelter in Cuyahoga County Ohio, compiles a list of the all the licensed dogs in the county – and publishes the most popular names.  And here was their list for 2016:

 1. Bella
 2. Buddy
 3. Max
 4. Molly
 5. Bailey
 6. Daisy
 7. Lucy
 8. Charlie
 9. Maggie
 10. Sadie

There, of course, were other names as well – but these are the most popular.  For example, two dogs were named Grover Cleveland after the 22nd US President.  I’ve never met a dog named Grover Cleveland before.   I didn’t see Donald Trump mentioned…

In addition to this list, the AKC published the top names in pairs – male and female.  And here they are:

1.  Max and Molly
2.  Jake and Bella
3.  Buddy and Daisy
4.  Jack and Maggie
5.  Cody and Lucy
6.  Charlie and Ginger
7.  Bailey and Bonnie
8.  Rocky and Sadie
9.  Sam and Sophie
10. Buster and Lady

Looks like consistency with the dogs in Ohio…

I’ve talked before about the variety of names we have in this household – so it is no wonder we don’t come when called.  I’m Viktor, Viktorino, Baby V, Trino, and sometimes some other names which cannot be printed here.  Einstein is of course, Frodo, Doe-dee-oh-doe, and Doe.  And now the FG has a variety as well.  He is, of course, Elroy, but he is also called Baby Schmaby (heaven KNOWS how she came up with THAT one), Elmo, El, and Elmer Fudd. 

When I look at the list of popular names, I don’t see any Viktor, Frodo or Elroy….  Mind you – we ARE very unique…And if anyone reads this blog, they will never name their dog after us – for fear that they may get a dog with the same behavior.  None of us has “Angel” as a middle name.  

Anyway, as they say – you can call me whatever you want – just don’t call me late for dinner!  Happy Friday!!!

Well those who know my human, know that she LOVES to take photos of us canines.  It is an ODD day if she doesn’t take a photo of ONE of us doing SOMETHING.  If she wants a POSED photo, Einstein and I are the two to take.  Well.. if the truth be told, EINSTEIN is the best subject.  Tell him to sit, lie down, stand, stay put his head up, put his head down and he does it.   It’s like he is stuffed.  I’m PRETTY good – depends on the surroundings.  Sometimes I just cant resist the temptation to sniff the ground.  Or I simply exhibit picnore – the obvious ignoring of my human while she tries in earnest to get a shot.  But if you put Einstein and I together, I DO like to compete – so I WILL GENERALLY cooperate.  And as for the FG.  It’s total LUCK if you get a good shot of him.  Yes – my human DOES manage to get some photos – but he is NOT usually big on looking at the camera.  And my human has run out of unusual humanly possible strange and wonderful noises to get his attention.  Everything from whistling to snorting to screeching – he is used to everything now. IF he decides to look at her she had better snap the shot QUICKLY.  

And of course, I need not tell you how challenging it is to get ALL three of us in a shot.  It requires patience, a handful of THE best treats ever, and lots of luck.  LOTS of luck.

So my human really appreciates good dog photography.  She’s often happy with our photos – but then she saw THESE shots – and REALLY LIKES some of these.   Check them out.

https://petapixel.com/2017/06/24/best-dog-photos-2017/

The only problem with her looking at these photos – is that now she wants to take even MORE pictures of us…. 

Oh well.    Bring on the treats.  And smile. 

And have a good one.

So according to the crazy calendar, today is called Simplicity Day.  A day to keep things simple – and not sweat the small stuff.  WHAT an anomaly in THIS house!  NOTHING is EVER simple here!  For example, “simply” letting us out for a pee after my human gets home from a VERY long day – is not so simple -and all heck breaks loose…

We have a routine.  She gets home, puts the FG in the fenced side run, while she lets Einstein and I out front to pee.  And we race around barking like mad, make a dash around to the back of the house, have a HUGE pee and race back in to get supper.  Then the FG goes out again – but on a leash.  Simple right?  Nah.  On Monday my human was STARVING – she had no lunch – so she let us out and went to quickly take something out of the freezer – to start defrosting it.  She was inside 34 more seconds than usual – so when she came out, we were G-O-N-E.  Yup – up at the new neighbors, who aren’t so new anymore but we still call them new.  The nice tolerant-of-crazy-dogs new neighbors.  Who own a Lab called Hudson.  THANKFULLY, Hudson is a low key dog and doesn’t attack us when we invade his yard and we promptly pee on every plant we can.  Oh and of course by the time my human raced up to get us (in less than a minute), BOTH of us had also pooped on their property as well.  My human was REPEATEDLY calling us and while Einstein came over to her, I was running like in a trance.  Even the neighbor remarked “It’s kind of like he’s deaf.”  It’s called selective deafness.  My human FINALLY caught me, while I had stopped to pee on yet another garden flower and promptly put on my leash.  In the meantime, Hudson had disappeared.  No doubt he didn’t want to have anything to do with the maniacs who had invaded his home.  Smart dog.  As my human was dragging us home and apologizing for the multiple poops deposited in their yard (because she hadn’t grabbed any poop bags in her haste to find us), Hudson reappeared from the woods.  I think I saw him look at his human and roll his eyes.

Ah yes.  Another simple day in Nova Scotia. Ya gotta love us….

Hope your day is carefree AND simple!  Have a good one.

He’s at it again.  The FG has rediscovered the fun of swimming in his water dish – and better yet, the unparalleled joy in turning it over.  And FINALLY, my human THINKS she knows why he starts it.  If he sees something floating in the water – like a hair or a leaf or something else we have dragged in, he HAS to try and get it out.  And IF there is water in one of the metal bowls – and he happens to notice his own reflection in the water, it is imperative that he get that dog.  At least that’s what she THINKS.  I think he just enjoys the splashing around.  

He also discovered the sound of bullfrogs the other night when he went out for a walk.  He and my human approached a pond where the frogs were making a CRAZY racket.  Who knew they have a complicated calling system for communicating – generally when they are trying to find a mate?  And apparently their calling can be affected by environmental conditions – like temperature,  wind speed, and humidity.  AND it was pretty clear the other night that they also warn each other about the presence of Berger Picards.  Because as soon as Mr. Curious got REALLY close to the pond – all the calling stopped.  The FG looked totally puzzled.  Almost as puzzled as he looks when he dumps his water bowl and then there is no water IN the bowl anymore.  Ya gotta love him…

It’s Tuesday.  Not the start of the week.  Not the hump day.  Not the end of the week.  Just plain Tuesday.  I hope yours is great – and your water bowl stays full.

Have a good one.

So what’s new in dog research… Well a new study has come out in the journal Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews which looked at social evaluation of humans by dogs.  Specifically, they wanted to see how dogs would react to individuals who refused to help the dog’s owner.  It was quite interesting. Dogs watched as their owner asked someone for help in opening a jar.  In one situation, the owner was helped, and the dogs apparently approved.  In two other situations, the person did not help the owner, but the dogs didn’t seem to mind.  But when the person blatantly refused to help the owner, the dogs were NOT impressed.  And they did not forget.  When they were later offered treats by the researchers who refused to help, the dogs would NOT take the treat.  So we dogs are concerned about our owners – and we do not forget people who are not nice to them.  

I think it’s a cool study.  You humans KNOW that we dogs have your back and we care about you.  LOTS.  And it makes sense that we wouldn’t like someone who is not nice to you.  But honestly, I’m just a TINY bit concerned about what would happen if the PONs in this household were in this study.  Well, maybe not Einstein – but as for me….treat refusal is something I can’t even IMAGINE.  The FG is not as crazy a chow hound, so I can see him refusing.  And Einstein, well he would no doubt bark and voice his disapproval.  But me….OK.  OK.  I would refuse the treat.  It’s the right thing to do.  Besides, my human would then treat me for being a good dog.  So I still get the treat.  Phew.  Ethical dilemma solved.

Have a good one!  And don’t refuse to open someone’s jar.

My human has been watching a Facebook friend as she and her husband and well-behaved Berger Picard have traveled across Western and central Canada.  It’s hard to imagine a well-behaved Picard, while living with the FG.  Mind you he DOES have more and more moments of good behavior…Anyway,  the travelers have clearly enjoyed their visit to the Rockies and the plains and the forests of Ontario.  And as they head back to the US, my human has realized her pride in Canada.  And she counts herself as lucky – because she grew up in the US but she lives in Canada – so she holds passports in both countries and is a citizen of both.  

She recalls the time that an American once labelled her as a “traitor” for obtaining Canadian citizenship after living here for 30+ years.  The comment hurt her deeply.   Despite the often controversial political US climate,  her roots DO lie in a country where her grandfather emigrated from Poland – and where she proudly said the Pledge of Allegiance every day in school.  She does believe in the US – and it IS her birthplace.  It is in her heart.  But – she has also lived in a land where people are genuinely NICE – and where she has been welcomed and able to work and create a job that she truly loves.  Canada is not without problems – and she could write a book about the health care system.  But it IS a good place to live.  And while Nova Scotia sometimes feels like it is at the end of the east coast…and well, I guess it is except for Newfoundland (which is an island), it is a well-kept secret.  Not to mention the fact that she was adopted by two Polish Lowland Sheepdogs from this province!

And as for us dogs and passports, we don’t carry them for travel within North America – but as I understand it, dogs in Europe DO carry passports. They contain medical information, which allows dogs to go from country to country.  You can obtain passports from every country from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.  I understand that IF I was going to Zimbabwe, I COULD get a “Canadian” passport.  I have no travel plans right now – but who knows?!  One thing you DO need to check when traveling is whether the country has any quarantine period for newly arrived pets. That would NOT go over well with the dogs in THIS household….

So what’s my point today?  To love your roots and the passport that you hold – but to also love where you live.  And if both are in the same place – lucky you!  And if you have two places – or maybe MORE – lucky you TOO!  Don’t forget your roots – but appreciate and explore the place where you live.  And be grateful for that opportunity!

Have a good one…

So Ludwig goes in for his first oil change today.  My human hopes that they do a complimentary clean-up of Ludwig – including the removal of canine nose prints from the windows. Personally, I think canine olfactory art is a beautiful sign that someone shares their life with a canine companion (or three) and a badge of honor.  That and the two stickers on the rear window proclaiming Polish Lowland Sheepdog and Berger Picard on Board.  Humans LOVE to advertise what type of breed they own. In my human’s case, it helps her to find her car in a line-up in a parking lot.  

Humans like to advertise what breed(s) they own in lots of ways – besides the typical car bumper stickers or window decals.  They buy figurines of their breed, paintings of their breed, stationery, jewelry and of course attire.  My human has T-shirts and sweatshirts with the breeds she has been owned by.  Which got me thinking – we dogs in this house don’t really do the same.  I mean we don’t have any collars depicting single white females.  I suppose we really should.  

Anyway – enjoy your Saturday, and count every moment as a blessing.  Have a good one.

I wonder who did it.  Bought the property next to our place.  You see, we live in the semi-boonies.  Semi because we are not THAT far from the city, but boonies because we can’t easily walk to a grocery store.  We can’t REALLY walk to any amenity – except the golf course.  So we ARE in “the country”. 

But since my human moved here, there has been a 20 acre vacant property next to our property.  And rumor had it that to access the property, according to provincial laws, the owner would have to put in a paved road.  Which would be very expensive.  People have looked at the property over the years and have thought about building several homes on the acreage, but then realized the costs to build access would be quite high.  But apparently SOMEONE has the money.  And the big rumor in the neighborhood is that the person who bought it is going to build just one HUGE home.  An estate.  Rumors are flying fast and furious as to who bought the place.  I think I’ll start my own rumor.  Who could it be?  Someone with money.  Maybe a movie or TV star.  There ARE movie stars who own property in Nova Scotia – so it COULD be someone famous.  Whoever it is, they better like dogs chasing bunnies through their estate.  Who would we like for a neighbor?  Ellen Degeneres.  She’s funny.  Or Melissa McCarthy.  She’s funny too.  Both of them would probably laugh at our antics.  We don’t want Cesar Millan.  He would NOT appreciate our antics.  Helen Mirren or Meryl Streep are pretty cool – and who doesn’t like Anthony Hopkins?  Any of them we would welcome as neighbors.  My human would LOVE to see Liam Neeson be our neighbor.  She really hopes that is who it is.  She’s clearly delusional.  But I’ll start the rumor if she wants me to.  

Whoever it is, they REALLY better like dogs.  Let’s face it, it is QUITE likely we will go over to “visit.”  I can see the FG swimming in the huge pool, while Einstein and I steal the hors d’oeuvres during the garden party.  Not to mention us peeing in their garden.   Or pooping on their manicured lawn.  And I WONDER if they will have a dog.  Either guard dogs or poodles.  That’s what I’m thinking.  Hope they don’t put up an electric fence.  Imagine the FG if his hair stood up any more.  

Oh the drama.  Of the excitement.  I’ll keep you posted as the developments unfold.  My human went down to the lake on one of our trails, and saw the survey markers.  So this IS real.  And in her mind, it’s Liam Neeson.  I’ll humor her.   Suuuuuuure it is.

Have a good one.

It’s July 6 and an important day to think about a famous French biologist by the name of Louis Pasteur, and about his discoveries.  Lots of people think about his work in the area of pasteurization, but we dogs think about his work in the area of rabies.  His work on rabies focused on rabbits, and today, in 1885 he successfully tested his first rabies vaccine.

Rabies is a horrid condition, and when people or dogs are bit by a rabid animal, death is most surely certain. Over 55,000 people die worldwide from the disease.  Rabies is found pretty much everywhere, except Antarctica, and the state of Hawaii.  It is reported that in the U.S., rabies can occur in all mammals, but is most often found in  raccoons, bats, skunks, and foxes.  Although rabies is so widespread, the vaccination for rabies, can protect and help control it. Once upon a time, dogs were vaccinated for rabies every year.  Now many places recommend every 3 years.  Humans can also test a dog’s immunity by doing a titer test.  It will show you whether or not your dog needs another rabies booster.

The topic of vaccination is a tricky one – and honestly, I don’t want to get into anything controversial.  Clearly, humans and dogs DO need protection against certain diseases and vaccinations CAN control the diseases.  We are fortunate here in Nova Scotia, that rabies is not rampant in wild animals.  In fact, the strain of rabies here is almost always limited to bats.  So if a bat swings down like Dracula and bites you, you should be prepared to get a rabies vaccine – if you don’t already have one.

We boys haven’t had a rabies vaccine- but we would need one if traveling out of the province.  My human would definitely vaccinate us if she felt there was a high likelihood that we could contract it.  Remember old Barney, her first dog who lived to 17.5?  He was vaccinated EVERY YEAR of his life.  By the time he was getting older, the new protocols for vaccinations were beginning to come out.   But she didn’t want to STOP vaccinating him as clearly, it did not affect his longevity ( a fear by many pet owners).  She thought that stopping the vaccinations might jinx his good health.  Go figure.  By the time Barney went to the Rainbow Bridge, he could glow in the dark from all the vaccines he had had.  And our Vet was driving a shiny new car.

Anyway, today we thank Louis Pasteur for all of his work in vaccinations and in infectious diseases. As an aside, his work in vaccinations began after he sadly lost three young children to typhoid fever.  It’s a story of sadness that led to discoveries in infectious diseases that have helped to save millions of lives.  It’s called making lemonade from lemons.  And taking a bad thing to make something good.  Imagine what the world would be like if all humans took bad things and made good things…

Have a good one.