Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter.

Christmas baking.

December 18, 20142 Comments

OK. I like to think my human is smart. Not as smart as us canines, but still smart enough. But the other day– well.. I wasn’t so sure.

You see, she decided to bake us some Christmas dog biscuits. She found this recipe on-line quite some time ago and bought all the ingredients – so decided to give it a try.

The biscuit recipe called for overly ripe bananas, coconut flour, peanut butter, olive oil, flax seed and egg. The ingredients sounded yummy. So I watched the entire proceedings. I didn’t LEAVE the kitchen for a minute. I wanted to see how they were made – so maybe I could make them myself some time. Let me tell you – it was NOT a pretty sight.

My human likes to cook. And she can be crafty. And she attempts to repair things. But. She CANNOT bake.

First off, the bananas were not REALLY overly ripe. But she smashed them up anyway, and figured the little lumps would not be a big deal. Then she added the sifted flour and flax seed. So far, so good. Then the recipe said to add the egg and peanut butter and oil and BEAT all the ingredients. At which point she realized -uh-oh. Her beater was broken. A small but critical detail. So she stuffed as much of the ingredients as she could into her food processor. They didn’t all fit. And she turned it on. NUMEROUS times. And she kept pushing the ingredients down into the bowl. Over and over again.

Then she put the somewhat pasty, dough-like THING into the fridge for 30 minutes, as the recipe said. And then she was supposed to spoon the dough into balls onto a cookie sheet and bake. Except the dough was kind of flaky and falling apart. So she formed balls with her hands. And baked them for 30 minutes. They were supposed to form COOKIES. They came out like little golf balls. NOT pretty at all.

But. Drum roll. We still liked them! I mean seriously, you KNOW we will eat ANYTHING. And they smell awesome. And we don’t REALLY care what they look like.

So although I don’t think my human should quit her day job and open a doggie bakery, I do think we’ll keep her. After all, it was the thought that counts! And isn’t that what Christmas time giving is all about?!

Another Vik-Advisor!

December 17, 2014Leave a Comment

Time for another Vik-Advisor. Today we’ll talk about my FAVORITE thing to do – AND one of my FAVORITE toys.

As some of you know, I love to obsessifetch (v. the action of retrieving. Over and over and over and OVER again. Until the human’s arm can no longer throw the ball or toy.) Tennis balls are great – but I REALLY love a toy that I can carry. So my human bought the Chuckit Amphibious Bumper. http://www.caninehardware.comI LOVE catching this thing mid-air and it is soft and light to carry. It’s also easy to throw for an uncoordinated human like mine – although one of them WAS stuck on the roof for a few weeks until it eventually blew down in a windstorm. But she GENERALLY can toss it pretty far.

We need to have two of any fetch toys so when we race back with one, she can get ready to throw the next – and more importantly, it causes us (well me) to drop it without MUCH of a tug-of-war. Frodo automatically drops his – and Paxton well he just doesn’t come back.

So I LOVE my Chuckit. The only problem – my Chuckit doesn’t love me. Below you will see a photo of our current Chuckits. It’s almost time for my human to chuck it – into the garbage. So although I LOVE this toy…I can only give it a 2.5 PAWS rating – it needs to hold up better. And that’s NOT with us lying around and chewing on it – we don’t get to have the bumpers when we’re not retrieving.

Despite their low rating, I still DO have them on my Christmas list, because they ARE the best bumpers we have used SO far. We also have the hard bumpers my human used to use years ago when she did field training with her Lab – but I’m not CRAZY about them. I mean I’ll bring it back….but I like a softer version. So. The Chuckit is still on the list! Unless Santa finds us a different type…Hint. Hint.

He’s IN!!!!!!!

December 16, 2014Leave a Comment

He’s IN. Frodo got in. INTO the DFZ.

My human was in the DFZ doing some work on her laptop – and sitting by the tree. We were sitting outside the gate, which is secured to the pillars by the bungee cords. It doesn’t look too pretty – but it holds the gate very tight. We haven’t even TRIED to get in since these extra fortifications were put in place to protect the Christmas Explosion.Until now.

You know Frodo – he CANNOT be separated from our human. So the next thing you know, he had squeezed himself between the gate and the pillar – and in he went. He walked over to the tree – gave it a look and went to lie down by the fireplace all while my human sat there with her mouth gaping open. Honestly, I don’t know why she was surprised. She KNOWS him. Stretching a bungee cord and wedging himself in a tight area is no big deal for Frodo. He’s PONdini!

So she snapped a few photos as evidence that he was IN. Now she’s worried that he’ll get IN when she’s NOT home. And maybe he’ll hold the gate for me.

Frodo is really pushing the limits this week – first the dog bed destruction and now the mission into the DFZ. Ya better watch out Frodo – remember –“ he’s making a list…”

Yay. More presents for ME!

The Pre-Christmas Miracle.

December 15, 2014Leave a Comment

The pre-Christmas miracle. Yes. Miracles DO happen. Although, quite honestly, we canines think every DAY is a miracle. We’re happy when we get up and we’re happy when our food dish comes out. We rejoice in simple things – and think that they are quite miraculous.

Humans, on the other hand, wait for something unique and different and exciting to occur – and they call THAT a miracle. Clearly they need to take OUR view of miracles…it’s a whole lot easier.

But yesterday, we decided to give our human a miracle. Remember last weekend? And the walk from h#ll? Where Paxton ended up in the swamp water? And then needed the marathon bath? And my human THOUGHT she lost her cell phone? Because she had taken ALL three of us on a walk TOGETHER? Well. She decided to try it again…

She got up early on Sunday. First – she got our food bowls ready, but didn’t feed us. I thought Frodo and I were going to LOSE our minds. We stood there – barking with every fiber of our being – trying to convince our human that we NEEDED the sustenance in order to be able to run. Our human had a different idea – if we were hungry enough, we would all COME back home. So she did NOT feed us.

Then all the bells and leashes were put on – and we headed out – with the cell phone ZIPPED in her jacket. Basically, a rerun of last weekend.

But this weekend was different. It was a PERFECT walk. Absolutely PERFECT. We stayed close when we were off leash. Well – except for a FEW minutes when Paxton took off in the woods. And of course I followed him. As I’ve said before, my human thinks he runs away to get away from us. But of course I CANNOT let that happen. But we were not gone long – and we even came back when it was time to put on our leashes. Frodo never strayed far – the ground was wet, so he carefully trotted alongside our human the whole time, trying to avoid every puddle. Whimp.

Anyway, when we got back to our driveway, our human took our leashes off and we RACED down the long driveway to the front door. Frodo stood there and barked while I sat and stared at the door – willing it to open so I could get at those food dishes.

Waiting at the door…

It was the perfect ending to a great walk. No one needed a bath. No phones or car keys or house keys were lost. No one ran away. We didn’t bark at any neighbors. We didn’t run into any ATVs. It didn’t rain on us. It was a perfectly miraculous morning…and I think our human would agree.

I hope YOUR day is equally miraculous – in every way!

I want to be a Corgi. For a day.

December 14, 2014Leave a Comment

Oh my goodness. Somebody find me a Corgi costume. My human heard it on the radio – and a quick Google search proved it true. A woman in Boston LOVES Corgis SO much – (probably even more than the Queen!) – that she wants them to be the bridesmaids at her wedding. She put out an ad – looking to pay Corgis to be in her wedding. Seriously. I told you that humans are strange. Personally, I think another member of the herding group would be an excellent substitute. IMAGINE a wedding party of PONs….

OK. But it got me thinking. I didn’t really like the antlers. And I’m not all that fond of dressing up – but I DO tolerate it. So this Corgi thing – if someone can find me a costume, I’m IN. I would LOVE a trip to Boston! Did you know, every year, Nova Scotia sends a HUGE Christmas tree to Boston as a thank–you for their help after the Halifax Explosion in 1917? If you’ve never even heard of it – the Halifax Explosion was the largest man-made explosion before the atomic bomb. There’s your history lesson for today. And you got it from a PON. So to be able to go to Boston and to pee on the Nova Scotia Christmas tree would be VERY cool – plus I would get to audition for the Corgi wedding.

SURELY I can find a costume somewhere….

Oh. And by the way. My human was able to get her money back for the dog bed. So Frodo is off the hook. And we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the steel bed. Well. Maybe Frodo and Paxton are. I’ve been managing to sneak up on my human’s bed at night. So who needs a dog bed anyway?

Dasher and Dancer and Destroyer…

December 13, 20142 Comments

The other day, my human went to the pet store – I think to get some of the things on my wish list. She’s helping Santa.

While she was there, she saw that they had pet beds on sale. In our house, the last bed…well the last two beds met with their demise after quite a few months. We had two of the same beds – and we rotated between them. And although we LOVED them – the urge to chew was too much. First we started chewing one of them. That was thrown away. Then we started the second one. I like to attack the zippers first, and Pax likes to pull out the stuffing. Frodo generally doesn’t touch them. After my human came home one day and found the dining room looking like it had been in a snowstorm, she said “no more beds.”

The snowstorm bed…

But unfortunately, or in this case – fortunately, it seems that my human does NOT have quite as good a memory as we canines do. So in a moment of amnesia, she saw these “tough” beds made by KONG at the pet store while doing her Christmas shopping. She looked them over and figured that the name KONG is synonymous with TOUGH. And the fabric looked good. So. She caved. She bought ONE as a pre-Christmas gift for all of us to share.

She was sooo happy when she brought it home. She proudly put it down in the dining room. I immediately jumped on it to try it out. Then I walked away and Pax made himself quite comfortable on it. My human was sooo happy.

My human then had a phone call. At this point, Pax was off the bed and Frodo was lying next to it. My human was partly paying attention to him – but was also engaged in the call. And THEN she looked more carefully at Frodo. WHAT was he doing?! Why chewing off the corner of the bed, of course. At this point, the bed had been in our home for hmmmmm….less than an hour? “STOP” she shouted. Too late. Yup – a hole in the corner of the bed. So much for TOUGH.

KONG does provide a warranty on its products – but she’s not so sure about this. She’ll see if the store will give her a credit.

In the meantime, this bed thing now became a challenge. She went on-line and found these INDESTRUCTIBLE beds that she had seen at a dog show. She ordered the one made of steel. Sounds comfy. Two treats says it WILL be indestructible – but none of us will want to use it. Can’t wait for it to arrive.

Never a dull moment : ) I think Frodo should get one less Christmas present because he did this. And I should have his present – don’t you agree?!

Frodo’s handiwork

Decorations UP

December 12, 20141 Comment

My human received her first Christmas card in the mail the other day. Guess who it was from? Our Vet. Seriously. My human figures that Paxton’s surgery to remove her sling from his intestines in March, paid for ALL the Christmas cards the Vet sent out. And his cruise. And his new car….

All of the decorations are up – even the “real tree.” My human sequestered us in the other room while she dragged it into the house because she KNEW the whole idea of an indoor peeing spot would be too much to comprehend. She has kept us out of the DFZ and so far the bungee cords are working. Mind you, she KNOWS that if she leaves that gate open for a SECOND, we’re in. She TRIED to get a holiday photo of the three of us in front of the tree – she thought that would be so pretty. But my brain exploded the MINUTE I walked in the room. I mean LOOK at all the decorations. And top that off with some old toys under the tree – including an old Teddy Bear – and well – the pictures didn’t turn out too good. And that was even WITHOUT wearing antlers. We, well I, just couldn’t sit still. Maybe sometime this weekend – if she runs us around for an hour or so, I’ll be tired enough to stay still.

Well I had better go – I have to think if there is anything left to add to my wish list. Time is running out….13 days left!

Crafts…

December 11, 2014Leave a Comment

Crafts. A human thing to do. Well – it’s not like we canines don’t TRY to make things. We are creative when it comes to “carving” things – bones, sticks, pens, screwdriver handles, broom handles…..Typically, though, humans are not impressed with our work – and you could hardly sell it at a craft fair.

Our human loves to try new crafts. Which usually entails going out and paying a small fortune for all the supplies needed, and then no finished results. Lots of false starts. But few final products. She saw some cool artwork using dog pawprints – but the image of us putting our paws in paint was too scary to consider. Seriously. CAN you imagine us with paint on our paws?! I would like to try it – it would make for a GREAT blog story – but I don’t think she’ll go for it.

HOWEVER, our human DID make a new “craft” creation this week – and it is just in time for the holidays – AND it involves us too! Doesn’t everything?! Our human likes to “repurpose” things – so this was a simple, quick project that fit the bill.

She found some old tin Christmas tree light reflectors at a second hand store. And she made them into tiny picture frames for the dog tree. With US!

I like this idea because it didn’t take any time – like the hooked rug that took her 75 years to complete. None of us was around when she started it. And then when we go and lie down on it in the DFZ, she gets all nervous that we’ll do something to it. We’re CAREFUL. We’re GOOD. OK. There WAS that recent issue with the dead dog Christmas ornament. But don’t worry about these new ornaments – they’re pretty indestructible. That is…unless Paxton gets them.

The Santa plan…

December 10, 2014Leave a Comment

My Christmas wish list is getting longer every day. New collar, new bed, new leash, organic treats, iPawd, kitten, puppy, budgie, goldfish, sheep, new rain suit, interactive toys…Note- I have not asked for new grooming tools. I’d rather ask for NO grooming for a year. That’s a good request! I’ll add it. What’s the cut-off date for submitting this thing?

But you know, this whole Santa Claus thing…well…let’s face it-it is NOT going to work at our house. I mean picture it. We are supposed to leave treats for Santa and his reindeer. As IF we would EVER leave treats lying around. Seriously. That won’t work. And then the idea of this fat bearded guy coming down our chimney. I mean REALLY – could you PICTURE what would happen?! There is NO WAY we would let him in. He would be throwing the presents at us. Frodo would be barking up a storm, Paxton would be trying to knock him over and me? I’d be leaping up and down so much – just the sight of me would scare him away.

So I’m thinking that I need a plan. I want the presents, but I’m wondering if Santa can just leave them outside. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. Unless it’s raining. Hmmm. I really have to think this over – and I only have 15 days left…

These boots were made for walking…

December 9, 20142 Comments

Time for another Vik-Advisor review. In continuing our apparel discussion, let’s talk about accessories. You may have noticed in the photo in our last review in which we discussed body suits, that Frodo was wearing boots.

Our human has tried a NUMBER of different kinds of boots over the years. Leather boots. Boots of Gortex with Velcro straps. And none of them work like PAWZ.

Their website is:

http://pawzdogboots.com/

PAWZ are cool. They look like balloons and are made of biodegradable rubber. They come 12 to a pack, which according to my calculator, is 3 sets. So here are the pros and cons:

Cons:

· They DO wear out even if your nails are NOT long – after a few wears.

· They are initially a bit tricky to get on.

· When you put them on the FIRST time – you will walk like all your legs are frozen. But within a few minutes, it is NO problem. That actually happens with most boots.

Pros:

· They stay on quite well. You can run around, and they don’t fall off like other boots.

· They are great for protecting your feet from salt in the winter.

· They come in 3 sets to a box– so even if one rips, it’s not like you have to go out and buy a whole new set.

· They come in flashy colors – by size. In the photo I am wearing a large. In the photo in my last review, Frodo was wearing a medium. But for ease when putting them on, a large is better. Paxton takes an extra large. Don’t get them too big, though – because then they WILL come off.

· It looks like on their home page that if you put in your address, you can find out where you can buy them locally. Unless you live in Togo, Afghanistan, or Zaire. They don’t appear to sell them there.

Last year, Paxton had a cut on his paw. He even had some surgery to see if there was anything stuck in his paw. There wasn’t. But after the surgery, his paw had to be bandaged – and it needed to stay dry. My human was sooooooooo happy she had those PAWZ.

So……I give PAWZ a rating of… 4 PAWS!!! I would give them 5, but as I mentioned, they DO wear out. But the cost is not bad – so I wouldn’t let that keep me from buying them. Well – I mean my human from buying them. She’s the one with the cash. And the credit card. I’ve actually applied for one. Waiting for it to come in…