Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter.

Senses.

June 24, 2015Leave a Comment

June 25. Celebration of the Senses Day. We dogs have great senses. We can smell things better than humans, and hear more frequencies than humans. We don’t see quite as well. But still well enough to spot those pesky squirrels!

But besides the “regular” senses – we dogs also have some amazing “other” senses. For example, we dogs know when our humans are sad, when you are angry and we know when you are scared. We can also sense your “intentions” – like when you are planning to give us a bath. We even know when you are taking us to the Vet. Seriously.

We can sense all kinds of medical conditions – from predicting seizures, to identifying cancers – and we can even sense when a woman is pregnant.

We know not to steal things when you are watching, and can sense when your back is turned. Mind you, I will steal food right in front of you. Why wait until you turn your back?

We also know if you are being unfair! Really. I know if Frodo or Paxton got a reward, and I didn’t. But researchers claim that we don’t pay attention to WHAT the reward is – so you could give them cheese and I could get a biscuit – and that would be fine. Just don’t forget to reward one of us. We dogs have a strong sense of fairness. Mind you, personally I think it’s fine to give ME more treats because I’m the baby in the family. I deserve more…

We dogs can also sense people who don’t like us – and we know who YOU don’t like. And we’ll let you know it.

So today we celebrate the sensitive creatures we dogs are! We really ARE amazing – and aren’t you lucky we keep you?!

More Physical Therapy

June 23, 20151 Comment

Physical therapy for different muscles. That’s what we did yesterday. Remember how I talked the other day about how we do adjustments to our human’s spine each morning when we bolt out the door for our walk? We help her stretch her muscles EVERY morning – in her efforts to resist our pulling. And in an effort to stay upright. Well yesterday we decided to have her work on some different muscles. The kind you use when dogs are walking 10 feet behind you instead of 10 feet in front of you. Yes. A morning of Polish Water Torture. My human KNEW it was going to be great fun when Frodo didn’t get up – even when she put a leash on him. He’s not stupid – he HEARD the rain. He wasn’t going anywhere. And because I have learned to do what HE does – well you can picture the somber procession up the long driveway and down the road. It wasn’t REALLY raining ALL that hard – but you would think we were walking through fire. My human trudged forward – pulling probably close to 90 lbs of wet dogs behind her. And to top it off, Frodo did the ultimate “refuse-a-poop”. He was NOT happy out there – and to demonstrate his displeasure, he REFUSED to poop. I went quickly as I figured we could go back. But NO – I was stuck with “Mr. I-will-hold-it”.

After what seemed like 4 days, Frodo FINALLY made a deposit and we went home. He remained rather cranky the rest of the morning. But he got over it. And the good news – my human had a different work out. We really WERE just thinking of her…

Thank GOODNESS we have sun in the forecast for the rest of the week! Have a good one!

Fathers and suns

June 21, 2015Leave a Comment

June 21. The longest day of the year. The Summer solstice. And it’s Father’s Day. Lots to celebrate!

Since it’s the longest day, there is more time to play, more time for walks and more time for eating. I understand that in Sweden, it is a tradition to eat your way through the day – with lots of feasts. My kind of place!!

We’ll be sure to get our human up as soon as the sun begins to rise and we will keep her up until sunset. Might as well enjoy every moment of sunlight. It sure beats December 21 – when we have lots of hours of darkness.

I didn’t send a card to my canine father – but I’ll pass on my licks and hugs in this blog. He no doubt reads this.

My human’s father is at the Rainbow Bridge – with a bunch of canine pals – Mickey, the Irish Setter, Midas, the Golden Retriever, Barney, the wild dog, Schubert, Guinness and Harper, the Bernese, and Beamish the Lab. No doubt, Guinness is chewing his arm, and he is smiling as he watches our antics. He would have loved us – he liked all dogs – and he would have especially loved us Polish boys – given that he was Polish himself! I bet he would have even shared some kielbasa with us. He was a VERY artistic man – he could draw, and paint and carve things. He carved many things – beautiful ducks and birds – and LOTS of special Santas for my human and her sister. Here was one he carved the year Guinness was born. The other is a dog that he just made one day – and it bears some resemblance to a PON – although neither Frodo or I were even alive yet! We know he was a great man – who is sadly missed but lovingly remembered…

So today we celebrate Fathers and suns! I wish all Fathers – either here or no longer with us – a very special greeting, and I hope everyone is able to get out today and enjoy the daylight hours! Happy official beginning to summer!!!!

New breeds.

June 20, 2015Leave a Comment

I was reading in the paper that the AKC has just recognized three new breeds. I don’t get that word “recognized”. Could the AKC not see them before? Did the AKC have amnesia before?

Anyway, the Berger Picard comes from France. So it’s in the Herding Group. More competition for us PONS. They were actually in three movies: Because of Winn Dixie, Daniel and the Superdogs and Are We Done Yet? They have pointy ears and look kind of scruffy. They are supposed to be smart – but then most herding breeds are. Of course, I am biased. They supposedly don’t require a lot of grooming. I think I want one.

The Miniature American Shepherd is another herding dog. MORE competition. To me, they look like little Australian Shepherds. But I will no doubt get in trouble for saying that – no humans want anyone to mistake THEIR breed for another. When my human first got Bernese Mountain Dogs, and they were not yet popular, people thought her dogs were Saint Bernards. Seriously. My human would just roll her eyes and explain that they were very different. So maybe the people who own these Miniature American Shepherds will roll THEIR eyes if people think they are little Australians. Kind of like Miniature Pinschers and Dobermans. They are NOT the same. And then you have the confusing Poodles. They have big ones – standard, smaller ones- miniature and the micro-mini ones – the toys. It is all so confusing. But it IS interesting that the home of Australian Shepherds is America. Clever name. You humans. You do such strange things.

The last breed is the Lagotto Romagnolo – from Italy. This breed is a sporting breed. They look KIND of like Portuguese Water Dogs. (I’m sure I’ll get in trouble for THAT comparison too. But remember – I’m just a dog – what do I know?) And their sport? They hunt truffles. Not foxes. Truffles. Seems like a pretty easy prey. Although apparently truffles are not ALL that easy to find. They are basically mushrooms. That grow underground. And they are a bit of a delicacy. They usually cost anywhere from $95-$165 an OUNCE. In 2014, what was supposed to be the worlds’s largest white truffle at 4.16 lbs sold to someone in China for over $61,000! Seriously? I think I have found a new job!!! IMAGINE all the treats I could buy with THAT money.

So welcome to the new breeds. And now excuse me while I go mushroom hunting. I was sure I saw some in the back yard…

Sauntering.

June 19, 2015Leave a Comment

June 19. Today is World Sauntering Day. Suantering is walking in a slow, unhurried manner. That is NOT a word that would be used to describe me. I do NOT saunter. EVER. The best word to describe MY walking would be frenetic. I am FAST. Energetic. I am the opposite of a saunterer. And the COMPLETE opposite of Frodo. Frodo is the KING of Sauntering. He has this easy, lovely way of walking – our neighbor described him as “gliding”. He ambles and strolls along. Me? The Hurricane Kid. Sniff here. Race there. Chase birds. Retrieve 1000 times and never stop. Frodo? He glides along peacefully. When he retrieves, he runs out to get the toy and casually lops along as he comes back.

Paxton is neither frenetic nor saunterer. He is somewhere in between. Kind of like freight train meets molasses. With legs flying every which way. I love the big guy, but graceful is NOT his middle name.

So today is Frodo’s Day. King Saunter.

I hope you all have time to try some sauntering of your own today! Have a good one!

Splurge

June 18, 2015Leave a Comment

June 18. Today is National Splurge Day. If I could – what would I buy? Dog food. Of course. That really goes without saying. And treats. Lots of treats. Since I would be splurging, I would even go to the Doggie Bakery and buy those treats that cost like $100 each. Well – maybe not THAT much. But enough that my human doesn’t buy them because she says we eat too quickly – and we don’t really appreciate them. But since I’m splurging, I’ll get some and throw in a dozen pupcakes too.

What else? I would buy another one of the Kuranda dog beds. Remember our history in destroying every dog bed known to mankind? Until we got the Kuranda? Well – it is STILL in one piece – and each of us uses it. Frodo tries in vain to ball up the fleece cover that is attached to the four legs. Until my human shouts “Stop it.” And NO one has chewed any part of it. Mind you, the legs ARE made of metal. But as I said – the fleece is still intact. So I would get two more of those beds – so that we can EACH have one. And then we don’t have to share.

What else? How about a new cart for Paxton? A wagon. So he can pull Frodo and I around. The cart he has right now is too small for both of us.

Oh. And some new chew bones. Forget the fact that we have a huge container with more bones than we could chew in a year. We might as well get just a couple more. So we have more to spread out all over the house immediately after my human puts them away.

What else? Some new collars. A dog can never have too many collars. But skip the raincoats. And the boots.

More retrieving toys. I LOVE to retrieve. The more toys, the better.

Oh – and of course – the GoPro camera!!!!!! I almost forgot that one!!!! I also still want an iPawd so I can watch doggie YouTube videos. Or I could just get an iPhone. No – I’ll get both.

So that’s the splurge plan. ONE small problem. I don’t EXACTLY have the cash. Maybe my human will give me a loan. Or she’ll let me use her credit card. Then again. She already buys most the stuff I listed. OK – maybe SHE should go out and splurge…I bet she’ll like THAT idea! And I give her my permission.

Physical therapy. PON style.

June 17, 2015Leave a Comment

Today I would like to share information about the new services I am offering. Well – Frodo and I are offering. PON Physical Therapy. Or Physiotherapy as we call it in Canada. I suppose I should be careful as neither of us is actually a licensed “therapist”. But we definitely offer treatment. Every day…

When my ancient human gets up at 5AM each day to take us for our morning constitutional, she SOMETIMES feels a bit hmmmmmmm….achy. She gets dressed and then promptly takes Frodo and I out. And then Paxton gets his walk. As SOON as Frodo and I walk out the door – we sit. I should note that 3 seconds earlier – inside- we were leaping and barking and screaming. Go figure. We CAN behave. Because our human gives us a treat when we walk out the door.

But once we HAVE that treat, we go full throttle. And my human has to hold on for dear life. She leans back as we bolt forward. And the motion and resistance, cause an IMMEDIATE manipulation of my human’s back. And her arms and legs and torso. Instant physical therapy. And it REALLY wakes her up! As we drag her up the hill and she continues to resist the strain, she feels better and better. Seriously. She no longer feels aches and pains. Probably because her mind is on staying upright. She doesn’t have time to think of the aches!

So anyone who needs a full body manipulation – we are offering services. The fee? Treats. Lots of good treats.

Have a good one!

Late night stampede

June 16, 2015Leave a Comment

So yesterday my human had a RARE day off. She has a crazy schedule all summer – but did have a day off in between the craziness – so she had plans to relax. And get a good night’s sleep the night before. But we canines had other plans in mind.

We started around midnight. The weather is finally nice enough to leave some windows open – which means we can hear the sounds of nature around us. The birds in the trees. The peepers (which are little frogs). And the sound of the wind. But of course, having the super acute hearing that we canines have – we can hear OTHER things. And if one of us hears something, or THINKS he hears something, it results in a raucous STAMPEDE from the bedroom, down the hall and into the kitchen. I started the first round. I gave the signal, stared the barking and running, and the other two followed and joined in the chorus. Seriously – I THOUGHT I heard something. I should note that we were being SUPER vigilant because the other night SOMETHING knocked over our garbage can outside and made a mess. Mind you – NONE of us made a sound THAT night.

So we needed to make up for our poor guarding duties the night before. The first round woke my human up – and she told us to go back to sleep. Which we did. Only to have another stampede a half hour later. And then another one. And another. And ANOTHER. At which point, my human, the party pooper said “ENOUGH!” and blocked us IN the bedroom with one of the dreaded baby gates. That put a prompt end to the stampede game.

Yesterday morning, there were no signs of any mysterious creatures in our yard. The garbage was intact and the only thing looking ragged was my human. What a super way to start a day off!

But at least she knew she was safe all night!

Flag Day

June 14, 2015Leave a Comment

June 14. Today is Flag Day in the US. My human remembers when she was a kid that it was a special day in school. Kids would decorate their bikes and ride them to school – with lots of US flags. I’m not sure if they still do it in schools. In Canada, Flag day was in February. I don’t remember seeing lots of flags out – but then, people would have been frozen putting them outside. I think Canada needs to change the date…

Flags are cool because they usually have special meaning behind them. The colors and the symbols usually represent something significant for the country or the organization. For example, the US flag has 13 stripes representing the first 13 colonies of the United States. The 50 stars represent the 50 states.

The Polish flag is red and white. The red represents blood shed in the fight for independence and the white stands for peace.

The red in the Canadian flag is supposedly taken from the red of Saint George’s Cross and the white from the French royal emblem. The maple leaf? Some say the points represent the provinces. Others say it’s just because we have lots of maple trees.

I think we dogs should have our own flags. Every breed. And the PON flag? Hmmmmm. Red and white. Like the Polish flag. And what else could be on it? A brain. Because we are smart. And a food bowl. Because we like to eat. It could have a sheep on it. For herding. And a comb. (I’m not crazy about that one – but Frodo says it’s a reality – so I had to add his contribution). And the border could look like kielbasa.

Now. I just need to draw one. Or better yet – get my human to do it. Because it is the weekend. And I don’t think she has enough to do.

Happy Flag Day to all my US friends!

Dog clubs.

June 13, 2015Leave a Comment

So this weekend, my human is planning to participate in a conference call with a PON club that she is in. We don’t have a local PON club. Heck. We don’t even have an active Canadian PON club! So she joins clubs from other countries. And because members are spread far and wide, they communicate via conference call. It’s really kinda cool. But no doubt, we will try to disrupt it while it is going on.

It’s funny how humans like to form dog clubs. I mean, it’s kind of interesting how they pick a breed of dog – and then like to connect to other people who have the same breed. And go to shows with people who have the same breed. And share tips with people who have the same breed. Now it’s not that they don’t have friends who have OTHER breeds of dogs. But there is this funny “cult” thing of hanging out with others who suffer from the same obsession.

And these clubs decide things like how the breeds should look. They write up a “standard” that describes what the “perfect” specimen of the breed should look like. Which got me to thinking – what if we DOGS formed our own clubs and discussed our humans. And we decided a “standard”. If we did, here is my description of my human…

Origin & Purpose: Polish-American roots. Purpose: To serve canine companions to the best of her ability. To tolerate bad canine behavior, to train canines with copious amounts of treats and to allow canines to rule the household. Within reason. Oh. And to work and earn wages to pay for dog food. Lots of dog food.

General Appearance: Pretty ragged at 5 AM while walking dogs. Cleans up nicely when going to work. Dresses casually when not working, in slobber-resistant and dog-hair friendly attire.

Temperament: Quiet at 5 AM and before leaving for work each morning. Overly exuberant at 5 PM and on weekends. Happy when canines are well behaved. Strong sense of humor. Overall, pleasant demeanor.

Size: Above average height for human females (which is 5’5”). Weight cannot be discussed but let’s just say, the results of eating the leftover Halloween candy are still evident.

Hair: Wavy short. Color…original: brown. Current: brown. If use of “products” is a disqualification, she is OUT of the show.

Eyes: Green. Not as good as canine’s. Vision is augmented by the use of contact lenses and/or glasses.

Teeth: Full dentition. Scissors bite. Some malocclusion.

Body: Legs and arms are long in proportion to body. Feet could double as flippers for swimming.

Gait: Awkward when running. Not overly graceful. Best movement is exhibited when walking. Walking dogs.

Faults: Not filling enough food in dog bowls. Insisting on grooming dogs.

So there you have the standard for my human. She is NOT perfect – by any means – but then neither are Frodo and Paxton. OK. OK. I’m not perfect either. So I guess we’ll keep her.

Have a PONtastic day!