Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter.

World Pet Day

October 4, 2015Leave a Comment

October 4. It’s World Pet Day! Now while I like to think that we canines are KINGS of the pet universe, there are lots of other species out there in the world of pets. When we use the word “pet” we are talking about those creatures that live with humans for the purpose of companionship or friendship and not those animals used as working animals or livestock. Although I am sure there ARE some pet milking cows out there!

The statistics on pets are tricky – and pet ownership varies around the world. For example, in the US, the overall population of cats is higher than dogs – but more households own dogs. That’s because in those households with cats, there are probably more than one. If we looked at the overall NUMBER of type of pets, fish would win hands down. BUT fish ownership is not nearly as high as dog and cat ownership. Confused? That’s because you can own LOTS of fish – dozens and dozens. If you did that with dogs – you would have a serious mental health problem – or you would be called a puppy mill. Actually both conditions are serious.

In Europe, they say the pet statistics are harder to define – due to the number of countries. If we look at cats and dogs, the UK, Poland and Italy have higher NUMBERS of cats than dogs like the US– while Germany is closer to 50-50. Paxton was VERY disappointed to see that Switzerland has LOTS more cats than dogs. LOTS.

In China, despite the HUGE human population, pet ownership is considerably lower than in the North America and Europe. On the other hand, Japan has LOTS of cats and dogs.

The pet population in Africa is said to be difficult to calculate because it is hard to survey many of the countries. The stats for Australia are like those of the US.

Most of the surveys about pets tend to focus on dogs and cats – but there are many other creatures that own people. We mentioned fish, but there are lots of others – including birds, small mammals like rabbits, ferrets, hamsters, gerbils, rats, mice, and guinea pigs and reptiles – snakes, lizards and turtles. People are also owned by spiders – like tarantulas and even hermit crabs. I just don’t GET that. But whatever works for you. I just wonder if your pet tarantula gets excited to see you when you get home from work…

There are lots of health benefits to owning a pet. For example, kids who grow up with pets are less likely to develop related allergies.

Pets are great for socialization. For example, when you walk us in the park, we are great ice breakers. Well. Paxton is. If people stop to ask about us PONs, Frodo will likely bark- resulting in my human’s explanation about how he likes to say hello. We don’t always break the ice. We probably cause it to form. Well – he does. I’m more of a social butterfly. But just the same, pet owners do communicate with other pet owners – and dog clubs are an example of that too.

Pets are also said to lower human blood pressure. OK. Our house it the exception to that rule too. Anyway, in MOST cases pets ARE good for your physical health. They get you out walking – they give you exercise – all of which is good for you! Unless they drag you down the driveway. And you fall. And break a hip… But honestly, studies have shown that those people owned by pets have better recovery after a heart attack that non-pet owners.

Pets also make people FEEL good. They can reduce depression. Pets give unconditional love so we make people happy.

So today, go out and celebrate us pets. Thank us for all the benefits some of us give you. And don’t forget to pet your pet. That is – unless you own fish.

My new BOOK!

October 3, 2015Leave a Comment

OK. So another day of rain fore-guessed for today and then MAYBE some SUN tomorrow. Followed by a hurricane. Hurricane Joaquin. But the good news – Joaquin is supposed to track SOUTH of us – so we may JUST get a Tropical Cyclone. Oh joy. Oh happiness.

But enough about the soggy weather – I have some BIG news. It is official. I just put together my very first self-published BOOK! Yes – a book by a dog – and not just any dog – a PON! I decided to gather some of my famous dog terminology – and put it into a book! With photos of moi. Oh and Frodo and Pax too. I didn’t know what to call my book. Harry PONter? Fifteen Shades of Grey? Alice’s Adventures in PONderland? The Da PONci Code? Valley of the PONs? A Tale of Two PONs? PONdyssey? A lot of those titles seemed familiar for some reason – so I went with the Viktionary.

You can find it at this site:

http://www.prestophoto.com/bookstore/194465

My human explained that I will NOT make a fortune selling this book – since the people who PRINT the book make almost all of the money. But she did say that we MIGHT be able to make enough to buy a box of biscuits. She knows that we will be able to buy SOME treats – since she will be able to convince her mother to buy 50 copies. Well. Maybe not 50. But a few!

So if you are looking for a unique Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa gift – consider a book. By a PON! I’m a bit nervous as I have never written a book before. But heck, if a HUMAN can write a book, certainly a dog can! And if you buy a copy, and I see you someday, I will happily give you my pawtograph!

In other news, Paxton is going to the Vet today. He doesn’t know it yet. He’s going in for his annual physical and to get some medicine. For worms. NO – we don’t THINK he has worms – BUT since he eats all kinds of rotting vegetation- if given 30 seconds of off-leash freedom- my human doesn’t want to take any chances. Paxton actually doesn’t mind the Vet – since he has spent time there – especially after eating my human’s sling last year. They seem to like him – he’s kind of like a mascot. Probably because he paid for the new wing on the building. Our Vet could write a book about HIM!

Have a happy Saturday!

Harold

October 2, 2015Leave a Comment

October 2. The good news. It is Friday – which means our human will be noticeably happy when she comes home from work. The bad news. It is still raining. And Frodo and I don’t want to go out on our walks. On a day like this, my human walks, followed by two soggy shaggy creatures who appear to be in a funeral march. On a nice day, we are bounding out AHEAD of her – often dragging her up the driveway. But when it’s raining, everything happens in slow motion. It is all my human can do to push us out of the house when she opens the door.

I looked at the weather fore-guess for the next two days and it is ever-so-informative and special. Rain at times heavy. Periods of rain. Cloudy. Showers. All that to say WET for the next few days. We are so depressed. Except for Paxton. He doesn’t care. Put a coat on him and he thinks he looks fantastic – so out he goes.

October 2 is National Name Your Car Day. I have no idea what that means – I assume you give your car a name, besides the manufacturer’s name. Our car is getting old. It will be 10 next year – and in dog years, it is definitely a senior. It’s a Subaru – and my human can’t decide whether to retire it – or drive it into the ground. Whatever THAT means. It has like a gazillion miles on it – but it runs well. Frodo knows how to open the automatic windows in the car – so my human has to keep the child locks on – all the time. We all LOVE going for a car ride. Except to the Vet. So what do you call a vehicle that has a faint “essence de canine”, dog hair stuck under the seats, under the mats and in some places, stuck to the ceiling – compliments of Paxton. And that’s AFTER it has been vacuumed. The windows often have signs of olfactory art. But it runs like a tank, and the body looks OK – despite a few parking lot “door dings” – caused by other vehicles. So what would I call our car? “Hairy” seems appropriate. No – make that Harold – that’s a bit more distinguished. Harold – the K9 taxi. That or the Barkmobile. Brutus? Atlas? Or how about Kratos – who was the Greek god of strength and power. Our vehicle does have power and it carries dog crates – so that would work. Nah. I still like Harold.

Oh –oh I must go and hide – I think my human wants to take me out again. And it’s STILL raining. Unless she wants to take us out in Harold. We’ll gladly go out for that!

Have a happy Friday.

Special translation

September 30, 2015Leave a Comment

Humans and your vocabulary. Honestly. Today is International Translation Day – and maybe someone can help me in translating human-speak…

I have a perfect example – the word “special”. Now I know that “special” can mean remarkable or noteworthy – but in GENERAL, when someone hears the word “special” they think of GOOD things. Like a special treat. Or a special toy. Or a special holiday. When we hear the term Special Olympics we think about those amazing, unique and wonderful individuals who come together to celebrate sport and each other. The word “special” is something GOOD.

So translate this for me. We have a SPECIAL Weather Forecast for our area. Do you think the SPECIAL forecast is for sunshine, warm temperatures and rainbows? I mean would THAT not be special weather? But no. Not in human terms. The SPECIAL weather forecast is calling for heavy, heavy rain and winds. We are talking REALLY heavy rain. In short – miserable weather. Frodo and I find NOTHING special about this forecast. The raincoats are coming out – and we are planning where to hide in the house. Pax doesn’t care. He would go out in a hurricane.

And as for humans translating OUR language – it will be a VERY CLEAR the message that we are communicating when you open that front door and we put ON the brakes.

You humans. We have SO much work to do with you.

Have a special – and DRY day!

Broadway Musicals Day

September 29, 2015Leave a Comment

September 29. It’s Broadway Musicals Day. There have been several famous musicals that included dogs in the story. Two that quickly come to mind are Toto from the Wizard of Oz, and Sandy from the musical Annie. There are hundreds of famous musicals, and as I was looking at the list, I started thinking how the titles could be about life in our house…

Pins and Needles – about my encounter with the porcupine

Deathtrap – the inherent dangers in walking around our house when we have spread out our hundreds of toys from the toy bin

The Pajama Game – jockeying for a position on the human bed – AFTER our human has fallen asleep

Jekyll and Hyde – my ability to change my loving adorable behavior into a monster when someone tries to come into my sleeping space

A Chorus Line – the choir-like barking that goes on while we are waiting for our food dishes

The Magic Show – our ability to make food disappear so quickly that it appears the dish was never full

Promises, Promises – the annoying human habit of saying “I’ll be right back” – even though she may be gone for an hour or more

Cats – this one is obvious. One of our favorite things to chase. That and foxes, rabbits, and leaves.

Hair – another obvious title that applies to our house. From us furry PONs to the ever-shedding Paxton, our house is FULL of it.

Ain’t Misbehavin – OK this one doesn’t REALLY apply. When does that EVER happen in our house? Oh I know – when we’re sleeping! On the human bed.

So go and sing a show tune today and as we say on the East coast – I hoped you have a Wicked good day!!!

Blame it on the moon

September 28, 2015Leave a Comment

Blame it on the full moon. That’s what I’m doing.

Saturday night, ALL of us dogs decided we SHOULD be sleeping on my human’s bed. I must confess, I’ve been sneaking up there some nights, but Saturday, we ALL joined in. So my human found herself at 3AM hanging off the side of her bed. My solution? I suggest getting a bigger bed. Her solution was to excuse all of us from the bed. Party pooper.

Anyway, the plan was to get up early Sunday and go for a run with my buddy Jackson. So. My human took Frodo and Pax out first for their walk – and to keep me from barking while they were gone, she hid kibble all around the kitchen and dining room. What she seemed to forget is that I have an EXPERT nose, so in NO time, I found everything. And of course started calling them to come home. Which my human could hear from WAY up the road. My shouting managed to work, as they did return. So now it was MY turn for a walk. I KNEW it was going to be a run – because I was equipped with a collar AND a bell. So off we went. We were going up to the golf course that is at the end of our road and it was a PERFECT fall morning. Frosty and crisp and the sun was just coming up. It was peaceful and calm. For a short while….

So my human let me off my leash and for the first little while, she had to keep reminding me that I was FREE – and could run with Jack. I kept sticking with her – because she had great treats in her pocket. So we came around the bend, passed a pond (which Jackson ALWAYS goes in – I just don’t get that swimming stuff – but he IS a Lab), and started walking along a fairway. And suddenly, I spotted something. And it was like someone shot me in the butt. I was GONE. My human and her friend watched me take off like a BULLET. Jackson watched me, and then decided to follow. Around a bend I went – and I was out of sight. And Jackson came back. My human and her friend reached the bend and could HEAR my bell in the bushes – but no sight of me. Then they caught a glimpse of me racing along another fairway. They called and called to no avail. I was deaf. Completely deaf. Don’t ask me why. I had total namenesia. I couldn’t remember my name – or any of that great obedience training. So my human walked along where they last saw me. And she called. And called. She expected me to materialize any second. She walked and called. After about 15 minutes, she started to get concerned. You see, we live kinda in the boonies – and the golf course is surrounded by woods and a dog could run for MILES and MILES. My human headed for a trail in the woods and her friend went to cover more of the course. They kept communicating by phone. My human shouted my name. OVER and OVER and OVER. She walked and walked. She went several kilometers in the woods and headed back. Shouting and shouting my name. By now I was gone for close to an hour. The guys working on the golf course were told I was missing and they offered a golf cart to ride around the course. My human circled back to the clubhouse. No sign of me. She didn’t know what to do – or where to even look! So she figured she would go and get Frodo. She didn’t know why – but she also had a FEELING that MAYBE I would have gone home. In fact, she wasn’t TOTALLY panic-stricken yet as she thought it COULD be possible. So she headed down the long driveway, and her heart began to sink. She didn’t see me. At first. Then she noticed a scruffy looking wet creature, sitting in front of the door, waiting to get in to be fed his breakfast. That’s when she nearly cried.

So I guess there will be no free runs with Jackson ANY time in the near future. Honestly, I’m not sure what all the fuss was – I DID come home, didn’t I? Honestly it wasn’t MY fault. Blame it on the full moon.

Google me

September 27, 2015Leave a Comment

September 27. On this day in 1998 – Google was launched. That’s a LONG, LONG time ago – but my human actually remembers the world BEFORE Google. Can you imagine?! She really IS old. Before Google, I guess humans had to look up things in books – like dictionaries and encyclopedias. They even used something called a phone book.

When Google started – it was a noun. It was a thing that you used to look up things. Now it is also a verb – you “Google” something. Weird.

If you Google “Polish Lowland Sheepdog” – you get over 472, 000 results. And if you Google “dog” you get 1,360,000,000 results. That’s a LOT of info. The key is to know how to find something in all that info. Like digging through the dog toy bin for my favorite toy. You can spend a LOT of time Googling things and searching for things. My human is a Google pro. People ask her to find something on the internet and she can Google with the best of them. My favorite things for her to Google are “dog toys,” “dog treats” and “dog food.” I do NOT like when she Googles “dog grooming supplies” or “dog coats.”

If you Google “Polish Viktor” – I come up pretty close to the top of the list. I think it’s cool that you can Google me. I’m just glad that when you Google “bad dogs” I’m not near the top of the list. Yet.

A is for Apple

September 26, 2015Leave a Comment

September 26. Johnny Appleseed Day. Johnny Appleseed – whose real name was John Chapman, lived from 1774-1865 in the US and was well known for his gardening skills – specifically his skills in growing orchards. He is said to have introduced apple trees to several states including Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. He was a missionary and apparently – an all around nice guy who had conservation at heart.

According to some historians, apples were planted by the Acadians in Nova Scotia in the early 1600’s. We even have an Apple Blossom festival in the Annapolis Valley every year. There are at least 40 varieties of apples grown here. Who knew? Well I didn’t know about all the varieties – but I DO know that we LOVE apples. I mean we REALLY LOVE apples. My human slices them up for us, because she read somewhere that the cores and seeds can cause stomach upset – so we just get the good part of the apples. If we hear her slicing them, we make a MAD charge for the kitchen.

Autumn is a great time of the year. It’s a time to go apple picking. We dogs don’t actually get to go – because like when picking out a Christmas tree, we pee on everything. So my human leaves us at home – to wait for the bounty to be returned. Fall is also the time when my human painstakingly picks out a pumpkin (or two) and proudly displays it in front of our entrance door. And without fail, the first time Paxton spots it, he grabs it by the stem and hauls it off into the woods – with my human in hot pursuit. Frodo and I, if given the chance, prefer to pee on the pumpkin. And the Fall mums too. The joys of living with three boy dogs.

So given that today is Johnny’s day – go out and have an apple. Because you know that old proverb, “An apple a day, and the PONs will play.” OK. I made that up. But I like to be different. And THAT’S why I’m the “apple of my human’s eye.” Although some might also argue, I’m the bad apple in the bunch! All right – enough apple puns for today.

Have a good one!!!

Habits

September 25, 2015Leave a Comment

So today let’s talk about habits. Habits are behaviors that when repeated over and over again, become unconscious routines. Humans have habits – like following the same route to work each day. Some habits are good – like sitting and waiting for our food to be served. And some habits are bad – like chasing bunnies. And then some habits are just plain old strange – and this house is FULL of strange habits. For example, we all go outright CRAZY with barking when our human gets home. Like we are each shouting at her about what we have been doing all day. Which is a bit odd – since we mostly sleep while she is away – but we still must bark incessantly for several minutes.

Paxton is the KING of strange habits. As soon as he wakes up in the morning – and my human goes into the bathroom, he pulls a HUNK of hair from his tail. I kid you not. And then he tries to spit out this big hunk of hair, and is often not successful. So my human comes out of the bathroom and takes one look at him and says “Seriously????????” and pulls the glob of hair out of his mouth. At which point he must growl at her while she does it. Like she’s taking away some prized possession. This has become a daily routine. Despite the fact that she will shout from the bathroom – “You had better not be biting your tail, Paxton.” Frodo and I just watch.

Paxton’s other STRANGE habit is to grab his food dish the minute my human comes home. He will even take it outside, if she doesn’t stop him first. Maybe he’s afraid we PONs will steal his food. Well…. I guess he is justified in this strange habit.

Frodo and I also have a strange habit of trying to wedge ourselves into weird spots to rest. I SQUEEZE myself between the headboard of the bed and the wall every night. And beware any dog who tries to get close to my uncomfortable accommodations!

A canine psychologist could have a field day at our house. If someone needs subjects for a study on weird behavior – give us a call. We can keep you in research funding for years….

Say your prayers

September 24, 2015Leave a Comment

Shepherd One. Know what that is? Nope – not the top ranking Herding Dog in the world. It’s the nickname given to the plane that carries the Pope! The Big Guy is currently visiting the U.S. He’s a pretty popular guy – as evidenced by the crowds who have come out to see him. I like him. He speaks his mind, calls for more charity, is less judgmental, and seems to care about the environment. He is also named after Saint Francis – who liked animals. Bet he would LOVE us PONs –and even Pax too. Yeah – like every powerful figure, not everything the Pope says or does is perfect. But then, who is? Except us dogs of course. Because what is dog spelled backward? I rest my case.

Despite our perfectness, we were all busted the other night. Yup – we sinned. Well – not Frodo –the good dog…

So my human got home from work and took out our food dishes to feed us. But before we ate – she let us all out for a quick pee. We usually run out, do our thing and DASH back in to be fed. Except the other night. It was one of those not-so-slow-motion moments with my human starting to open the door and instantly spotting a CAT in the front yard. And of course, all of us spotted him too. As my human went to close the door, we ALL were already IN MOTION – and out we went. Like a line of trains SPEEDING up the driveway – with me in the lead. “AGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH – STOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP,” my human shouted. And for one split second she thought we were coming back. I lost sight of the cat as he raced into the woods and I circled back toward the house trying to pick up the trail. Everyone followed. My human pleaded with us to come in – but I got a whiff and off I went – with the other two stooges right behind me. My human quickly opened the garage door to head off in the car – when she saw Frodo running back toward the house. She hoped Pax and I would be following. No such luck. Frodo is so good – he drives me crazy. Anyway, she whisked him in the house and drove the car to the neighbors’ house up the road. She parked at the end of their driveway and I came racing up and I hopped into the car, panting like mad. It was a great run. But no sign of Bucket Head. The neighbors happened to come out and shouted to my human which of us she was looking for. “The big one,” she shouted down. “Nope – no sign of him.” So my human drove home – on the chance that Pax looped back home through the woods. Yup – we pulled down the driveway and there he was. Panting and puffing from his run. My human just glared at both of us. What a blast.

I’m blaming our behavior on the change of seasons. I mean, that WAS the last night of summer – and we just wanted to take one final summer run. Suuuuuuuuure we did……

Oh – and the cat is fine. He must have been saying his prayers….