Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter.

A human birthday

August 20, 2015Leave a Comment

August 20. Well today is a special day. It’s World Mosquito Day. Seriously. I’m not exactly sure how we celebrate mosquitoes. Everyone wear extra bug spray? Remember – I don’t make these up.

In addition to a day marking annoying insects – it’s another day. It’s my human’s birthday. Humans can be kind of funny when it comes to birthdays. It seems you hit a certain age, and you get more nervous with each birthday. You look in the mirror and survey the effects of another year. Not us dogs, we look in the mirror and see another dog – and some of us try to either make friends with that dog – or attack him. And we don’t really care about birthdays – although a birthday usually signals extra treats and sometimes even a party. Which is perfect. We live for the here and now – and perhaps humans could take a lesson from us. For us dogs, every day is a birthday!

As far as my human’s age…let’s just say, she was born BEFORE Facebook. And actually…. she was born – if you can believe it – BEFORE the Internet. I think she knew Moses. It’s amazing really.

Human birthdays can mark a time to look back on what you have done since the LAST birthday. Let’s see….if my calculations are correct, my human has done over 1400 dog walks since her last birthday. Over 100 grooming sessions. Countless photo shoots with us canines. And she has said “Viktor stop it” probably 1 million times.

The other big “dog event” since her last birthday was the launching of this blog. Through this blog we have “met” many wonderful humans and canines all over the world.

My human is still away – but we’ll be sure to celebrate with her when she comes home. And of course, while she is gone, we are working on lots of material for the blog. It’s our “gift” to her!

Happy birthday to my human! We miss her – and we know she misses us too.

National Bad Poetry Day

August 18, 2015Leave a Comment

Dogs. by Viktor

Dogs are good. Dogs are bad.

We make you happy. We make you sad.

We can learn a trick. We can ignore your call.

We can fetch a stick. Some prefer a ball.

We can pull a cart. We can chase a sheep.

To own three of us is far from cheap.

We like to bark. At what we hear.

When it’s dark. But you have nothing to fear.

Because we like to tease you. And sometimes please you.

We’re very smart. For the most part.

We like to walk. We love to run.

To chase a bunny is extra fun.

Take us to the park. We’ll be sure to leave our mark.

That’s what we do – we go out to pee. We go out to poo.

You build up great muscle – when you have us to wrestle.

When you bring out the brush – you’ll see us rush.

When it’s time for a groom we run out of the room.

We love to eat. Any time of day.

If you want to train us, a treat goes a long way.

We are special creatures. With unique features.

And once you own a dog – your life is never the same.

You are lucky to have us. Even though we drive you insane.

Rally on Lassie

August 17, 2015Leave a Comment

Good day. Yes – I am still on my blog-cation but my human just sent me a text – actually the text was for Frodo. It seems my human has entered Frodo in some kind of dog show – doing something called “Rally Excellent.” Not “Rally Mediocre” – that would be more my speed. No. Frodo gets to try for something called “excellent.” And now my human is beginning to panic since we have done no “official” training in months. Now THIS should be entertaining. I envision LOTS of treats for Frodo when she gets home. Pax and I will just watch.

Good thing this rally thing doesn’t involve walking on a leash on a trail. Or demonstrating any kind of Lassie-like behavior. What do I mean? Well you know – Lassie was a famous collie – who could do anything and was especially good at saving people if they were in trouble. Us PONs? Not so good at channeling inner Lassie. For example, last week while my human was walking Frodo and I on the trail one morning, she tripped and fell FLAT on her face on the trail. She spontaneously let go of our leashes. She lay there for a second and surmised that that were no SHARP pains – like the time she fell and broke her wrist. So she slowly got up. All the time Frodo and I were happily traveling along on the trail. We didn’t give her a second look. She mumbled that we had no Lassie-like instincts in our DNA. But she was wrong. We knew she was OK. So why make a big deal of it? Kind of like when a kid trips and falls. If the parents get all stressed and “oooooo and awwwww” – the kid cries more. But if the parents check them out and determine everything is OK, and they don’t get all upset, the kid is quickly better. That’s what Frodo and I did. We knew she was fine. If she HAD been injured, one of us would have stayed with her, while the other one ran for help. Suuuuuuure we would…..

OK. That’s the update for today. It’s HOT here. Very hot. But we’re enjoying our time with the sitter. And still eyeing the screen door…

Have a good one!

Happy Saint Roch Day!

August 16, 2015Leave a Comment

August 16. It’s me – Viktor! I’m still officially on my blog-cation – but today is a special day – so of course I had to say a few words – and update you about my latest exploits.

First off – do you know what day it is?! Saint Roch Day! And who is Saint Roch?! The patron saint of DOGS!!! Yup. We dogs have our very own Saint. I think we need to spread the word about him. I mean people know about Saint Patrick and Saint Nicholas – but what about Saint Roch? He supposedly healed many people of the bubonic plague – and when HE contracted it himself, it was a DOG who licked his wounds and brought him food – and healed him. How about that?! I think it should be a national holiday. I’ll work on it.

In other news – the bathroom destruction drags on. And we continue to try and sneak in the disaster zone. I think if I had been made the supervisor for this project, the whole thing would have been done by now. I’m not so sure I like the tile guy – he comes in late and then the other day he was “sick.” He does good work – but he IS kinda pokey. On Thursday when he was cutting tiles in the garage – which ALSO happens to be our “grooming” room – he warned my human while she was grooming me, that the saw noise would be loud – and I might get scared. My human said “nah – they are used to the airplane engine dog blow dryer – so they’ll be fine.” And she was right – I couldn’t have cared less – and Frodo didn’t care either. We’re all pretty bomb proof when it comes to loud noises. Probably because we are all accustomed to Frodo’s incessant, air-raid-level barking.

What else is new? Someone peed on carpet on the landing of the stairs. None of us is confessing. And I don’t want to point paws – but FRODO did drink an ENTIRE bowl of water the other night before bed. Just saying. Peeing in the house is NOT typical in our house – so it really is a mystery. I suggested sending the sample to a forensics lab for identification. You’ve heard of CSI – Crime Scene Investigation? This is PSI.

Oh and on another note – we are all looking for a new human. Why? Because as I type this, she is AWAY for a few days. Yup. We have been abandoned. OK. Not REALLY abandoned. The dog sitter is here – and we DO adore her. We’re just waiting for the opportunity to put a hole in the screen door to the deck. We’ve done it twice while she was here before. So we need to keep with tradition. Having a sitter isn’t THAT bad – and we are certain there will be the customary “guilt gifts” for us when our human returns.

Gotta go – time to beg the sitter for some more treats! Stay well my friends and Happy Saint Roch Day!

Blog-cation

August 6, 2015Leave a Comment

Summer. The good things? Playing ball. Going for long walks. Staring longingly at the food on the barbecue. Having my human home all day.

The bad things? Muggy heat. And for Paxton…bugs. Big bugs.

We go through phases of bugs in Nova Scotia. The spring begins with the dreaded black flies. Tiny dark things that like to take CHUNKS out of skin. They are VERY nasty. They last for a few weeks. And then the mosquitoes come out. They don’t bother us canines all that much – but humans – look out after dark. And now, as we have the full on heat of summer we have the arrival of the dreaded deer flies. Pesky mid sized creatures that love humans AND dark colored dogs. Frodo and I are not really bothered by them too much – but poor Paxton – they dive bomb him in DROVES. When he walks down the trail it is like he has a cloud around him. My human sprays him with a natural repellant – so he smells like a giant citronella candle after a walk. Actually, he doesn’t really get a walk – it’s more like a FAST trot – in an effort to keep the bugs off of him. But the “buggers” are smart – they still follow him. I wonder if he would wear a light colored coat if he could fool the flies. But then, I suppose wearing a coat on a hot day is not exactly a great idea. Poor Pax. Short walks for him for a little while.

Otherwise, we are enjoying time with our human. We even let her sleep in until 6AM!!!!! Thoughtful, or what? OK. It was raining. But still – we COULD have woken her.

And since we are having some lazy days, I think it is just about time for a bit of a blog-cation. Today marks my 316^th blog entry. What began as a little idea about sharing occasional views on my life with humans, has somehow developed into a daily PONtification about all kinds of topics! And every time I think I will take a break, something new happens – that I just MUST share. But to keep things interesting – and to keep people from getting bored with some of my more mundane adventures, I think I’ll take a break until September. UNLESS of course something terribly newsworthy occurs – then I’ll be sure to post my thoughts. You can count on it!

In the meantime – enjoy August!!! And all you canines – keep training those humans. I know it’s hard work, but they really are worth the effort!

Work Like A Dog Day

August 5, 2015Leave a Comment

August 5. Today is Work Like A Dog Day. The saying “work like a dog” apparently came from the fact that once upon a time, we dogs used to work . A LOT. Besides herding and guarding and hunting, in the olden days dogs also used to do things like draft work. For example, Bernese Mountain dogs reportedly pulled carts to the market. Paxton CAN pull a cart. And he’s actually not that bad. My human has never entered him a test, though, because he DOES have a mind of his own – and he IS a bit friendly – so she’s fairly certain he would “take his own route” on a test course. My human failed enough tests with her previous Bernese to know that it is NOT easy. That Bernese FINALLY did pass the test – and that was her “easy” Bernese. Paxton is not easy. I think it’s my influence. I have trained him well to think for himself.

Along with the saying “work like a dog” – comes the saying “dog tired”. It was only 150 years ago (which my human can no doubt remember) that we canines assumed a more sedentary role as pampered pets. Thank GOODNESS I didn’t live back then. I QUITE enjoy lying on my dog bed, under the fan that my human has running these past few days. Just for me. OK. For me and my “brothers”. Yes, we quite enjoy our creature comforts…

Excuse me while I go chew a bone and then ask to play fetch. And I must beg for more treats. And then I’ll go on bunny patrol – such a full “working” day…

Herding. The anticipation…

August 4, 2015Leave a Comment

Well folks. Life is great in Nova Scotia. My human is OFFICIALLY on vacation. Which means extra long walks, and lots of attention. Which I command. Yesterday I got to go for a run with my buddy Jackson, the Labrador from up the road. Frodo got to go the last couple of times – and I didn’t – all because of those few “incidents” where I took off on my own – and my human didn’t trust me to behave. But humans have short memories, so I got to go yesterday – sans leash.

We were just headed up the driveway to meet Jackson and he came around the bend. I didn’t expect him – so when I saw him, I HIT the ground. I guess it’s a flock-protecting-herding-instinct thing. I watched him as he approached. And when I recognized it was him – I jumped up. My human’s friend asked how my human trained me to do that. My human just laughed. She is very interested to see how I am going to do at something called a Herding Instinct Test next month. She figures that the entertainment I provide will be worth the entry fee. She entered Frodo too – but she’s not sure she will take both of us. Juggling double trouble could be a bit challenging. She says “we’ll see.” Frodo has seen sheep before. He thought they were OK. He DID inform me that they leave delectable morsels as they move around – so I’m curious to see what that will be like. Frodo had an interesting herding technique. He would lie in the middle of the round pen and simply “eye” the sheep. And they would move around the pen as he moved his head. He WOULD round them up physically if instructed to do so – but he preferred a more serious sedentary approach. My human thinks I will be just the opposite. No matter what – it WILL be interesting. If you want to purchase tickets to my performance, let me know! : )

OK. I have to go. It’s time to bug my human to play ball. Again. Come on – it’s vacation. That’s what we do!

Assistance Dog Day

August 3, 2015Leave a Comment

August 3. Today is Assistance Dog Day. Now these guys are pretty special dogs. I mean these are the real working dogs. According to some sources, assistance dogs can be divided into two groups – service dogs who help individuals with physical and medical challenges, and facility dogs – who work in healthcare and educational facilities. No matter what you call them, they all help humans – in a variety of ways – from hearing ear dogs, to seeing eye dogs, to dogs who alert people in the event of a medical emergency. They help people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and can provide peace and comfort to people in nursing homes.

These dogs are super smart. And they obviously love their humans. But we can’t forget those humans who train them – and foster them as young puppies. Those humans are pretty special too.

It’s clear, that none of the dogs in this household could have passed the service dog test. My human envisions that Paxton would walk a visually impaired individual into a wall, or off a pier, and people would NEED treatment for PTSD after spending a day with me or Frodo. But we DO provide service too – comic relief. On a daily basis.

Congrats to all the special dogs who work so hard and do us canines proud. Let’s face it – you would never see a seeing eye cat. Canine helpers – we salute you.

Continuing renovations

August 2, 2015Leave a Comment

Well the bathroom renovations continue. And of course, we dogs are not allowed in the construction zone. So, as you imagine, we want more than ever to get in there. It’s kind of like the DFZ. For those who don’t recall – the DFZ is the Dog Free Zone. It’s the only room in the house where we canines do not have free roaming rights. There is a baby gate, which has bungee cords securing the entry. But of course, it’s no match for a PON. It was no time before Frodo figured out how to wedge his way in. And yours truly followed. So now I delight in sneaking my way in there – usually when I know my human is getting ready to go out somewhere. And I make myself comfortable. Just on the other side of the gate. As if to say “here I am. I’m IN.” When my human leaves us to go out somewhere, she has to put ANOTHER gate in front of the “secured” baby gate. So far that has worked to keep us out when she’s not there. Or she THINKS it works.

We are VERY anxious to see the final results in the bathroom. ALTHOUGH – I hear that the new shower will be larger – and easy for us dogs to walk in. Which is a BIT concerning. Why would we ever WANT to walk into a shower? PONs and showers do not go in the same sentence. I certainly hope this whole renovation thing was not done with ulterior motives…

Play Ball Day

August 1, 2015Leave a Comment

August 1. Today is Play Ball Day. A fabulous day for a PON. My human remembers the first time she went to my “creator’s” home and she met my relatives. There she witnessed a group of PONs – most of whom were OBSESSED with retrieving a tennis ball. COMPLETELY OBSESSED. So it’s in my genes. I will retrieve and play ball until I am ready to collapse. But we can’t use tennis balls in our house. It is likely Bucket Head will either take one big bite and ruin it – or more likely, he would swallow the thing whole. So we use retrieving toys instead. Which can also be problematic because my human has THE worst throw anywhere. I mean she TRIES hard – but a toy inevitably ends up in a tree – or on the roof. And I run around frantically trying to find the missing toy. The things I have to put up with.

You know, I actually have a nickname – which also happen to be the name of a professional Baseball player. His name is Shane Victorino, and even though my human is not really a baseball fan, I have somehow adopted his name. It’s that thing that human’s do – they create a series of names for us – and then wonder why we never come when they call us. We don’t KNOW which name to respond to. Anyway, I am FREQUENTLY called Viktorino. And get this – Trino for short. And I answer to both. If treats are involved. So between the ball loving relatives and the shared name with a baseball pro, no wonder I love playing ball games.

Anyway, it’s a great day for us canines. We don’t need fancy iPawds or video games – just give us a ball, and we’re happy. But then, we’re almost always happy! Have a good one or should I say, have a ball today!!