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Several months ago I shared a movie trailer for a film that is soon to be released, called A Dog’s Purpose.  The trailer alone made my human cry.  But this week, a video surfaced which showed a dog in the film supposedly being forced to go into the water – and he was reportedly terrified.  I say supposedly and reportedly because my human could not bring herself to watch it.  She has a hard time watching videos of animal abuse – and honestly, just won’t do it any more.  Of course, since then, there has been a boycott on the film – and subsequent versions of the scene have apparently been shown.  Now I don’t know if the dog was abused or not.  It certainly IS possible that the dog was forced to do something he did not want to do.  And that would be awful.  But honestly, forcing a dog to do something happens in my house, too.  If given the option, I would NOT choose to be groomed.  But I do it – and I get copious amounts of treats during the process – so while I am being “forced” to do something I don’t WANT to do, it would hardly be considered abuse.  At least not in my mind.  But please keep in mind that I didn’t SEE the video – so it may have actually been abuse. And THAT we don’t condone. AT ALL.

But the other thing to keep in mind is that the movie was filmed 15 months ago.  With animal control officials reportedly watching.  The video that was just released was a short, edited version of the scene.  Note I said edited.  What happened before or after is hard to know.  But then again, IF it was abuse, it was abuse.  It’s interesting, though, that this video was released JUST before the film was to come out – perhaps to get the MOST attention.

Which brings me to the BIG thing to keep in mind.   That is who released this abusive segment of film.  None other than PETA.  Yup.  The organization who on the surface looks like it genuinely CARES about animals.  HOWEVER – IF you own a pet – of any sort, PETA is NOT, I repeat, PETA is NOT your friend.  PETA does NOT believe animals should be used in medical experiments, for food, for clothing OR AS PETS.   While some of their campaigns (like Save the Whales) might be a good thing – IF YOU OWN A PET, PETA IS NOT ON YOUR SIDE.  PETA advocates that you adopt a dog from a shelter – and you should spay and neuter.  Which is all fine – and there is NOTHING wrong with adopting a shelter dog.  NOTHING.  But read further – and THINK further.  PETA portrays dog breeders as evil people.  PETA says we have “enough” dogs in shelters and there is no need to breed.  So let’s take PETA’s stance.  No more breeding.  Adopt.  Spay and neuter.  No more puppies.  No more puppies.  No more dogs.  Ever hear the word “extinction?”  THAT’S what PETA wants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  PETA does NOT want dogs as pets.  Purebred or otherwise.  PETA does not want ANY pets.     READ THE WEBSITE.  I think it’s ironic that an organization that supposedly protects animals is so dead set on seeing the extinction of dogs.  But then, they don’t believe in domesticated animals at all.  PETA says that humans are “selfish” to own pets.  And here is a direct quote from their website about pets: “They are restricted to human homes, where they must obey commands and can only eat, drink, and even urinate when humans allow them to.”  Yup.  As you know – life is VERY tough for the pets in THIS household… 

Because some of their work for wild animals may be good, people tend to overlook their REAL agenda with pets.  If you agree that 200 years from now there should no longer BE Polish Lowland Sheepdogs, or Labrador Retrievers, or Berger Picards,  or Poodles or ANY purebred dogs – go ahead and support PETA.  And don’t kid yourself – their campaign IS working.  There is a HUGE number of people who have been swayed to thinking that shelter dogs (spayed and neutered shelter dogs) are THE thing to own, and in some circles, it’s considered uncool to own a purebred.   And let me repeat –  there is NOTHING wrong with adopting from a shelter.  What the shelter dog supporters who support PETA don’t realize, is that in PETA’s plan – someday THOSE dogs will be gone too – along with the purebred dogs.

Now I am NOT saying purebred dogs are without problems – that’s a rant for another blog (!).   BUT if you love your dog – purebred or not purebred and if you believe in the unconditional bond, love and support in owning a pet – ANY kind of pet – watch who you support. 

Phew.  That’s my rant for today.  Who KNEW I could be so fired up about a political topic.  See – I SHOULD have run for President….

OK.  We made my human scream yesterday.  I mean really scream.  Not at us.  Well – maybe partly at us – but more like a scream at the universe – with her head back shouting at the heavens.

Yesterday was her day off.  Which means it’s a day she doesn’t go into the office and doesn’t get paid for that day – but she does all the work she doesn’t have time to do at the office Tuesday through Friday.  Go figure.  Humans.

Anyway, we were sure to get her up nice and early.  I told you that I think sleeping is overrated. She took us out in the dark and promised long walks in the light of day.  We had our breakfast and she was eating hers when she noticed Frodo standing and listening in the middle of the room.  She didn’t pay much attention – the radio was on and she figured he just heard the wind outside.  And then SHE heard the sound too.  A high pitched beeping sound.  Hmmmm.  She walked to the other room and heard where it was coming from.  The laundry room.  She opened the door and found water on the floor.  And the washing machine beeping madly with lights flashing.  She had thrown a load of dog towels in the wash when she got up – and clearly there was a problem.  She shut the machine off and quickly Googled the manual for the washer.   And she searched through the error codes that were listed in the manual.  This problem – do this.  That problem- do that. Our problem – call for help.  Drat.  But not one to give up so easily, she attempted some of the OTHER solutions.  Just in case.  The first “solution” ended up with MORE water flowing out onto the floor – but she actually thought this was promising.  She threw some more towels on the floor to sop up the mess and came into the kitchen to wash off some filter thing. And she just happened to glance at the dining room carpet.  Probably 8 feet of the border edge had been ripped out from under the carpet – compliments of Elroy.  He works fast.  As she went to tuck it back under the carpet, she turned around just in time to see me balancing on two legs, trying to eat a cookie she had left on a plate.

And it was at that very moment that a banshee scream from the depths of her soul erupted and was probably heard for a  5 km radius.  We just stared at her.  She is SO dramatic sometimes.  We just looked at her and then went about doing our things – I went back to chewing a bone,  Frodo rolled over and got in a more comfortable sleeping position under a chair, and Elroy moved onto the dog bed for a nap.

The bad news, her attempt at appliance repair did not work.  But the good news – the repairman was able to come yesterday!  Now THAT was a miracle.  I think someone upstairs heard my human’s scream and figured she needed a bit of relief.  When he arrived, she put the three of us on the deck – to keep us from getting INTO the washing machine with the guy. We promptly took turns peeing on the BBQ on the deck.

The good news also was that the machine could be fixed.  It seems SOMEONE put perhaps a bit too much soap in the machine – causing the machine to protest and overflow.  I’m not pointing paws, but let’s face it – she couldn’t blame US for this one.  So $100 and several soapy wet towels later, all was right with the world.  As the repairman was writing up the bill, he told my human she could let us in – as we stood on the deck staring in through the glass.  He had a dog – so he was used to dogs.  My human cautioned him that we are a bit “wild.”  He said “no problem – let them in.” She warned him to brace himself as she opened the flood gates.  Two barking PONs raced in followed by a leaping, exuberant Picard who practically took the guy out.  He grabbed a stool to sit on so he would have better leverage.  She had warned him.

As he was getting ready to leave, Elroy grabbed the ONE dry towel that had not been used to soak up the mess – and silently took off with it under the dining room table.  Of course he did.

So that was the better part of my human’s day “off.”  Minus several good walks with us  – which she clearly needed.  The freezing fresh air was good for her.

So that was our day.  Seriously – I couldn’t make this stuff up.  Hope yours was equally exciting!!!!

I think I might be Santa Claus.  Yes – you read that correctly.  I think I AM the guy.  Or at least I have some of Santa’s power.  You know those lines in the song “Santa Claus is Coming to Town?” – They go like this: He sees you when you’re sleeping, He knows when you’re awake...

So it was the weekend.  And in THEORY, humans SHOULD be allowed to sleep in a bit on the weekends.  Unless they live with Santa Claus. Or dogs.  

You see, last week we had some disappointment in our house – I had two seizures.  Things had been going SO well – I hadn’t had ANY since late October.  But for some reason, I had two last week.  They were short – less than a minute – and I rebounded quickly.  But they are distressing just the same.  And because they occur in the middle of the night, after one happens, my human doesn’t sleep well for the next few nights.  If I move off the bed, or stretch out, or make ANY kind of sound, she wakes up.  And when she wakes up, I wake up.  Because I think it’s time to start the day.  Even if it’s 4AM.  So my human will lie in bed and pretend to be asleep.  But just like Santa – I KNOW when she’s awake.  And I stare at her.  And if she begins to move her legs – like she is going to get up – I’m jumping all over her.  She’s pretty sneaky – she moves her head ever so slightly to see what time it is. And she even pretends to breathe heavily, like she’s sleeping.  She thinks she fools me.  But she doesn’t – I have Santa powers.  Actually, I think all dogs have Santa powers.  And really it goes beyond the sleeping thing.  Think about it.  We bring joy and happiness.  We’re jolly.  Generally.  And we leave “presents”.  OK the presents thing is a bit of a stretch.  But the rest applies.

So needless to say, we had some early mornings this weekend.  Which is fine by me – Carpe Diem!  Sleeping is overrated in my mind.  

Anyway – to all canines out there – don’t forget to keep practicing your Santa powers.  It’s an important skill. Now excuse me while I go and round up my reindeer…

So we all know that Frodo does not like to be “contained”.  Sequester him – and he WILL find a way out…

The other night my human had a friend over for dinner.  And while her friend was anxious to see us, my human suggested that we all meet AFTER dinner – as our table manners (i.e; begging, staring, stealing napkins) leave a bit to be desired.  So all of us were sequestered in the run in the garage.  In order to contain us (actually, in order to contain FROD0), my human had latched the door, put several bungee cords on it, placed a folded wire dog crate in front of the door and further barricaded it with two HUGE Rubbermaid bins.  Part way through dinner, my human heard Elroy squeaking.  So she went to see why.  Why was he squeaking?  He was missing Frodo and I who had managed to escape.  I basically followed Einstein, and was busily chewing the pocket of my human’s dog walking coat when she came in because, of course, the pockets always contain treats.  Frodo was wildly leaping up and down, trying to get into the dog food storage bin – which is luckily placed high up – out of reach. Interestingly, the barricade didn’t look like it had even been moved.  We’re kind of like mice, we can fit through even the SMALLEST opening.  But not Elroy.  My human called to her friend to show the escape artistry.  At which point I dashed into the dining room and was JUST about to take a mouthful of lemon tart dessert when my human ran back in.  I was too slow.  We were all THEN sequestered in the entry hall – where we could watch the ending of the meal through the french door.

Saturday morning we made sure to wake my human up at 5:30 so she could make the most of her day.  On Friday, she had PROMISED us that we would all go for a run on Saturday morning.  The only problem?  At 5:30 it is still dark.  So we went out for a quick walk and had to wait for daylight to go on our run.   Elroy got to go first.  And for SOME odd reason – and my human is not even sure why –  she put one of our 65 baby gates in front of the door leading to the entry hall.  So we could not get in the hallway.  She took Elroy for a run on the golf course, during which he was definitely answering his Call of the Wild.  My human came home exhausted after an hour of walking, hiding on him, throwing the fetch toy, trying to catch him, keeping him from eating inedible objects, keeping him from leaping on her when she put the leash on him, keeping him off the ice on the ponds (not to worry – they are ALL shallow)…a great time was had by all. 

And what did my human find when she trudged through the door and into the hallway?  Me.  And Frodo.  There we were.  This time, did Frodo knock down the gate?  Did he move it to slide through?  Did he go over it?  Nope.  He annihilated it.  He ripped one of the plastic panels out and it was in pieces on the floor.  And you KNOW what my human said…

January 21.  And according to the crazy calendar, it’s One Liner day.    A day to think about those quick witted, short sayings that make you chuckle.  Or groan.  Or – could be serious.  And I found a BUNCH of dog one liners.  Although, I think if it’s a riddle, I suppose that is TECHNICALLY two lines.  But I’ll still include them – just because they are funny.  And every now and then, like after an inauguration, we all need a little laugh…

Why do dogs always race to the door when the doorbell rings?  It’s hardly ever for them.   – Harry Hill

A chihuahua looks like a dog that is still far away.  – William Coronel

January 20.  So I looked at the crazy calendar to see what’s up today.  And I found two occasions listed – and the irony caught my eye….

Of course, the big occasion in the US is Inauguration Day.  The passing of the torch to the new President.  I was invited – as was most of the world, but I’m giving it a pass.  I have retrieving to do.  Kind of like being invited to go on a date and saying you have to wash your hair.  So for all those who thought they were dreaming about this whole election thing – nope – you are WIDE awake.  And it’s happening today.

But you want to know what OTHER day today is?  It is actually a day to recognize individuals with disabilities.  A day to recognize and support those people who may not have the same physical abilities like everyone else.  It’s a day of advocacy – and a day to empower individuals with physical challenges – and to show the world that you support people with all levels of abilities.  And you want to know what this day is called?  International Day of Acceptance. 

Does anyone see the irony in the title with the first day I mentioned? 

This is just a humble dog’s opinion, but I think it’s time for humans to work together.   Accept the reality of this inaugural day- but use your voice to advocate.  Use your voice – like Frodo.  For whatever cause you hold close to your heart.  But make sure you use your voice…and never underestimate the power of that voice….just remember how noisy Frodo is on his own – and think what our house sounds like when two more of us join in.

Have a GOOD one.

So I have two questions.   And I guess they are about quirky behavior….

#1.  Is it a Picard thing to walk around and squeak?  I am renaming the FG.  He will henceforth be called “Squeaky”.  When Squeaky was a little pup – which seems like a long time ago – I can’t remember him being smaller than me – he would squeak when he needed to go out.  So my human would take him out.  And he still does that when he wants to go out.  But he squeaks ALL the time.  He will stand in front of the gate to the DFZ, look in and squeak.  He will stand by the deck door, look out and squeak.  He will lie down in front of Frodo, look at him and squeak.  He will sit next to my human while she is eating, stare at her and squeak.  And this is NOT because he has not had exercise.  He’ll do it after he was out for an hour long romp outside.  Or after 10 rounds of Find the Bunny. I think he needs to be oiled.

#2.  Is there anyone else who inhales food like me?  I mean I have always joked that we PONs inhale our food – but I inhale everything edible.  Give me a piece of kibble?  I inhale it.  Give me a piece of banana?  Whoosh.  Gone.  Now Frodo likes to inhale his meals too – but he DOES chew too.  About the only thing I chew is apple or carrot.  But just one or two bites.  While Frodo chews several times and the FG – well he chews and spits.  Chews and spits.  Until said food item is barely recognizable.  But not me.  Inhale and gone.   Call me Hoover.  That’s why my human never buys fancy dog biscuits at the bakery. I don’t even taste them.  I guess the good news is that I don’t pick up inedible things like rocks.  Now THAT would be a real problem….

So those are my two quirky questions.  About Squeaky and Hoover.   And then there is Einstein. The big question about him would be how he got so smart.  I think he did more homework when he went to Puppy School.

Just think how boring life would be without our quirks…. 

Have a good one.

The first skill I call his “latch ESP.”  Frodo has an unbelievable ability to know when a door has not been latched.  For example, let’s say my human goes into the garage aka grooming torture parlor aka storage room aka home to the dog food storage bin aka place to keep the car. Now my human doesn’t always need an entourage following her in the garage – especially the FG who likes to steal winter boots and really, anything that isn’t bolted down. So when she goes in, she usually closes the door behind her.  But if by SOME chance she doesn’t fully close the door, and it doesn’t latch – Frodo is IN. Every time.  Same is true for the laundry room.  One never knows WHAT might fall out of a pocket when clothes are going into the wash – so if that door is not latched – Frodo is there surveying.  And although the gate to the DFZ doesn’t have a latch, he is well aware if the bungee cords aren’t holding it – and he is IN.  He’s the latch king.

January 17.  And it’s a big birthday – for Betty White!  Betty turns 95 today.  The Golden Girl actress and comedian has a long history in the entertainment field.  But what you may not know is that she is a big animal rights activist – and she loves dogs.  Betty is said to have turned down a role in a movie once because there was a scene where a dog was thrown down the garbage chute in an apartment building.  Even though it was a comedy, she didn’t want people to get crazy ideas.  Over the years she has contributed lots of money and has volunteered with a variety of animal charities – including The Seeing Eye – the oldest guide dog school in the world.  Her list of accomplishments is long – she has certainly had a life well-lived – and we hope that she has a HUGE party when she hits 100!

And in other entertainment news – the 146 year old Barnum and Bailey Circus is folding the Big Top tent for the last time.  The entertainment icon saw declining attendance over the years – particularly after the circus had pressure from animal rights activists and it stopped featuring elephants.   My take on the circus?  It was a form of entertainment back in the day before the age of technology.  It gave people a glimpse of exotic animals that they would never have the opportunity to see in their home environments.  Dogs were actually seen in circuses dating back to the earliest days – in fact that’s where the term “dog and pony show” originated.  So like everything in life, times change.  And the days of the traveling variety show have come to an end.  But not to worry – my human says that if anyone still wants to see a circus, all they have to do is come to our house…

Have a good one and Happy Birthday Betty!

Well they survived.  My human came home from class with no sprains or fractures, she still had a few treats left in her pocket and the FG was in a great mood.  Mind you, I’ve never seen the FG in a bad mood.  I understand he was the only Picard in the class.   Which I guess is not really a surprise given that there are probably only two other Picards in the province.  There were several Shelties in the class, several Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, a Doberman, a Bearded Collie and an Old English Sheepdog.  Glad to hear the herding group was so well represented.  Elroy did not rip the tail hair off any dogs – though he was staring at the butt of the Old English a couple of times.  Three people asked my human what Elroy was.  My human said coyote.  And she said he was just there to help him get used to being around dogs.     JUST kidding – about the coyote part.  But several people  didn’t know what he was.  Guess they don’t study rare dog breed books like my human.  

Elroy reportedly did a decent job – although he has been trained to “sit” for his obedience classes – and he apparently hasn’t figured out that for the beauty pageant classes, you don’t sit.   For those unfamiliar with beauty pageant training, if you have ever seen a dog show, and you see how those dogs run around the ring with their humans and it all looks so easy and the dogs stand like statutes for the judge to look at them – well I’m here to tell you, it’s actually not as easy as it looks.  My human is really the one who needs the classes and even on Day 1, the teacher identified one of my human’s bad “habits.”  She does this thing where she puts her finger in front of us when she wants us to run around the ring.   It looks like she is hailing a taxi as she runs around.  The teacher told her to stop it.  But of course, she can’t.  She’s been doing it forever.  One of the other people in class suggested she carry something in that hand so she wouldn’t “raise the finger” and look like she was running  around the ring and proclaiming that she and the FG were #1.    The woman gave her something to hold, which the FG then thought was something for him to tug.  That plan didn’t work.   She has to work on that.  She’s also so busy watching the FG and entertaining him during class that she sometimes doesn’t hear the instructions.  I imagine that they have already been identfied as the class clowns.  The two of them  make a good pair.

But all in all, my human came home happy too.  Although she DID need a nap when she got back.  Good thing she had taken Frodo and I for an hour long walk BEFORE she went to class.  

She’s off today – so I propose a 2 hour walk with me and Frodo – given that WE didn’t get to go to a class yesterday.  It’s really only fair. 

Have a happy Monday.  You know we will!