Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter.

Snow…

January 5, 2015Leave a Comment

So let’s talk about snow. That white stuff that magically appears from the sky. In our house, we canines LOVE the snow – even Frodo, who as we know, does NOT like rain. However, I should probably clarify that we LOVE fluffy, LIGHT snow. The kind you can run in, and roll in and play in forever. We are not as fond of the heavy, WET snow that forms giant snowballs on our legs, bellies and worst of all, our private parts. That’s when the snowsuits come out!

But in the last two days, we had some time to enjoy the white fluffy kind – before it turned to freezing rain. My human ALWAYS attempts to get pictures of us in the snow. Seriously, I would love to eat that iPhone camera. Does she not understand that I CANNOT stop in the snow. Well, I cannot stop most of the time – but in the snow it is even more difficult to stop. And if I do, then I MUST see what is UNDER the snow. Really. I mean there COULD be something under there. Maybe some toys. Or bones. Or a rabbit! Frodo and Paxton don’t really bother doing this searching. All the more reason why I MUST. The picture you see is me searching…

After Christmas shopping…eh?

January 3, 2015Leave a Comment

Oh my gosh. Humans. You REALLY are something. The lure of the after-Christmas sale can be oh-so-attractive – frequently resulting in the purchase of items that, well…one would never consider buying if they were not on sale. What seems like “such a good deal” often ends up being something that will never actually be used. Case in point: these “adorable Canadian” dog sweaters that were on sale at – of all places – the grocery store. WHAT came over my human?

It was the 50% off. A sign that causes many humans to act without reason. And when my human saw that – and saw these sweaters, she thought they would be the “perfect” addition to our wardrobe. Did she buy one? Nope – she bought two – in a size large. Thank goodness they didn’t have an extra large – so Paxton was spared the experience…

First off, you KNOW how Frodo despises attire. I don’t mind, but honestly, I have no need for a sweater. But the REAL problem: the size large must be like the size large at the Dollar Store – made for an obese Chihuahua. My human struggled to get me into it long enough to take the photo. I couldn’t even run away – the thing is too tight. It is like wearing a straight jacket. My human didn’t even TRY to put it on Frodo – he gave her the “look” and she figured it wasn’t worth the struggle. Admittedly, I DO look cute AND patriotic in the photo – but then I always look cute. So much for that great after-Christmas bargain.

And God help us, she is going shopping again today…

Christmas gifts. Part II.

January 2, 2015Leave a Comment

OK. So let’s talk about the first of the interactive dog toys that we got for Christmas. Actually, I think my human got them for herself – they are more entertainment for her than they are for us.

She purchased three “board game” interactive toys. They come at different levels of difficulty. And for SOME reason, my human thought we were SO intelligent that she could skip Level 1 – and get one Level 2 and two of the Level 3 toys – which are considered “difficult”. Why didn’t she just buy us a chess set? I love her – but I think she overestimated our intelligence. Well, maybe not our intelligence – but our patience.

So far we have tried the Dog Trubble toy. There are these pegs in which one places a treat. The pegs are placed in a slot that is on a board and the slot winds along the board in a snake-like pattern. The pegs can only be removed in one spot on the board. There are five pegs.

First error in introduction was in assuming we could actually move the pegs along the snake trail. Luckily, my human figured that out after I tried to turn the whole game board over. So she quickly started at Step one – simply removing the peg from the board. Got it. Now. Move the peg one inch on the board. Got it. 2 inches. Got it. I was finally able to move it around one curve, at which point I was huffing and puffing – the excitement of getting those treats out of the peg was tooooo much. I had to take a break.

Then it was Frodo’s turn. The so-called “genius”. Guess what? Not so much a genius after all. He would just sit and bark at my human as if to say “move the peg yourself. This is B-O-R-I-N-G.” He didn’t play the game very long.

Paxton? Well, as expected, he tried to chew the pegs off the board. He was SERIOUSLY going to destroy the thing. There were bite marks in the peg in .025 seconds. This is NOT a game for Pax.

So we’ll see if I can work up to moving the pegs further – and EVENTUALLY to having more than one peg on the board. I figure maybe that will be our goal for 2015. As for the Level 3 games…anybody know a bored Border Collie who is looking for something to do?

Happy New Year

January 1, 2015Leave a Comment

Happy New Year! As you can see, my human managed to find ANOTHER head band for us to wear. First it was the birthday band, then we had those goofy Halloween bands and then of course it was the antlers. PLEASE tell me they don’t make these things for Valentine’s Day. I am moving out before the Easter Bunny ears become available.

Well, we survived the “eve” thing – we watched the Big Ball drop in Times Square. On TV. But we had to wait up until 1AM with the time difference. Seriously, I just don’t get that. Loads of humans stand in freezing cold temperatures to watch a shiny ball come down out of the sky. And it’s not like you can even retrieve the thing. And whoa- it comes down, people sing and that’s it. And they wait a looooonnnggggg time for it to come down. Remember what I always say about us canines being smarter than humans? Again I rest my case…

Well. It looks like I have already met one of my resolutions! I started my Facebook page AND I have a BUNCH of Likes. Yessssssssss! 2015 is going to be a PONtastic year.

Have a wonderful first day! I’m going to take a nap – after staying up so late!

Resolutions…

December 31, 2014Leave a Comment

The last day of 2014. New Year’s Eve. And we are ready to parteeeee. But honestly, every day for us dogs is like New Year’s Eve. We don’t need a date on the calendar to celebrate. We celebrate EVERY day.

In going along with this whole human New Year’s tradition, I thought that perhaps I should come up with some New Year’s resolutions. So here we go:

1. Get my very own Facebook page. I have my own blog, so I think it’s time I get my own page on Facebook. And my goal is 14 Likes by May.

2. Stop running off into the woods. OK. That’s probably a bit lofty. How about stop running off into the woods for more than 10 minutes. Better.

3. Stop counter surfing. Hmmm…again maybe a bit much. How about stop counter surfing when there is a full moon. Better.

4. Do not chew on the new dog bed. When my human is watching. Good one.

5. Do not lick Frodo or Paxton’s face. If it is dinner time. Another good one.

6. Do not steal bones or toys from Frodo or Paxton. Especially when I have already hoarded all the other bones and toys….

7. Do not look longingly at the garage door where the dog food is stored. Every 10 minutes. Try for every twenty minutes.

8. Make every effort NOT to knock out my human when I am jumping repeatedly while waiting to go out the front door.

9. Do not chase rabbits or foxes…. on the third Thursday of every month.

10. Agree to poop in the rain at least once a month.

I think those ten resolutions will be a pretty good start for 2015. If I’m like most humans, I will give them up before the end of January. At least I didn’t say I would start going to the gym!

Happy New Year everyone!!!!

How to be adorable. In asking for forgiveness.

December 30, 20141 Comment

We all know that I can sometimes…er…many times….be a rather naughty dog. And if I HAVE been naughty, it is CRITICAL to win my human’s favor back – as soon as caninely possible. And I do it by becoming SUPER cuddly and by uttering the CUTEST sounds that are SURE to make my human laugh. I could give lessons on this behavior. I am THE best at doing it. Yes, Paxton, in all his 100 lbs of love, DOES like to be cuddly – which often results in some type of bruises on our human. And Frodo, well he is rarely naughty, so he doesn’t have need for “make-up” behavior. He will wag his tail and he likes to be petted for about 20 seconds and then he is off to do something else. Like read. But me – I have a whole different technique. I snuggle right next to my human. Especially if she is sitting on the sofa. OR if I sneak up on the bed. And then I moan and groan these quiet little sounds. Not a squeaky sound – which is like whining. No. I have a baritone humming sound which so just so cute – no one can resist me. And if in a supine position, it is important to raise your paws in the air as well. Trust me. This cuteness routine will render forgiveness from a whole host of bad behaviors. Some MIGHT call this manipulative. I call it smart.

And it really works. Even if you pooped on the floor – when you have not done so since you were a puppy. While your human was downstairs. And you were the ONLY one upstairs. Yup. Roll, put those feet up and moan. Right after your human has uttered that ridiculous question “what did you do?” Even after such a horrible mistake, your human cannot stay unhappy with you if you try this behavior.

Not to mention the fact that I am just plain adorable – if I do say so myself – so WHO can resist me?! THANK goodness – or I would be finding myself in the Want Ads looking for a new home! Frequently….

The new bed…

December 29, 2014Leave a Comment

OK. The new dog bed has been assembled. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth. It’s a Kuranda bed – and it’s the one that has an aluminum frame. And super tough fabric to lie on. It’s like a human bed. Well – a bed like someone might have at camp.

Assembly took about 16 hours. Or it felt like it did. Every time the humans got to the last piece, it wouldn’t fit. My human was very close to putting it in the box and sending it back. Anyway, it was finally assembled. And my human, who CLEARLY doesn’t have a good memory, also purchased a fleece pad for the top – kind of like a mattress. Of course as soon as I stepped on the bed, I IMMEDIATELY attempted to rip the fleece. I mean IMMEDIATELY. My human shouted “hey – stop it!” I did – long enough for her to take the photo.

It doesn’t look like she will be able to leave us with the mattress pad – unattended. And we’ll SEE if we use it without the pad. It’s nice that our human is so happy that she got the bed –but seriously, I’m not certain it was the best money spent.

And speaking of money spent – wait until I tell you about our OTHER new toys that we got for Christmas. Now THAT is interesting – and definitely worth the money. Bwhahahahahahaha. Humans.

The Pyramid.

December 28, 2014Leave a Comment

The Dog Pyramid. One of our Christmas gifts. The Pyramids in Egypt are incredible structures that have stood for eons. We’ll see if the Dog Pyramid will similarly stand the test of time. And the test of us.

Frodo was the first to try the Pyramid. You put treats in it and there is a hole near the top. Because the pyramid is bottom heavy, it stands upright. Making it a challenge to get those treats out. Frodo figured out the key to getting the treats within about 2 minutes. It was NO time before he was batting the thing around the rec room, treats were flying everywhere and he was cleaning them up like a vacuum cleaner.

Then it was MY turn. It took me a LITTLE longer to get the idea – but then I got so excited about knocking it around, that I didn’t even stop to eat the treats as they came out. It was a pyramid-knocking frenzy.

Then it was Paxton’s turn. As we know, Paxton has an even shorter attention span than I do – so my human had to show him how to get the treats out. Several times. But then he figured out that if he carried it around, THAT was even more fun. My human had visions of the pyramid being destroyed on its inaugural trial – but it didn’t break. Yet. If this toy sees the New Year, we will be doing commercials for it. It DOES seem well made – and it is tougher to get out the treats than the round treat balls we had in the past.

By the time each of us had our turn, we were panting and tired out. Which IS the objective of the toy – at least from our human’s point of view! Just make sure you use it in a room where there are no Ming vases or antique china on the tables – as it does become a bit like roller derby when we get going. Time will tell if this pyramid will last – but so far, so good!!!

Presents…

December 26, 2014Leave a Comment

So let me tell you about my presents…I guess Santa chose to ignore much of my less-than-desirable behavior this year – and I got a BUNCH of gifts. Well. I suppose they were not ALL for me – I just take them all. Maybe THAT’S why there were so many. I am supposed to share. I’ll have to work on that…

In the photos you see one of our gifts- a new set of retrieving toys!!!! I LOVE them. But then, you could give me a rotten stick to retrieve and I’d be happy! Frodo brought it back a few times and then pretended he didn’t know where my human had thrown it. When she showed him, he took it and headed for the door. Paxton brought it back a few times and then took off in the woods. So. I am officially claiming these as mine. I brought them back EVERY time.

We also got some bones to chew and this treat dispenser thing like we have never had before. That’s worthy of an entire blog posting.

And THEN we got what would be the equivalent of clothes to a kid – interactive toys. Dog Domino, Dog Casino and Dog Trubble. They are made in Sweden. You know these will probably be more entertaining for our human than they are for us- but as long as we get the treats, I’m ok with them. Frodo feels like this is going to be another “intelligence test.” Probably. But we all know I can figure out a way around it. We haven’t tried them yet.

The dog bed IS in the big box – but needs to be assembled. This should be good. I’ll keep you posted on that one too.

The internet guy didn’t come – they said my human would be on the “list” for the holiday yesterday – but she knew they said that just to keep her happy. They are supposed to come today – so I can stop sending these posts via the phone.

We had company arrive last night – a very good friend of my human’s from the United States. We love when he comes. He spoils us. Rotten. I’m hoping he helps with the dog bed assembly. I’ll just look sadly at him – and he’ll do it . I have his number.

Have a super day. I am going to. But then, I always do!!

Boxing Day…

December 26, 2014Leave a Comment

Well. Here I am. In a scene from shred fest yesterday. When my human gave us our gifts, I was the first one to grab one and run and shred. Paxton, the shredder supreme didn’t know what to do. He is used to stealing and THEN shredding. Frodo had to be convinced it was OK and then he did so. I kept stealing gifts. OK. So I guess that already puts me on the naughty list for next year!

I have so much to tell you – about all my cool gifts- but I am typing with one paw on my human’s phone – because horror of horrors – our internet to the house is not working!!! And it’s Boxing Day – the day after Christmas where humans return the gifts they got and they try to get them at the sale price but the items are now not available in their size or color or model. But that’s actually not happening here in Nova Scotia. It’s a holiday here. And everything is closed. And the Internet repair people are off. Serving leftovers to the relatives who didn’t come on Christmas Day. So we will be lucky to get internet tomorrow.

Speaking of leftovers – one last thing before my paw wears out on this phone. I really WAS naughty yesterday. As my human was getting ready to put the meal on the table, her mother said “what does Viktor have?” My human had turned her back on me for 3 seconds and I saw that as a perfect opportunity to jump up and help myself to a turkey leg. But I didn’t eat any of it – first off I was in shock that I actually managed to grab it and second- the thing was piping HOT! My human grabbed it and I was sequestered in the hall – watching the rest of the meal proceedings through the French doors.

Have a wonderful Boxing Day – and I’ll tell you about all my treasures tomorrow!!