Viktor, was a Polish Lowland Sheepdog who shared his views on life and had a following of loyal readers from around the world . He sadly left all of us us way too soon. He left his PON brother, Frodo and his Berger Picard “brother”, Elroy to continue his “legacy.” We now welcome a new PON brother to our story- Wojtek- who in many ways, has the very same “bigger than life attitude” as Viktor. So we know Viktor’s spirit lives on, as does the spirit of Paxton, his Bernese Mountain Dog…
Hey blogaroos! Squirmy the-rabbit-chaser Wormy here on a super Saturday. I hope you’re having a super duper day too.
So you heard about my little run about the other day. Honestly I don’t know what all the fuss was- it’s not like I didn’t come back! I HAD to chase that bunny off our property. I mean he could be eating our plants. Or something. It’s not like I hurt him. He was too fast.
So if you think I’m the “bad” dog right now, I’m here to tell you my big brother told me to move aside. Yup. The ultimate “good” dog. The guy who never runs off. The guy who obeys obedience commands like the treat he will get is the first thing he has eaten in a month. Yup – the BOSS has come over to the dark side.
So you know how there are a variety of canine sports? Obedience. Rally. Agility. Flyball. Herding. Tracking. Scentwork. Fieldwork. Lure coursing. Drafting. Dock diving. The list goes on. If there was a Canine Olympics, all of those would be featured. Well the Boss has begun to perfect his skills in another sport. And just in the past few days he has been in serious training. He’s going for Gold. The sport? Countersurfing. Yes, he has always dabbled in training , but in the past few days he has moved his training up a notch. Nothing is safe on the counters. There was the piece of tin foil that had some grease from a hamburger that had been in the oven. It was sitting on the stove. My Enforcer went into the garage for something and was gone 2.3 minutes. What a mess that made. Then there was the Kong. My Enforcer was stuffing Kongs with yogurt and kibble to put them in the freezer. She went into the garage to get more kibble and as she opened the door to come back into the kitchen, she saw the Boss racing past with a half filled Kong. Busted.
The guy can balance on two legs better than me! And he has a jump and grab technique which would score well in the freestyle event.
Sure. He’s always dabbled in the sport, but he’s totally taking his performance to a new level.
So he’ll definitely be trying out for the next canine Olympics. In countersurfing and needless shouting. That’s his other area of expertise.
The guy looks all innocent and well behaved. But underneath all that coat is a devil waiting to come out. He’s my idol….
Yo. Blog readers. Elroy here. For a change. The imp seems to have taken control of this blog thing. Give the Shaggy Shark an inch and he takes a marathon. He can be kinda pushy sometimes. What’s really scary is that his “Viktor persona” is starting to come through more and MORE. I swear he is Viktor reincarnated. Like yesterday. Little buddy caused complete PONdemonium after his morning walk. Yup. The future “obedience” dog wasn’t all so obedient yesterday…And they label ME as the flight risk…
So yesterday morning after he ricocheted off the door, the cupboards, Her Highness’ stomach and after he did 14 laps around the dining room table all while she was attempting to put her shoes on, he finally went for his morning walk. And “walk” is a broad term for what he does. Here’s the deal – the dude may do some pretty heeling during obedience training, but in real life, he’s like a hummingbird on a leash. Crazy. Darting back and forth. Sniffing. Tugging. Yeah – the whole “obedience” thing is all an act. In real life he’s a train wreck. But ya never heard it from me.
Anyway, as is usually the case, as they approached the house, Her Highness let him off leash. This is ordinarily no problem. HOWEVER, Her Highness didn’t spot the dumb bunny on the front lawn. Sorry – I know that may not be politically correct to call a rabbit stupid- but our rabbits are not too bright. A human can walk to within 6 feet of the things, and they sit there like they own the place. Even if you stamp your feet. So while their less-than-brilliant behavior may not be a big deal when it comes to slow moving humans, let’s just say the game is QUITE different when a canine approaches.
So you see where this is going. The Imp took one look at Thumper, and I think I almost heard the starting bell ring. Thumper and the Shark were off to the races. Across the lawn, around the house and into the woods. Her Highness saw his butt as it disappeared into the brush. And so much for that “amazing recall” he had as a tiny little dude. Yeah. It was shades of Viktor deafness.
Her Highness waited a minute, expecting him to reappear. One minute. Two minutes. Five minutes. She brought the Boss out, thinking the Imp would hear him and would reappear. Nope. So now Her Highness was in the combo-phase. Scared. And ready to kill him.
She put the Boss in the house and jumped in the car. She had visions of him on the road – which is busy in the morning with golfers arriving. She drove slowly up and down the road. No sign of him. She drove home and came down the driveway, expecting to see him by the front door or in the garage which she had left open. Nope. She raced out of the car and figured she should head for the woods. But which way to go? As she was heading around the house, she was frantically texting neighbors to let them know she had an AWOL dog. As she came around the house, she heard the Boss barking. Or she thought it was the Boss. She glanced up at the deck, and low and behold, guess who was barking to be let in? The vagabond covered in sticks and mud.
Now that’s all well and good. The prodigal PON returned home. But here’s the deal. Our back yard is fenced. With a 4’ high fence. And neither gate was open. So HOW did mini-Houdini get IN the yard. As soon as he saw Her Highness he raced over to her. She opened the gate, and walked him around to the front of the house. He was huffing and puffing and looking pretty ragged from his adventure- but pretty proud of himself too. And here’s the thing – you humans can’t be angry with us – because we came back! There’s no repercussions for such an infraction because what could ya do? Not feed him breakfast? It’s not like he would know why. Yeah – he’s got a taste of the escape thing. And he does it just like Viktor. He comes back. Unlike yours truly who has to be corralled. I like to explore further afield. But that’s been curbed with the fence…
As soon as he was safe in the house, Her Highness went out and walked all along the fence. No sign of a hole under the fence. So HOW did he get in? She didn’t want to THINK that he jumped a 4’ fence because, well – so much for the fence if he did.
She took the Boss out and me out for our walks and fed us breakfast. She had some errands in the morning and returned at noon. First on the agenda was “the lawn”. Again. She mowed it pretty quickly on Saturday, so it needed another go around. We need sheep.
Anyway, while she was mowing, she THINKS she solved the Houdini trick. While she had walked the fence line in the morning and she had used one gate, she hadn’t used the one that goes to the trail to the lake. The gate WAS closed, but that gate has never had a proper hook to secure it like the front gate. It was held to the post by two pretty puny bungee cords. And lo and behold- the bungee cord at the bottom of the gate was busted. We theorize the Imp plowed into the gate and squirmed his way through the opening. Mystery solved. We hope.
Here he is inspecting the work Her Highness had to do to firmly secure the gate. This is just before she installed two new hooks.
Her Highness is hoping his brief taste of the wild won’t result in a repeat behavior. But let’s put it this way, he’ll be on a short leash going forward for a while.
Funny how the Boss never goes AWOL. He doesn’t like to get dirty. Yawn.
It’s kinda nice to be the “good boy” lately. But then, haven’t I always been good?
Never a dull moment in this house. Never. Ever. Time to walk. Later gators.
Greetings blog aficionados. Frodo here for your reading pleasure. With a bit of an embarrassing tale to share. But Her Highness insisted I do so, probably as partial penance for the disruption I caused while she was away…
Now those who know me, actually I should say those who know me extremely well, know that I am consistently the producer of P3. Picture perfect poop. Worthy of a Google image.
Occasionally, however, I produce a less-than-ideal specimen, like the time I ate grass and also licked the Imp’s head so much that the combination produced a baseball sized lump. Which I screamed while producing. Remember- I go by the title Drama King quite honestly. But in general, I am a good producer.
So imagine Her Highness’ dismay when she received a CALL while she was away, from the sitter, saying that I only produced half of my usual product – and I appeared to be “struggling” to go. AND quite uncomfortable. Her Highness immediately flew into worry-mode…thinking horrid things like obstructions and other nasty diagnoses. She told the sitter to take me out again, to see if I would be successful on a second attempt, and to still feed me breakfast if I was hungry. Which I was. I gobbled down my food, and voraciously ate my Kong.
But – I was in NO hurry to go out. You see, it was POURING, and I emphasize POURING rain, so being out at all caused me to be rather unhappy. Actually- miserable is a better word. I did NOT produce anything on a second walk, but rather pulled like mad to go in the house. The sitter updated Her Highness after each attempt.
Her Highness said to just keep an eye on me, and to give me some canned pumpkin to “get things moving.”
All day long, Her Highness worried about me. She envisioned a vet visit. She envisioned all kinds of horrors. Even though the sitter continually updated her, and said I seemed fine. No distress. No panting. No whining. Hungry for treats. Really I was acting as I normally do, except I had only produced half my normal product…and I had acted VERY dramatic.
It wasn’t until much later that evening that the source of my drama was discovered. A giant cling-on not visible on general inspection. I DO have a lot of coat. The sitter was brushing me, and discovered a large crusty remnant from the morning. And we all know how dramatic I can be. A cling-on in the pouring rain. Can one even imagine a more horrid nightmare?! It is no wonder I was initially distressed.
The next day, I returned to completely normal P3 production- and have ever since.
Her Highness was incredibly relieved to find out the cause of my dramatic morning episode. She could stop obsessively looking at her phone for updates, and could stop telling anyone who would listen that one of her dogs was constipated. I kid you not.
Truthfully, I just wanted to be certain she did not forget about us. As the Imp would say, mission accomplished.
Howdy doody blogaroos! Squirmy the-clown Wormy here for your Sunday funnies.
Well guess who came back! My Enforcer! We were starting to wonder – I mean it was over a week and she has threatened on occasion to leave and never come back. That’s generally after we have been particularly naughty. Which come to think of it is every second day…Just jokin’. Kinda.
When she came in the door, she braced herself. With good reason. Between my ricocheting and “love bites”, the Coyote’s jumping and the Boss’ incessant barking, she was in for a dangerous homecoming.
We all went just a bit crazy. Who am I kidding? It was full on PONdemonium with Picrazy on top. It was no time before one hand was bleeding and she had a bruise on her leg. It was a joyous return.
She immediately whipped out the guilt gifts to calm us down. Like that would work. It wasn’t until we discovered that they were EDIBLE, that we actually attempted to sit and control ourselves.
So what kind of edible treats do dogs get from Newfoundland? Well we got fish bites AND moose jerky. Really. We also got these things that look like chocolate. But they aren’t.
The Coyote wasn’t quite sure about the cod bites. But not to worry- no treats are left behind in this household. He also stared at the chocolate bites like an archeologist examining a new discovery. The moose jerky was by far his favorite. We PONs don’t taste the difference. Things that disappear with vacuum speed are difficult to taste.
My Enforcer also bought a collar that any of us could wear. Like we need more collars in this household. Kinda like giving a 4 year old kid clothes for Christmas. That gift was, I think, more because SHE liked it, than WE would like it. It IS cute, I suppose – covered in tiny puffins. Puffins are sea birds, and My Enforcer saw lots in Newfoundland. We have them here in parts of Nova Scotia, but not where we live. So it’s the first time she ever saw some. So yippee. We get a collar with puffins. Pass the moose jerky.
The sitter said we were well behaved. Overall. She said yours truly never stops. I think that’s a BIT of an exaggeration. I do sleep at night…She DID say I was the best to groom. So there you go. I do have my good moments…
After our sitter bid us a fond farewell (come to think of it, she was sure running out the door), My Enforcer gave us more treats and then announced that she had to mow the lawn. Seriously. I mean she JUST got home. OK. So the yard WAS looking like a jungle and rain is in the forecast today, but on homecoming day isn’t there supposed to be a party? Translation: when do we get the rest of the treats?!
The mowing took a bit longer than normal because the mower kept getting clogged with grass. She was too lazy to rake it up, so now we have grass mountains everywhere. I’m not sure all her hard work mowing was much of an improvement.
Anyway, we loved our sitter – she was super nice. And she said she WOULD come back in the future. I’m betting her rates go up…
But even though we loved her, we’re pretty glad to have Her Highness home again. Our happy little quartet is reunited. And it feels so good…
Howdy blogaroos! Whadda y’at? It’s a mausey day here. I’m just ‘bout gutfounded and I’m waiting for the sitter to fire up a scoff.
OK. Are you wondering what the heck I just said? Well. Who knew that in Newfoundland, people have their own sayings and their very own dialects? I’m just practicing for when My Enforcer comes home tomorrow.
If our sitter was using Newfinese, the statement she would be saying repeatedly with me is “Oh me nerves, he got me drove.”
Here’s a little article to help you with the translation- and so that you’ll know what to expect if you ever visit “The Rock.”
Rumor has it My Enforcer has bought us some guilt gifts. And guilty is exactly how she should feel! She visited with Keith’s sister and met their new puppy, Weiser. Of course she HAD to take his photo. She was going through canine photo withdrawal. Here’s the little dude:
I heard she’s been somehow having a good time – despite the fact that we’re not there. She’s eating lots of local seafood, visiting lots of scenic places and taking loads of photos. Like these…
Sure. The scenery is pretty. But g’wan. They would be so much nicer if WE were in them…
Anyway, she gets home tomorrow and I’m sure she’s wondering how we will all behave. Will I ricochet off her? Will anyone give her the cold shoulder for having been away?
You’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime, I’ll close with another Newfoundland saying…
Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy please-slow-down Wormy here with a quick blog. Because I AM quick.
So the dogsitter said I am a full time job. But I am entertaining. Mission accomplished.
I hear My Enforcer has been doing some sightseeing and hiking in Oldlostland. Not sure how she is managing to walk without dogs. It must be boring not having to do leash aerobics.
So here’s our rerun for today. It’s a funny blog about the Boss.
Hence the reason why we could never, ever, EVER be put in a boarding kennel when she travels. The Boss WOULD figure out a way to escape. So he’s much better off at home.
So far this sitter is VERY nice. The question is – will she ever come back in the future…
My Enforcer returns on Saturday. Can’t WAIT for the guilt gifts!!! OK. It’s ricochet time.
Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy no-no Wormy here. Well who knew the dogsitter would update My Enforcer about our behavior? Of course I knew she could, but I didn’t think My Enforcer would have time to check in. But it seems she has…
All is really going well – and the sitter reported that her eardrums are getting used to Frodo’s decibel levels. She also reported that I’m as “manic” as ever. Of course I am! And she said the the Coyote is really sweet. Sounding like she’s a Picard fan. Gotta start winning her over to the PON side. But really, I’ll never get the Boss to quiet down, and my ricocheting is hard to combat….
So I hear the wedding went well. Even without us. It rained in the morning but the skies cleared for the big event. Here’s a photo My Enforcer took after the ceremony. Just needs a couple of dogs. Maybe someone can photoshop us in.
Our rerun today is about Confucius. Some quotes. Some photos. Some fun.
Hey hey hey. It’s Squirmy drive-a-sitter- crazy Wormy! Well, she’s not been driven totally crazy. Yet. But I’m working on it!
Today’s rerun is short and sweet. A poem written by Viktor. For those who are new to our blog – that’s Paxton aka Bucket Head in the photo. Viktor is currently torturing him at the rainbow Bridge.
Today is the wedding day!!! Can’t WAIT to see photos of My Enforcer wearing a dress that doesn’t have dog hair on it!
Here are some photos when Sue and Keith visited us in the spring. That’s me helping Sue, and the Coyote helping Keith repair a window.
Plus an evening walk….
I’m sure it will be a great day, even without us there… We love them and wish them a lifetime of biscuits, many happy trails and the joy that they feel today for happily ever after! Happy wags and licks from us!
Howdy doody blogaroos. Squirmy Wormy here. And holy moly am I shockarooed. My Enforcer has left us! All alone. For over a week!!!
OK. That’s kinda a fib. But she IS going away today – for her sister, Sue and Keith’s wedding- in Oldlostland. Wait. The Boss said that’s wrong. It’s Newfoundland. Whatever. All I know is that we weren’t invited. Personally, I think we would have made brilliant flowerdogs. But like I wouldn’t have wanted to fly there, which she is doing, and driving takes like a week. You have to take a ferry and drive and drive and drive. Imagine how long it would take with all of us wanting to stop and pee. So I guess it’s just as well we didn’t go.
But not to worry- we won’t be alone. We have a NEW dogsitter coming to live with us. We’ve met her twice and she seems nice. She did attempt to get the Boss to stop barking by telling him to be quiet. Ummmm….I hope My Enforcer told her not to waste her breath. Getting him to stop barking would be like stopping waves in the ocean. It ain’t going to happen. She’ll see….
Anyway, we’ve been told to be on our best behavior. That’s a stretch, but we’ll try. Wonder how trainable she is….
So we’ll be running some blog re-runs while My Enforcer is away. Just like popular TV shows in the summer months. Some of these re-runs are before my time. They were written by Viktor. It’s kinda spooky how similar we are….
OK. Time to try one more time to sneak in My Enforcer’s suitcase. Just kidding- the guys said we’ll be fine -AND we get something called guilt gifts when My Enforcer comes back! I’m hoping for a Mercedes.
Howdy doody blogaroos. Squirmy here on a terrific Tuesday. Well. Terrific for some of us.
You see, My Enforcer has a problem. Well, three problems if you count all of us. But the current problem is related to the wonderful relationship that the Coyote and I have. I mean it’s super duper awesome that she can live in a household with three boys (two of whom are “intact”) and we all get along famously. And it wasn’t all that long ago that The Boss had “all his parts.” Until that orb ordeal a few years ago. Parts or no parts- he is still the BOSS in this house.
But back to our happy abode. So we all get along great. Actually too great. Yeah the Humpty Dumpty game is a bit of an annoyance to my Enforcer at times (we on the other hand love it) but it’s really not a HUGE problem. But the other issue is the “styling game” which the Coyote and I have recently come to really enjoy. And the thing is, when we play the hair styling game, it also includes trimming. I mentioned this before, but it was this past weekend, while I was being groomed, that My Enforcer realized the extent of our mutual trimming. I had straight line “trim” evidence on the top of my head, on my ears, on my side and on one leg. I’m a bit of a mess.
Now when she goes out somewhere, yours truly is in a crate. So this isn’t happening when she’s not around. It happens if we run outside to play and roll on the lawn. And let’s face it – she’s not watching us every second of the day. She does need to shower and use the bathroom sometimes. And vacuum. And mow the lawn. And do laundry. And make calls. And cook. Honestly, 15 minutes doesn’t go by that she isn’t checking to see what we’re up to. But we are getting GOOD at this. And we’re fast!
So you can say, oh well, you have a funky haircut. But here’s the deal- if you want to be in a beauty pageant, a funky haircut is for poodles. Not PONs. Admittedly I’m not entered in anything any time soon, but if we keep this up, I could be starting a new beauty trend. Punk PON.
Like I said, she’s happy we love each other, but short of someone always being sequestered, she’s not sure what to do? Douse me in bitter apple? Cover me in plastic wrap? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!!
Otherwise, hmmmm… I won’t talk about the rally match I was in on Sunday. It was a practice thing. OK. I’ll talk about it. My first run was not bad after the first two stations. Once I got rolling, I was pretty OK. But the second run? Epic disaster. The start line was by the entrance door. Like 4 feet away. And people were coming in and going out. It was too much for my puppy brain. I couldn’t concentrate AT ALL. My Enforcer decided to abort the course. No point in making a bad thing worse. It was proof that not enough proofing does not make you bomb proof. If that makes sense.
I seem to be going through the TBF period. That’s teenage brain fart. I seem to have forgotten everything. Or I just want to do things freestyle- my own way. Our wonderful coach, Jane assured My Enforcer that it’s a phase and I’ll get back into the game. Paws crossed.
Well, time for our morning walks. Then I’ll check to see what my stylist is up to. Unless My Enforcer catches us first…
Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter. 