Viktor, was a Polish Lowland Sheepdog who shared his views on life and had a following of loyal readers from around the world . He sadly left all of us us way too soon. He left his PON brother, Frodo and his Berger Picard “brother”, Elroy to continue his “legacy.” We now welcome a new PON brother to our story- Wojtek- who in many ways, has the very same “bigger than life attitude” as Viktor. So we know Viktor’s spirit lives on, as does the spirit of Paxton, his Bernese Mountain Dog…
Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here – ready to go to day 3 of boot camp. Phew! I’ve survived the first two. We did lots of fun exercises with heeling and truth be told…I like to heel. That’s because I like action stuff. Stays? Boring. Heeling? Yee haw – I’m all over it. PLUS the Warden used a secret weapon to reward me when I did a great job. Smoked Gouda. Seriously. She was searching through the fridge for something to use for treats and she figured she’d try that. BINGO. Even better than cheese strings. Even better than freeze dried liver. What can I say – I have good taste. Plus are cheese strings really cheese? Not that I’ll turn it down – but trust me – the smoked Gouda is better.
After the first day of camp, some folks said their dogs were tired out when they went home. That’s what the Warden was hoping for. Actually- praying for. Nope. I was raring to go when we got home. She said she has yet to EVER see me really, really tired. And trust me – it’s not for lack of trying! Personally, I could go to boot camp every day!
All of my obedience practice is carried out so that one day, I’ll be able to compete. I am learning what I need to do. And I’m slowly getting there. BUT – I have one BIG problem holding me back. The Warden. She gets VERY nervous when she competes. As if her life depends on us doing well. I mean I could see if there was like a million dollar prize – but hello- no such luck.
Now this article talks about what happens when humans get stressed…
Yup. We dogs can smell stress. So. When we step in that obedience ring and we smell stress- well guess what? It only stands to reason that we either get stressed too – or try to figure out why our human is stressed. So all that practice goes haywire.
If anyone has suggestions on how to destress the Warden – besides drugs and alcohol – let me know!
OK. Gotta go get ready. She better bring the Gouda.
Howdy blogaroos. Happy Monday. It’s Squirmy here – getting my uniform ready and putting on my boots. Guess what I’m doing today? Heading to bootcamp. Yup – I’m back in the army again. Remember we did a heeling bootcamp back in the early summer? Well we’re at it again! Just hope the Warden can keep up. She was slicing up some pretty aromatic cheese last night – I wondered what was going on. And then I looked at the calendar. We’re going each morning right through Thursday. Wish me luck!
Speaking of luck – the Boss’ ran out yesterday. The Warden tricked him into the garage and the next thing he knew, he was flat on his side on the grooming torture table. Holy moly he needed a brushing. Although….the Warden has been spraying this Detangling stuff on us when we’re almost finished – and she THINKS it keeps us from getting knotted as quickly. All I know is that it took 90 minutes and 639 treats to get through his full procedure. But who’s counting.
Otherwise, not much new. It was a quiet weekend, except for the Boss’ 90 minutes of moaning.
Gotta go get my boots on. I’ll let ya know how we do!
Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here on a super Saturday. Things are slowly returning to normal now that the Warden is feeling better. Mind you, our “normal” may be a bit different than the average household. Our “normal” would be crazy to most people. But hey – that’s what makes us so lovable. Cough.
I sure missed class yesterday- but we’ll be back next week. I have lots of remedial work to do…
The Boss is happy again because the stuffed KONGS have returned. The only bad thing about all this return to normalcy – it’s back to grooming time. I was the first victim yesterday and I must confess, I did feel better when I was all fluffed up. Today will be the Boss’ turn. Unless he can hide.
Guess what also appeared yesterday? Pumpkins!!! So now the fun begins. Want to place a bet on who will be the first to pee on them? My money is on the Coyote. He’s the Pumpkin Peeing Champ.
According to the crazy calendar, on this day in 1888, the magazine National Geographic was published for the first time. The magazine has done loads of articles on dogs, and we’ve shared some in the past. So this time, we’ll share a video from them- all about smart dogs.
Now the video is supposed to be for kids – but the Warden found it pretty interesting herself. The only thing that seemed really weird was the story of Donnie the Doberman. After she watched it, she looked into our yard which is scattered with an assortment of toys and bones – in all states of disarray. No special patterns visible in our yard. Clearly Donnie thinks differently than we do. He likely doesn’t attempt to bury his toys or pee on them if they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Plus stuffed toys don’t even exist in our world. I guess Donnie doesn’t have the dissection gene that we do. I’m still not so sure about that guy… See what you think.
Well, time to walk the Warden. And to check out those pumpkins!
Hey blogaroos! Squirmy here as we lounge our way through the week. The Warden is feeling better and better – and according to the “health professionals” she’s probably no longer contagious. However…she IS still coughing so she thinks we had better miss class and training for this week. She doesn’t want to take ANY chance that she could pass on the plague to anyone else. But next week, it will be business as usual!
While she’s been sick, several friends popped over and dropped off groceries. She told them what she needed and they picked up a few things for her. HOWEVER….in her COVID fog she forgot something. Something very important. Very VERY important. Plain yogurt. Plain yogurt to stuff KONGS. And THAT was a problem. A HUGE problem for the Boss. The Boss likes his routines. And you don’t BREAK his routines….
The first day there were no frozen yogurt stuffed KONGS, the Warden substituted Bully sticks to occupy us. The Boss took his and stood with it sticking out of the side of his mouth and just stared at her. Like some gangster with a cigar who wasn’t paid enough for a job. He stared. And stared. She said “there are no KONGS today. You like Bully sticks. Go. Enjoy it.” He walked away staring at her over his shoulder.
The next day, she managed to find a small container of raspberry yogurt that had been stuck in the back of the fridge probably since April. But she used it for the KONGS and all was right and fruity with the world. The Boss was happy.
But then the next day came – and there was no yogurt. So there were no frozen KONGS. Just TRY to explain that to the Boss. She thought she would appease him by giving him a half piece of bread. He gulped that down and then stared at the freezer where the KONGS should have been. Then he positioned himself next to her as she ate breakfast. She kept saying “I’m sorry – there are no KONGS. And we’re out of Bully sticks.” Boy oh boy he was NOT impressed.
Yesterday she STILL had no yogurt so she searched the fridge for ANYTHING that might appease the cranky old Boss. And she had an idea! CARROTS! She got them out, cut off the ends and gave one to each of us. The Boss, of course, immediately did his best rabbit routine and started chewing away. Yours truly just dropped mine. I didn’t want a carrot. The Coyote didn’t want one either, but when the Boss eyed his, he took off with it. Meanwhile, the Boss ate mine. After finishing that off, he sauntered over to the Coyote who, when he saw the Boss’ “look”, immediately abandoned his edible orange chew toy. The Warden had to take it from the Boss because she figured three giant carrots just MIGHT be a bit much. He still kept looking at the freezer…
Thankfully we had some groceries delivered yesterday- and you know what was at the top of the list. Plain yogurt. She was busy stuffing KONGS for hours last night. Or so it seemed. Thank GOODNESS. Routine Rocky will be happy today. And finally the Warden can have a relaxing breakfast. Maybe.
Greetings blog aficionados. Frodo here for your reading pleasure today.
I’m here to report that Her Highness is feeling somewhat better. Not completely herself just yet – but we are seeing glimpses of her again. Our walks remain rather short as she regains her energy. She has spent an inordinate amount of time doing what humans call “binge watching” Netflix. She had never been particularly interested a rather famous royal docudrama – but after the sad demise of the Queen, she began watching Season 1, last week. She is now half-way through Season 4. I need not count the hours – suffice to say it has been many. Personally, I find it hard to believe that an episode has not been fully devoted to the Queen’s dogs. Horses have certainly had their time, but so far the canines have been featured only in passing. But then this IS partly fiction.
While we think it fine that Her Highness take time to recover, we ARE a bit bored. And frankly, we do feel it is our duty to keep her moving somewhat…
On Sunday, while our Royal Highness was busy watching “one more episode” of the other Royal Highness, she suddenly heard all of us canines begin to wildly bark. I should note she was lounging on the sofa in the DFZ. She heard us run outdoors onto the deck. Or so she thought. When our barking suddenly grew silent, she lifted herself off of her throne and came to see what we were barking at on the deck. Except there was no one there. Instead, there was a wide open front door. With no dogs in sight. You see, Her Highness had been out the front door earlier to bring the potted plants out of the garage post-Fiona. Clearly she had not totally latched the door, and some remaining Fiona breeze blew the door open. Providing an instant escape route for three rather bored canines.
When she looked out the door she saw no one, but she immediately called my name- thinking I would be the most likely to return home. Wrong. She tried my name again. No response. Then called the Imp. No response. She didn’t bother calling the Coyote as she knew he would never come anyway. She ran into the house – with her wild COVID hair style standing straight up on her head. She grabbed two leashes and came back outside but didn’t know which way to go. She tried calling the Imp again – and low and behold, who should come racing down the driveway as if it was dinner time, but the Imp himself. She literally showered him in treats – telling him what a brilliant boy he was. She walked him to the house and made sure he was securely inside. One down, two to go. She got in the car and drove up to the neighbors’ house. She called my name – as she heard me bark. We were at the other neighbors’ house – I had made a the trail there to look for their cats. I have a fascination with cats. I can tell if a cat has recently passed by on a walk. My nose goes up – and I’m on high alert. So when the door blew open, I thought this a perfect opportunity to visit the neighbors’ cats. The Coyote just followed me.
So Her Highness heard me bark and she heard the neighbor calling “they’re up here. Now they’re headed your way.” Sure enough- we made a beeline for Her Highness through the woods. The Coyote quickly jumped into the front seat of the car – no doubt envisioning a car ride somewhere fun. Wrong. Her Highness shut the door, opened the rear hatch and tossed yours truly into a crate. Escaped convicts were recaptured. The ride was right back home.
When she drove into the garage, she left us in the vehicle until the garage door was closed – she wasn’t taking any chances that we would go for another walk about.
Yesterday we had rain, so we were content to binge watch more of the Royals. Yawn. As if we had a choice. But this time you can be sure, the front door was firmly secured. Not that it would have mattered. I did say it was raining.
We will know Her Highness is really feeling herself when we are groomed. All three of us are also sporting COVID hair styles at present. Not that I mind – I rather enjoy a rugged farm dog appearance. Unless it’s wet on the farm…
Let’s see how we can get Her Highness moving today. We’re really very thoughtful lads…
Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy reporting post hurricane- and for a change the hurricane I’m talking about wasn’t me.
Nope – we’re talking about Fiona. She packed a wallop on the eastern mainland of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island. Prince Edward Island and the west coast of Newfoundland were also hard hit. We certainly felt her presence, but not as much as our buddies to the east of us. Still – many BIG trees came down in the city, and the Public Gardens were hard hit. There were over 400,000 customers without power around the province. By some miracle, we kept our power. The Warden must have prayed to Saint Eligius, the patron saint of electricity. And veterinarians. And horses. And coin collectors. Now that’s an interesting bio…All I know is that she didn’t need to flush the toilet with the multiple buckets of water she had prepared.
We haven’t been down to the lake yet – it was still pretty windy and the Warden didn’t want any of us clobbered by branches. Only one tree ended up across our driveway, which two of our neighbors kindly moved to the side -so we can get out- when the Warden is feeling better.
It turns out she does in fact have the plague – she tested positive on Friday. She’s feeling a tiny bit better each day – but still not herself. She has very little taste and appetite. But at least her voice is starting to sound like her. I’ve been blaming my lack of obedient behavior on the fact that I don’t recognize her voice. OK. I agree. That’s a pretty lame excuse. But a guy has to try.
Now although Fiona luckily did not impact us in a big way…it’s a good thing she didn’t take away our power because the vacuum cleaner is in great demand. You’ll note in the picture that our deck is covered in leaves and leaf bits. So is our lawn. So IMAGINE what our house looks like when we come in from outside? Leaf confetti. Everywhere. It’s a losing battle.
Not sure what’s on the agenda for today. Probably more resting and naps for the Warden. Which is pretty boring, but we do understand.
We’re hoping all our buddies without power will soon see the light. Meanwhile, we’ll keep bringing in confetti. Par-teeeeee!
Hey ho blogaroos. Reporting here from the land of doom and gloom. OK- that’s a bit of an exaggeration. It’s not TOTAL doom and gloom. Just partial.
To begin with, the Warden clearly is not having allergy problems. Most allergies don’t include a fever, ongoing cough and all-over body aches. She took an at-home COVID test, like I mentioned the other day and it was negative. She made an appointment to have a nasal roto rooter expert do the test on Wednesday , but she felt too sick to go. In the morning, ater she managed to creep outside with us, she spent the entire day either in bed or on the sofa. Yesterday she felt marginally better, but she still has a fever. She’s not coughing quite as much – and when she does she doesn’t sound so much like a Canada Goose. She booked another expert test for today, but we’ll see if she feels good enough to go.
On top of the infirmary-like atmosphere, we are hunkering down for more company. But not the human kind. It looks like Hurricane Fiona is heading our way. To prepare for the windbag, one must make sure there is nothing loose around the house. Things like lawn furniture, barbecues and garbage cans must be either tied down or put away – like in the garage. You also need to prepare for power outages – which are likely to happen. So you need to be sure you have extra batteries for flashlights and you need to charge up power supplies for devices. Because we live on a well, no power means no water. So we have filled up bottles, buckets and have filled the bathtubs. Keep in mind, no water means you can’t flush – so you need buckets of water to keep things moving.
At a press conference yesterday, the powers that be announced that this will be a historic storm. Oh yay. It is supposed to start tonight and will last through tomorrow morning. We’ll write when the storm is all over.
In a bit of good news – we had an anniversary on the 20th! Eight years – yes eight years of writing this blog. Who knew dogs could have so much to say! We want to send a special shout out to several groups who have allowed us to share our crazy stories on their Facebook pages: The Polish Lowland Sheepdog Club of Wales and the West of England, the Polish Lowland Sheepdog Club, and the American Polish Lowland Sheepdog Association. The Warden has met some wonderful people as a result of our blog – some have become true, lasting friends. We so appreciate your comments and we love when you share a story about your canine kid – whether or not it’s a PON or a Picard. Let’s face it – PONs and Picards aren’t the only naughty breeds in the world. Near the top maybe, but it’s a long list!
OK. Time to see if the Warden has enough energy to walk us more than 10 feet from the front door. It’s already raining- even though Fiona isn’t supposed to arrive until later. The Warden said she’s so grateful that we all understand and pretty much follow the direction to “hurry up”. And given the forecast, you can be sure that will come in handy.
Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here from the house of quiet. Unless of course it’s mealtime. Or the dog down the road barks. Or the delivery guy comes. Or a leaf falls off a tree…
I’m saying it’s quiet because we have no company. Alice sadly left us yesterday morning. Before Alice visited, Sue and Keith were here. So we’ve had company for several weeks. So now it’s just the Warden talking to us. It’s kinda boring. Alice left and then it pretty much rained for most of the day. We lounged around like shaggy beached whales. Listening to the Warden cough…
The Warden gets a pesky cough sometimes- often related to allergies. But she’s really been hacking the past week or so – and yesterday was particularly ear-blowing. She’s hoping it’s not the plague – she’s vaccinated and she has managed to avoid it so far. She took an at-home test yesterday- and we watched with great interest. None of us love ear cleaning – so the thought of nostril roto rooting is pretty scary. Count me out. Her at-home test was negative, but that didn’t stop the coughing. Maybe she has Kennel cough?! Paws crossed she’ll be feeling better soon- she too did a pretty good beached whale imitation yesterday.
It looks like we have rain in the forecast for the next few days. AND all eyes are on Hurricane Fiona who could be thinking about a Nova Scotian visit on the weekend. Here’s the thing- Hurricanes are kinda like me. Let me out, and there’s no telling what direction I’ll go. And predicting days in advance- well sometimes it feels like rolling a dice. But given the possibility that she could pay a visit, I think it’s probably time to tie down the peed-on deck chairs. And maybe tie down the BBQ too. I better also go out and bring in all my toys. Don’t want to have to go searching for them in the woods.
You know – there has never been a Hurricane named Frodo, Elroy or Wojtek. There was a Leroy. But not an Elroy. Wonder how one gets on the list. I guess there hasn’t been a Hurricane Snoopy. Or Lassie either. I checked for future names up to 2027- and none of us is there yet. The Warden said one Hurricane Wojtek in Nova Scotia is enough. Funny. If you’re bored and want to learn about Hurricane names, here’s some info.
Hey blogaroos. It’s me- Squirmy Do. Or as Alice calls me – the Demon Child. She has witnessed my dining room laps, and she is accustomed to my ricochets – and even though she thinks I’m a little “wild” , I know she adores me. She’s always laughing at me and my antics- which I ramp up when I have an audience. She’ll miss me – I know she will!
Today is her last day with us – she heads home to her feline kids tomorrow. Wonder what the kitties will do when they catch the aroma of dog slobber on her clothes. I know we dogs have noses that work overtime if the Warden has been out and she visits someone with a dog. Wonder if the cats will give her the olfactory exam, or if they’ll head under the bed….
I had class on Friday and I was positively mediocre. I have been on my training hiatus the past few weeks- so I need to get back to work. We always do something different in class each week – Jane is always looking to challenge us. Well we did this exercise where Jane had two rows of stuff on the floor – toys, balls, jackets – and we were supposed to heel through them without paying attention to the items. I watched her putting all the stuff down and I was fascinated before it was even my turn to run the gauntlet. And when it came my turn- KABOOM – brain explosion. I mean come on, what dog doesn’t want to check out a row of stuff? My first run through was an epic fail. BUT – I was good on my second try. I’m a quick study. Sometimes.
Hey – I have a question for you – is your dog right or left pawed? Why? Check out this article:
The Warden hasn’t decided if I’m a leftie or a rightie. She’s right handed – so she’s curious to see which side each of us prefers. I’ll let you know when we figure it out. Ten bucks says the Coyote is a leftie. He likes to be different.
OK. I’ve got to go get Alice moving and keep her busy during every second of her last day. I have to make a lasting impression…
Greetings blog aficionados. Frodo here on this the 3rd Saturday in September- also known as Responsible Dog Ownership Day. A day to remind humans to care for their dogs – and to care for others by being responsible with their canine companion. For example- by not letting Fido run loose in the neighborhood and by cleaning up after one’s dog, one is helping others. One should also, of course, provide their dog with the obvious basics of life – such as food, water and veterinary care. As well as copious amounts of treats. Dogs should also be kindly trained to have manners around others. Not everyone enjoys a ricocheting canine – cute as he may be!
Frankly, it seems to me a bit odd that humans need to have a “day” for this. Should they not be responsible ALL the time? It’s actually a bit ridiculous when one thinks about it. Sort of like having a “Remember to Breathe Day.” Or “Eating is Good For You Day.” Or “Follow the Rules of the Road Day.” In my opinion, being a responsible pet owner is common sense. However, I understand that common sense is not always that common.
Meanwhile, our canine guests have returned to their home and we do miss them. The Imp and I were interested and polite in playing with our friends. We were always supervised with them because who knows WHAT chaos might have ensued had we been left to our own devices. The Coyote, as we well know, enjoys a good game of hump-a-thon, which can be a bit too much with some dogs. He means no harm – but they do not know it. So his interactions with our guests included a fence between them. Safety first!
We all enjoyed their company and hope to see them again soon.
Meanwhile, we continue in earnest to convert Alice into becoming a “dog” person. Now she does love all animals- she has just not had the pleasure of being owned by a canine. She has been witness to our most endearing traits – greeting her whenever she returns to a room, cleaning up any dropped crumbs, and my own ever-persistent “conversations” about life. I do believe we are winning her over.
Time to get the humans moving – it is our responsibility . Our morning walks are getting later and later – the sun is rising later each day. In the last few days we can definitely feel the change in the season- it is quite a bit cooler at night. And the daily leaf collection routine has begun. The vacuum must be used much more frequently. Honestly, it is my favorite time of the year. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the pumpkins outdoors. And the contest to see who can pee on them first. The Coyote remains the household champion. Ah the joys of autumn…
Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter. 