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Hey hey everybody. It’s Squirmy on a mega marvelous Monday. And why is it SO extra spectacular? It’s not raining!!!! We had rain all weekend, so besides some rounds of find the lambie and some training, we were pretty darn bored. Oh! But I did have rally class last night – and THAT was the one highlight of my weekend. I love that class.

So since not much was new around here – the Boss told me to look at the Crazy Calendar and some historical stuff to see if there was anything there to write about. And yuppers. I found a fact. Did you know that on this day in 1994, Amazon.com was first founded. Now unless you’re one of those few folks who won’t order things on-line (that’s sure not true in our house!)- chances are you have probably bought something on Amazon. So. I decided to sniff out some facts about Amazon. Here’s an interesting link. Watch the video. I kinda got bored with the part about taxes – that’s not the interesting part in my canine brain. BUT – keep watching and check out the DOGS at Amazon!!!

https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-jeff-bezos-facts-brand-history-name-2019-3?amp

How cool is that? I also like the fact that Amazon was thankfully smart enough to NOT sell dogs. Or live animals in general. Phew.

Now if your canine kid has a special occasion coming up – like a birthday or a gotcha day or a Wednesday, you might like to take a look at this list of dog items on Amazon.

https://www.bustle.com/life/thousands-of-dog-owners-swear-by-these-37-genius-products-on-amazon-15735181

Now I must admit, some stuff on that list would be useless in our house. Slow feed food bowl? Just turn it over. Anxiety relief stuffed toy? More like stuffing dissection toy. Potty training doorbells? Rip ‘em off the door and run around ringing them like you’re starting a bell choir. Dog sweatshirt? Spare me.

But the number one product in our household IS on the list. #31. The Kong Extreme Dog Toy. We have 6. And My Enforcer would like 6 more. Why? She stuffs them with kibble and yogurt and freezes them. They are the only way she can enjoy a somewhat peaceful breakfast because it keeps me and the Boss busy for at least 20 minutes. The Coyote can’t be bothered with them.

One thing on the list that we own, but My Enforcer never associated with dogs was the black light. She has one to examine old stuff, but she never thought about using it to detect urine. She’s afraid to look…..Not that any of us pees in the house- but I WAS a little puppy once, and who knows what remnants remain….

When we looked up “Polish Lowland Sheepdog” and “Berger Picard” in the Amazon search engine, guess who had more items?! PONs won. 3722 to 2785. That’s a lot of t-shirts and coffee mugs with PONs and Picards. And other stuff too. So two leggeds get coffee mugs with us on them. Can we get dog bowls with little humans on them? I must check.

OK. Time to walk. In the SUN. And then maybe I’ll come home and order something on Amazon. Treats. Lots of treats…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy doody blogaroos. Squirmy here. Actually, bored Squirmy here. It rained yesterday. Which meant short walks. And a lazy day inside. But it was OK because it wasn’t too hot. So that was good.

So because we’re kinda boring, and we didn’t have any crazy stories, My Enforcer just decided to take some of her 78000+ photos (76984 of which are of us dogs), and she added some quotes that she found on Mr Googly. So this is a blog about nothing.

Ummm- it seems like I got in more photos – POSSIBLY because I’m a baby. A pushy baby. Anyway, hope you enjoy them!

Have a super Saturday!!!!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Frodo here blog aficionados. On this the birthday of Canada. And yes. The worst head gear ever.

Now what I am about to write is not meant in any way to be disrespectful or to upset people. And please keep in mind while reading my opinions that I AM just a dog….

There have been some difficult times in the Great White North of late. Canada has discovered and begun to acknowledge some sad reminders of its past – a past that was not always kind to Indigenous peoples. Yes – Canada – the “nice country” has been far from nice. Humans against humans. A concept we canines do not completely understand….

Because of the recent reminders of the bad Canadians, many have suggested that Canada not celebrate its birthday this year. That instead, we take time to remember those Indigenous peoples who were treated terribly. And this is a noble and honorable approach.

On the other hand, we have those who feel great sorrow for that terrible chapter in history. And disdain for those who caused such hardship and suffering. But those people also feel respect and admiration for “the good guys” in Canadian history – those who served to defend this country in times of war – and those who built this country on the best of intentions. And there are many. Like any book, there are bad chapters. And good. One does not trump the other.

We cannot control nor erase the past. But we can learn from it. And hopefully alter our behavior for the future.

Celebrations may be toned down this year, and frankly if there are no fireworks- that is a very good thing – given the fear many dogs have of the mini explosions.

In our home, we acknowledge and feel badly about the horrible past treatment of humans. Dogs should never be treated in such a way – let alone humans! We will treat today as a somber reminder – but also as an opportunity to appreciate those things that ARE good about Canada. And there ARE many. The Dollar Store not being one of them.

Be kind to one another…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Hey everybody! It’s Squirmy! And GUESS what day today is?! You give up?! It’s my Gotcha Day! (Not to be confused with the Polish word gacie- which is pronounced almost the same as gotcha – but means underpants…) Nope- it’s not my nickers day – it’s the day I got My Enforcer!!!!

It was a year ago today that she drove through closed borders across provinces and countries – to meet my “Creator” – Maggie who bred my Mom, Maya to my Dad, Baxter – and voila – they got me! And four other siblings. And My Enforcer was SO excited to meet me!

Little did she know just how much her life would change!!! I mean she’s been owned by three dogs at a time before – and she’s had lots of puppies – but I’m one of a kind. We’re still not sure what kind…

But despite a plague, it’s been an amazing year. I’ve learned to adapt to life with two older “brothers.” Well….maybe I should say THEY have learned to adapt to a puddophobic ricocheter. It’s been a year of local exploring and an introduction to the world of obedience and rally. I’ve learned that if you listen, and do what’s asked of you, you get TREATS! And I LOVE treats. Obedience is my thing. Yup I’m a heeling, sitting, spinning, recalling, dropping, retrieving machine. We’ll see if my attention lasts – but if it does, we could find ourselves competing for some of those 50 cent ribbons that cost $25. I can’t wait!!

I’ve learned in the past year that grooming is not as bad as the Boss said, and that blueberries and bananas are yummy. I’m still not sure about lettuce.

I’ve learned that the Boss IS the Boss and the Coyote is the bestest guy to play with. I’ve also learned to check his food bowl when he is done – just in case he leaves me a morsel.

I’ve also learned in the past year how to sit and pose for photos. I’ve learned that the Dollar Store sells some pretty weird junk – but if you sit and wear Dollar Store attire, you get REALLY GOOD treats….

And speaking of which…tomorrow is Canada Day. And here’s a sneak preview of what we were subjected to yesterday….Yup – it’s yours truly running away with the attire.

So I suggest that all blog readers who are owned by dogs, help me celebrate my Gotcha Day by giving your dog a treat! It’s on me!

One other thing – in the last year, you need to know that I wake up happy every single day. I think most of us dogs do. I know that humans don’t always find that easy to do – and that’s where you guys really can take some lessons from us canines. Seriously- we should be taking YOU to obedience class. I’m just a young fella, but this is what I’ve figured out so far…. Life really IS good. Sniff the air. Marvel in the world around you while on a walk. Be happy when you get a treat. Follow instructions. Listen. Roll in the grass. Bite your toys – not others. Respect your elders. Eat what’s good for you – not carpets and chair legs. Be excited when you see someone you love. And finally, don’t pee on the vegetables.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Hey blogaroos. Squirmy here on a marvelous Monday.

It was a another busy weekend- for me anyway. Another disastrous beauty pageant class, followed by a great rally class. Ummm – does anyone see a pattern developing?

So like the beauty pageant class was outside again. On a warm, windy but kinda muggy day. And like there were a gazillion dogs in class again… two Nova Scotia duck Tollers, my girlfriend, Gina the German Shepherd, another girlfriend, Bree a Bouvier, a Cocker spaniel, a Sussex Spaniel, an Australian Shepherd, a Weimaraner, a Smooth Collie, two Vizslas, a partridge in a pear tree and me. I’m probably forgetting someone. And hello? Guess who got REALLY bored? So like at one point each dog had to go, one at a time and do something called a free stack in the middle of the ring. It’s where you stand like a statue and your owner can’t touch and place your feet if you’re standing crooked. So everyone is taking their turn. And standing beautifully. And then it’s my turn. My Enforcer runs me out to the middle of the ring and tells me to stand and voila – I plop right down onto the grass. Everybody laughed. Which I quite enjoyed. If ya can’t get an applause for being the prettiest, get some laughs! And guess what? I did that again the second time. It was closing in on an hour of torture for My Enforcer, and her friend Cindy, who was standing next to us in the line up said – “You know – I think he’s had enough. If he were mine, I would probably take him out- so he doesn’t learn to hate this conformation stuff.” That was a great observation and suggestion because it was right about the time yours truly was lying in the grass and refusing to stand up. My Enforcer had been thinking the same thing, so we ducked out of the ring and went to a nearby field. She asked me to do 30 seconds of heel work – and guess what? I was brilliant. Because I was DOING something!! Standing around and waiting to pose is boring. I’d rather roll in the grass and attempt to sniff the dog in front of me and behind me. And then when it’s finally my turn to run around the ring, I want to burn it. I run so fast My Enforcer can’t keep up. It’s just not my thing.

Anyway, I went to rally class last night and hello – I ran one course and our teacher said I was perfect. Like NO mistakes. Because it’s FUN. Beauty pageants are like watching paint dry. In rally I get to be the painter! I’m not sure if that makes any sense- but I’m a heeling machine.

I’m not sure we’ll go to beauty pageant class next week. I think it’s too traumatic for My Enforcer. She tries desperately for an hour to keep me happy – and it’s tough. On the other hand, rally class is easy – and a blast. We’ll see what happens next weekend…Mind you, I did kinda enjoy being the class clown. One lady said I look really nice. When I’m standing up…

Time for my walk. Have a magnificent Monday!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy doody blogaroos!!! Squirmy Wormy here on a super Saturday. Another handling class today. We’ll see what chaos I can create today!

Meanwhile, my unusual fear that I encounter on walks, continues. I’m bold as brass in this household, and I’ll put up an excellent front guarding my home and property – but I do have a great fear. Puddles. On our morning walk, I dodge around them. And sometimes I totally put on the brakes. Because not all puddles are alike. Some are deep. And you don’t know what lies beneath them. I think there was a horror film named that. But I don’t think it was about puddles. It all started when My Enforcer accidentally kicked a tiny pebble as I was walking by a puddle and it scared me. So now I have puddophobia. I made up that word. There is a word for fear of lakes – limnophobia, and thalassophobia- fear of the ocean and aquaphobia – a general fear of water- but I can’t find a specific word for fear of puddles. Isn’t there anybody else who finds them scary?!

Yesterday My Enforcer decided to try and help me get over my fear. She simply had me stand by a puddle. Clearly I don’t look very happy about this.

When she told me I could sit, I was a bit happier because I moved back from the scary puddle.

We continued on our walk, with me leaping over little puddles and dodging around big ones. At one point, My Enforcer showed me a pebble and had me watch as she tossed it into a puddle. She did that several times. And yeah, OK that wasn’t scary – but I still gave that puddle a side eye glance as I went around it.

Look, we all have our own things that make us unique. Mine is puddophobia. And I guess ricocheting off walls, animals and humans is a bit unique too. But come on – that uniqueness makes me extra lovable. I mean who couldn’t love a puddophobic ricocheter?

OK. I better go and hide because you KNOW she’s going to want to brush me ONE MORE TIME before we go to class. She figures if we don’t perform well, at least I’ll look cute. But we do have a problem. There is rain in the forecast. Hope there’s no puddle in front of the entrance to the class….

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Greetings blog aficionados. Frodo here. It seems like a long time since I have posted. Probably since the imp is overly excited to do so – so I allow him the opportunity. Anything to keep him occupied for a few moments.

Ironically, I am writing on a day when not much is new in our household, and although it is World UFO Day, I have little to comment on that subject. Mind you, I often wonder if the imp is from another planet….

So given our boring household, I have the opportunity to share some dog related news. The first is a singing dog who is currently competing in one of those TV talent contests. You may view him here:

https://www.goldderby.com/article/2021/americas-got-talent-singing-dog-pam-and-casper/

Now I am no Simon Cowell, but personally, I couldn’t understand a word that dog sang. I’m not one to brag about my own talents, but my singing definitely rivals the tones of that dog. Frankly, I love to sing. And I do so throughout the day. When Her Highness walks the other dogs, when I want breakfast, supper, treats and sometimes for no particular reason. Perhaps I should enter that competition. Oh. But wait. Her Highness would also need to sing. Dreams dashed again.

The next video is thoroughly ridiculous. It is just silly. BUT the portions that show what you humans look like when talking to us canines is spot on. And for that reason, I am sharing it.

https://youtu.be/Z64phebSJtA

Yesterday the Imp and I did some rally training outdoors. Her Highness always works with him first, probably because she wants to get the difficult training out of the way first. And then, like an old shoe, I come out and make her training easy. Mind you, I am a barking shoe. But still, she tells me what to do – and I do it. I feel I am quite ready for a Masters level trial. It’s HER who is holding us back. I wonder if I could rent a handler….

Well. Time to go for our morning constitutionals. And I must begin my singing practice while the others are out…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Hey hey hey blogaroos! It’s Squirmy “The unpredictable” Wormy. Yup – I like to keep My Enforcer guessing – she can never ever EVER predict what I will do. Bad OR good.

We know that the beauty pageant class was a gong show on Saturday. So My Enforcer was kinda dreading my behavior for rally class on Sunday night. Let’s face it, it’s been forever since we had a class, and I haven’t been super studious since classes got canceled for the COVID. We arrived at class with our typical 2 minutes to spare, and went in. And I was cool until I noticed a new dog in our group. A very handsome Golden Retriever. Well. We had my Borzoi girlfriend, my Sheltie girlfriend and my Bichon girlfriend. So hello – who was the new dude in class?! Trying to steal my girlfriends? Truthfully, I’m not sure the girls KNEW they were my girlfriends – but still. Anyway, I had to keep my eye on him. A lot. So much so that My Enforcer had to say “leave it!” More than once. But despite my obsession with the new classmate, when it came my turn to do a course, I was all business. And I did a great job!!! Everybody said I must have been fibbing about the beauty pageant class. But no- that really WAS a gong show. The difference with rally class is that I get to DO stuff. And it’s never the same. Unlike beauty pageant class where you run around in a counterclockwise circle. Again and again. And people touch you in private places. Or try to if you don’t sit fast enough. No touching in rally.

Yesterday My Enforcer took a mental health day (away from us) and went to some beach for the day. But Wendy came by to hang out with us and make sure that we weren’t suffering from our abandonment. OK we were fine and Wendy gave us the extra frozen Kongs that My Enforcer had prepared for us. So we survived.

Today we have rain in the forecast. Given the abandonment we endured yesterday, My Enforcer better not be planning any escape for today. Besides – we have some rally work to do. Oh. And beauty pageant stuff too….

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here. So you know that old saying: Practice makes perfect? Well did you know there’s a second part to the quote? Practice makes perfect and no practice makes a wild dog in an outdoor conformation handling class even MORE wild. That’s the second part.

Yup. It was back to beauty pageant classes for yours truly yesterday. Whooooeeeee. Just picture it. An outdoor class. A sunny but super windy day. A bunch of dogs I never met before, except for my girlfriend, Gina. Who they said (which I don’t understand) was just coming out of her season. What season? Spring? Christmas? I don’t know- but she sure smelled different. Add to that a guy who has not practiced for a beauty pageant in months. And the result is ….Captain Chaos adventures.

But wait – you need to know what happened BEFORE we got to class. So My Enforcer took me and The Boss on the trail in the morning. Big mistake. We BOTH ended up with muddy feet. So she figures she’ll just have to rinse us off – especially me – since I’m going to beauty pageant class. Well that’s all fine. Until we walk down the driveway on the way home. And I discover that some bird- make that some LARGE bird (probably a pheasant) OBVIOUSLY ate something that didn’t “agree with him” and had a very messy poop in the middle of our driveway. And before she could say “no stop!!!!” Yours truly did the drop and roll in the poop puddle. Yup. It was awesome.

So what should have been a simple foot rinse, became a full shampoo. And blow dry of course. All before breakfast.

Anyway, I arrive at the training place (after an hour drive) and well… my brain exploded. When asked to run around the ring, I was like a hummingbird who drank too much nectar from a cannabis plant. Do cannabis plants have flowers? I don’t know – but you get the picture. My Enforcer had to grip onto my lead with all her might. And if you think I’m exaggerating, I can send you photos of the blister on her finger from gripping my leash throughout the class. I am NOT joking. She had me in a death grip. Probably because if I wasn’t running like I was being chased by a grizzly or trying to sniff the dog in front of me (or behind me), I was rolling in the grass. At one point I just plopped down….

And when she tried to move me, I decided to play “sack of potatoes” – and I didn’t move. She didn’t get a picture of me lying on my side. At one point I also did the bucking bronco routine like a dog who has never worn a leash. That was pretty.

Our teacher is very patient, and tries to be so positive, despite my less than stellar performance. We KNOW he must be holding back the urge to roll his eyes when I race around like a ballon that has a hole in it. There are some AWESOME dogs in our class – some who have actually won big ribbons!! BIG ribbons. I should just see if My Enforcer could buy some – it would save both of us a whole lot of trouble.

The great news is we signed up for 4 weeks of this entertainment! Seriously- they should be paying me for the comic relief. Now I get why the Coyote found this kinda boring. On the other hand, The Boss did well at this beauty pageant stuff. But he’s a bit more serious about stuff like this. I’d rather roll in pheasant poop.

Tonight I go back to Rally Class! Let’s hope My Enforcer finds better treats than yesterday. Freeze dried beef just didn’t cut it…

Good thing I’m cute…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy blogees. Elroy here on a fabulous Friday. I hope you’re having a chill one – in preparation for your weekend. Mind you… weekend, Monday, Halloween, birthdays- it’s all the same to me. Except for the dreaded photo shoots for holidays. I hear we have one coming up at the beginning of July, and Her Highness came back with a big bag from the Dollar store the other day. And she was wearing that evil smile, that indicates I am going to be required to wear some obnoxious head gear. Again. We’ve already worn the Canadian flags for Canada Day in the past, so who KNOWS what else she could have found. She had better not leave the gate open by mistake, because I’ll be in the next province before she can catch me…

Yesterday was particularly uneventful because right after breakfast, she made this big “announcement” that she could plant tomatoes on the kitchen floor. Yawn. Sure. We tracked in some dirt. Especially the mops – they are mud magnets. But a crop of tomatoes in the kitchen? Drama. All drama.

So as a result of the proclamation, we canines found ourselves on the deck, while she scrubbed the tile grout with a brush like a toothbrush. Talk about a futile exercise. As she slaved away, we all watched through the deck door – making sure to create some extra nice olfactory art. So while she’s scrubbing the floor, we’re messing up the windows. It’s called the canine cleaning circle of life. We came in when the floor was dry and when she went to wipe the windows, we tracked in all those little maple leaf helicopter things. So then she had to vacuum again. So she put us back outside because we like to attack the vacuum. And we watched, leaving new olfactory art creations. See what I mean about the cycle. Just give it up.

And speaking of tomatoes, Her Highness moved the garden boxes beyond our fenced area. No digging for us guys in the veggies this year. Seriously, sometimes she can be rather boring. So right now we stare through the fence at the fledgling crops. The tomatoes look like blades of grass. BUT she planted potatoes, and they are looking great. Mind you, I’m not exactly sure what they are supposed to look like, but they ARE green. And the lettuce could probably make a small salad right now. For a rabbit. Speaking of whom, I’m surprised our hoppy friends haven’t yet discovered the buffet. Yo. Free food. Come on down. Her Highness placed the boxes far enough back that we can’t pee through the fence on them. And trust me – we all tried. A little fun competition. But nobody won.

Meanwhile, every time I go out the front door for my walk, Her Highness has to watch me because I keep trying to pee on these nice planters she has on either side of the door. No luck yet. But the season is young.

So that’s the exciting news from our corner of the planet. Let’s hope there’s no thrilling activity like dusting today….

I think I’ll head out to do some digging.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.