Blog Feed

Greetings blog readers. Frodo here for your reading pleasure. I feel that I have recently been “misunderstood,” so today I am writing because I believe I should explain my behavior.

Let’s begin with my barking in class. I am not trying to cause a problem. I simply want to comment about the exercises. Are we canines not allowed to voice our opinion? I thought that freedom of speech extended to us canines. You two leggeds certainly allow us to speak up if a stranger approaches our home. In fact, we are encouraged to alert you to in the event that a burglar arrives. Yet silence is the norm during canine obedience classes. Tsk tsk.

And as for my little culvert episode the other day – well I can also explain that. At home we play a game called “Find the bunny”. Or “ Find the lambie.” Depending whether the the object of the finding is still intact, and not losing too much stuffing as a result of some dog’s overly exuberant “find.” Anyway to find the object, one must use one’s nose. If one doesn’t, he ends up running here and there, without finding the wounded stuffed animal. So we have trained our noses to be exact. Therefore is it any wonder I would use my well trained proboscis to smell something outdoors? I believed it was wild animal, so I needed to protect my human. True – calling the neighbor’s cat a “wild animal” may be a bit of a stretch. But one never knows how those cats may react.

I hope my arguments have cleared my name. I generally have a reputation for impeccable behavior, save my incessant barking and dislike for crates. I wouldn’t want that reputation tarnished by some obvious misunderstandings.

I am off to class again this evening. I have done an inventory on the reward cuisine, and I expect my behavior this evening will be admirable. I see there is both dried beef and lamb lung on the menu- so no worries about my performance tonight. As for my behavior when NOT performing… we shall see.

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

Howdy do – it’s Squirmy roo. Here with another episode of our epic lives.

So where to begin. I know! With me! So I went for another class Sunday night. We didn’t have class last week so I was a bit rusty. For like 21.8 seconds! We started with some warm up exercises and I was raring to go. So then our teacher told us we would all practice heeling in a giant figure 8 around some cones. And I got to go first! Everybody was watching me as I heeled my little butt around those cones. When we finished, one lady said “well that’s a hard act to follow!” My Enforcer was pretty proud of me. Until about 45 minutes into class. Like The Boss, I get bored when it’s not my turn. He barks. And I jump on My Enforcer. And I chew the leash. And her hands. My well behaved persona went right out the window. My Enforcer kept plying me with treats. Sound familiar?

And speaking of the Boss – I hear he caused a ruckus during his morning constitutional with the Coyote yesterday. It seems they were on their way home, when suddenly the Boss put his head up into the wind and started sniffing. Then he puffed out his chest and began barking and pulling. And of course the Coyote joined in. They pulled to the culvert that runs on the side of the road and even though my Enforcer saw nothing to cause the commotion, she knew they were after something and it was her or the culvert. Poop bags went flying and she let go of the leashes. She immediately regretted letting go of the Coyote – we all know he’s a flight risk. She kept shouting his name (which we all know is useless) and she prayed that his leash would get caught on something. Bingo – her wish came true so she got down in the culvert and managed to grab him by the collar, unleash him, unleash The Boss and put The Boss’ leash on the Coyote (while threatening The Boss that if he so much as moved- he would get no breakfast). He didn’t move. My Enforcer doesn’t know what caused the PONDEMONIUM- but her best guess was a cat.

We’ve had some nice warm weather – perfect for rolling in the lawn in the mulched up leaves- and bringing those tiny pieces into the house. Yup – looks like a forest inside. It’s perfect!!

Time to get moving. Have a super duper day! You know I will!

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

Well hello there blogees. It’s Elroy bringing you our latest exploits today.

Let’s begin with world news. First off – do you know who Champ and Major are? No? Allow me to tell you. In January, they will be assuming the roles of DOTUS when they move to their new home in the White House. Yup. After four dogless years, two canines will be again living in the most famous residence in the US. President-elect Joe Biden is owned by the two German Shepherds, and they will romping the halls of their new abode.

Now the whole election thing was tough. And boy oh boy, two leggeds can sure get crankier than a PON whose dinner is served late when it comes to politics. Lots of people liked the dogless President, and lots more people liked the dog-owning candidate. Humans. You can believe and support your political ideals. BUT – do it without name calling and respect for one another. Be NICE. Really. Or no treats for you.

In news here, I went for my last massage therapy appointment yesterday. Liz, the therapist, poked and probed and massaged all my muscles. And she gave me a completely clean bill of health. She could find no evidence of my muscle injury. I’m completely healed up. I can continue to play with the Shaggy Shark and I’m good to go when herding begins again. Liz was so nice – she gave me my very own special Halloween treat – a big biscuit in the shape of a leaf covered in orange icing!! How nice was that. And in typical Picard fashion, I tossed it in the air and stared at it when it hit the ground. Her Highness had to embarrassingly explain that I can be a picky eater. Ain’t that the truth. So we brought my lovely bakery creation home.

Tonight the Shark goes back to his school. We’ll see what kind of chaos he can cause there…

In the meantime, be good to each other. Wag your tails – not your tongues. Be an example of how you want to be treated. I’ve learned that if I bite at the Shark, he bites back. So it’s a lot more fun playing if we take it easy on each other. See – even I can be have some good advice like the PONs. Even if I am a picky Picard…,

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

Howdy doody do blogaroos. It’s Squirmy Wormy PONdini here. Reporting my latest exploits and adventures. And boy I have a couple.

But first, a word about the Boss. So. He had his second Masters class last night. Remember how good he was the first night? Well we can sum up that initial good behavior in one word. Novelty. So last night wasn’t so novel. So he wasn’t QUITE as well behaved. Now it’s not that he was bad when he had to work. He did fine with that. It’s the down time while he’s waiting his turn to practice, that he started… well… being Frodo. What does Frodo do when he wants something? Or he is bored? He barks. So if he was waiting too long- he just looked at My Enforcer and barked. Usually once. Then if he didn’t get anything, he would bark again. In order to keep him quiet, My Enforcer kept rewarding him if he was silent. So they had a pattern going. He would bark. She would say “quiet”. He would be quiet. She would reward. He would bark. She would say “quiet”. She would try to stretch out the reward. But would feed him again. He would bark….You get the routine here. So that went on the whole class.

Oh – and I forgot what happened BEFORE they even got to class. The Boss hates crates. So last week on the way to and from class he panted and squeaked in the crate all the time. So. My Enforcer figured this time she would let him stay in the area behind the crate in the back of the vehicle. Didn’t matter. He still panted and squeaked. And then he tried to wedge himself between the crate and the back door. I think in an effort to stand and breathe on My Enforcer’s neck and to watch her driving. Well that was bad enough, but suddenly My Enforcer heard this buzzzzz sound. The back window going down. The Boss opened it himself. She panicked as she envisioned him jumping out. But thankfully, after riding for 30 seconds with his head out, he stepped back in and she quickly shut the window. And put on the safety lock. Needless to say he rode in the crate in the way home.

So all in all, an exciting evening. He was tired when he got home. And so was she.

But back to me. I met another new girlfriend yesterday. Gena is a German Shepherd who owns our friend and dog sitter, Wendy. So Gena and I met up (with the two leggeds) and went for an almost 2 hour walk!!!!! And I was good!! I was well mannered. And I learned that I didn’t need to worry if there were runners or bikers or people pushing strollers on the trail. Here’s me and my new girlfriend. I think I now have a harem.

We had a good time and I hope we go on another date soon!

Lastly, I have a question. Well maybe it’s more a fact. You know how mice can squish their bodies to get through even the smallest cracks? Well guess what! I must be part mouse!!! Last night when My Enforcer came back from class with The Boss, I was in my crate. The one that has three latches that you push down to secure the door. The one that also has a carabiner on it. In case I lift the three latches. Well. Before letting me out of my cell, My Enforcer went in the garage to fill our food bowls because we hadn’t had supper. Imagine her surprise when she came out and found me out of my crate!!! Here’s the space I got through.

That space is 2 inches wide. Yes. Two inches. Holy moly it wasn’t easy to push my way through. Yup. I’m part mouse.

My Enforcer said she needs more carabiners….

So that’s the scoop here. Oh- and the Coyote went to the express lane at the vet, and his butt is all hunky dory do again. He’s a happy camper. Thank goodness. Nobody wants to have a pain in the butt. Besides – he has me!!!

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

Anybody awake out there? It’s Squirmy here. It was a LONG day yesterday. We were watching TV until early this morning. Well – we weren’t really watching – let’s face it- there were no dogs or animals on the shows My Enforcer was watching last night- so it was kinda boring for us canines. All I know is there was some big political thingy going on- and it was a big deal. Even more political than figure skating or dog shows!!!! That’s a joke. Kind of. I’ve never skated or been to a dog show – so what do I know.

Anyway – my preference for the thing yesterday was simple. Pick the guy who has a dog. I’m honestly not sure why they didn’t use that as a campaign strategy. Really. Know how many dog owners there are out there? Like dozens and dozens. Anyway, one guy has a dog- and the other guy doesn’t. That’s my pick. Although I heard the other guy has a pet fly….

After all that watching, the results are still not known! They need counters who work as fast as we PONs eat. We’re too bored to watch this for days. But whatever the result, let’s hope two leggeds can act like dogs when this is over – be happy, live for today, appreciate the little things in life (like food in your bowl, a roof over your head and toys to play with), and don’t dwell on something bad for too long. The bottom line – we may not all like the same kibble – but we all need to eat . So get on with things. Mind you, I’m a dog so it’s easy for me to say….

In other news – GUESS what happened here yesterday. OK- you give up. We had SNOW! Our very first unexpected snow. The weather people kept it a big surprise so there were all kinds of accidents and traffic jams. Not that we had to go anywhere. But still.

I didn’t quite know what to make of it – but within 3.67 seconds I decided I loved it! I raced around and the Coyote chased and chased me. We had a ball. Good thing My Enforcer mowed the lawn the other day. And mulched up those leaves. The good news after that was that we were no longer tracking big leaves into the house. Before the mowing, our dining room and kitchen looked like there was a tree inside the house. After the mowing, no more big leaves. Now we just tracked in 2,000,000 little tiny leaf pieces. So much better.

But with the snow we just tracked in snow balls. Here’s a quick clip of me and the Coyote playing…

It was a winter wonderland. Inside and out. And today it will likely disappear.

So it’s time to get moving. Don’t worry too much about those politicos. Remember every minute you worry – you can’t get that back. Play fetch with your dog instead. Everything WILL work out. I don’t think any party has plans to ban dog ownership – so things will be fine. We’ll still be here.

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

Guess who?!! It’s me! Squirmy!!!! Here to brighten your Monday after a busy boo weekend.

Well we only had three very cute kids come to our door for treats on Saturday night. They live across the road from us. They were super cute – and we wanted desperately to say hello as we threw ourselves against the French door to the hallway. One little guy wanted to pet us- but given that The Boss and I would likely bark at him and the Coyote would try to give him kisses- no doubt resulting in a downed child – My Enforcer said we were a bit too excited to say hello. That was an understatement. But like I said – they were adorable and very nice. Thank goodness they came by. Now My Enforcer only needs to eat the other 297 bags of treats that she bought. The Boss explained that this is actually a good thing – because we get more walks after the results of eating those treats end up on her hips.

Yesterday morning we got up at our regular time. Who knew we were an hour early? OK. My Enforcer tried to explain it – but we didn’t really care to listen. Besides – it was a crisp, sunny day. Might as well take advantage of it! Carpe Diem! Whatever that means.

After our walks, we ran in the yard until our tongues hit the ground. My Enforcer has to monitor all our moves so there’s not too much Humpty Dumpty going on. The Coyote is kinda obsessed with me. And my feet. Go figure. So when things get too wild, My Enforcer breaks things up. We played. She refereed. We went down to the lake. We played. After hours of activity, My Enforcer came in the house to look at the clock. She figured it must be around 2:00. It was 10:30. Yup. We keep her hoppin’.

Oh! Oh! I forgot to tell you about The Boss’s return to academia the other night. He went back to work on his Rally Masters degree. My Enforcer was a bit concerned because it’s been YEARS since he has gone to a class. Well I guess it’s true that we PONs never forget. I guess he did really well! My Enforcer was SO pleased!

Today The Coyote is going to the vet for a little visit. Something about his poop glands. I thought My Enforcer could take him to the grocery store to have it take care of. I mean they have an express lane. My Enforcer said no. He needs to go to the vet. Better him than me.

OK. Time to get this house shakin’. Good thing they have me around here to get things movin’!

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

Howdy doody spookaroos. It’s Squirmy!!!!! I’m here celebrating my very first Halloween! I understand that usually humans give out treats to kids who get dressed up in costumes and who come to your door. This year I heard that the best treats are hand sanitizer and disposable masks! Anyway, My Enforcer said we usually don’t get many kids – although she bought enough treats for 300. And she’s already been eating them herself! The Boss said it happens every year.

Well I found out why the guys don’t like those Dollar Store bags. But guess what?! It turns out I like to dress up! A little anyway. So My Enforcer did get some good individual shots of us. Like these:

But you’ll note there was no head gear. I actually was OK with head gear. BUT it didn’t always work out . Like these sparkly cat ear things. You couldn’t even see them on my head.

I didn’t mind these weird things…

And we could even get a shot with two of us…

But everything falls apart when we try THREE of us. First of all, the Coyote has no interest whatsoever in wearing head gear. He really doesn’t love photos in general. It’s super tricky because if My Enforcer makes weird sounds or throws something to get The Coyote’s ears up- well I can’t possibly just SIT there. This is a sampling of the indignant Coyote and wild me…

In this one, I decided to stick out my tongue for fun. Look how much fun the Coyote is having!

Here The Coyote and I spot some fuzz on the floor.

Here is one where I’m thinking of doing something else, the Coyote continues to look miserable, and the Boss…of course he cooperates.

And then we have the wardrobe malfunctions…

This is probably the best one. Although the Coyote has no ears. Must be a way to put some on him…

If you take away the head gear, the Coyote is marginally more happy…In this one, he refused to lie down. He looks like he lost his best friend…

This one is a little better…

Another alternative is to take us outdoors. The goal was to get us in photos with pumpkins. Well. As you might imagine, this can also be a gong show. Here we are just wearing festive collars. Putting those on was a challenge in itself. That would have made a great video….Here The Coyote and I think we see a squirrel. Or a bird. Or a leaf blowing in the wind. Note the Boss.

Here the Coyote and I discuss an escape plan…Note the Boss.

This one is pretty good…After 629 shots.

But we really liked this one because even the Coyote looks kinda happy!

So 1,387 weird sounds and repetitions of our names, 3 lbs of liver treats, and probably 1 bottle of wine later, we made it through our Halloween photo shoots.

Now I heard something about reindeer antlers in a few weeks…. so we’ll have to see what THAT’S all about. In the meantime, Happy Halloween!

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

Hello readers! Remember me? It’s Elroy-whose role as the “wild child” in the household has now been taken over by the Shaggy Shark. As you may recall, when he first arrived I thought he was the best thing since sheep. Then we went through the needle teeth period – and the post exuberance injury period when I wasn’t so sure I liked him after all.

Now I am pleased to announce that we have entered into a new period. The “I think you’re REALLY cool” period- so cool that we are also calling this the Humpty Dumpty period. And well, when I get a little TOO serious about my Humpty moves, Her Highness puts a stop to my antics. At 4 years old one would THINK that my coming-of-age Humpty hormone surge might have already occurred. Mind you, it’s not like I haven’t attempted this move with The Boss. But he protests – loudly. So I quit. However, the Shark is all up for a game. So Her Highness intervenes. Come on – we’re just playing.

And speaking of the Shark – he had a “date” yesterday too!! Just like yours truly and my gal, Willow, he met a girl of the same breed. Not to worry – no hanky panky Humpty Dumpty moves went on there either – he’s still too young. Way too young. But he met a PON girlfriend, named Pola. Pola owns the humans who created Frodo and Viktor! She’s a little older than the Shark. When they first met- she told him to bug off. I think she was playing hard to get. The Shark was a little taken aback and showed her his pearly whites. Anyway, within 20 minutes they were good friends. He put on his best manners (hard to believe) and was pretty well behaved. They plan to get together again sometime – for more play. Thanks to his human for the photos!

Tonight The Boss goes for his first class in Rally Masters. Which means that The Shark and I will be left at home. Wonder if I can help break him out of his crate…. Now wouldn’t THAT be a surprise when Her Highness gets home….

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

Greetings blog readers. It is Frodo – the best behaved dog in the household. In all truthfulness, my competition is currently fairly easy to beat. I mean we have a dog who, at 4 years old, often does not even respond to his own name- so much so that Her Highness actually said perhaps we should just call him something else and start anew. Perhaps he doesn’t like the name Elroy. Mind you, it does suit him. I don’t actually believe his unwillingness to respond has anything to do with his disdain for his own moniker. I just think he just prefers to do his own thing. In his own time. Actually, I think it’s in Picard time.

My other competitor is rather smart, but has the attention span of an infant gnat. And his flying behavior leaves much to be desired, especially if one unprepared for the plane landing. Despite his rather boisterous attitude about life in general, he reportedly did well at his second obedience class. At least he wasn’t dismissed on Day 2.

And speaking of classes, guess who else is returning to academia. Yes, yours truly has decided to dust off the dumbbell and come out of retirement. I’m not certain I will do formal obedience, but we we will give Rally a try. Since I retired from the Rally world, they have added another level of competition called Masters. The tasks required at this level are more challenging, and it will require some studying on Her Highness’s part. You see it all began because while she was practicing homework with the imp, yours truly wanted VERY much to be involved. So we will give it a try. My first class is Thursday. Let’s see if I can remember what the word “heel” means…

In other earth shattering news, the imp went on another mini road trip – and this time went with another dog – a Sheltie by the name of Tup. Short for Tuppence I believe. The two reportedly got along quite well and they plan to do future walks together.

Oh and I forgot to mention that the flying PON can now single pawedly jump onto the grooming table completely unassisted. I have never been that excited to be groomed – so it is not a trick you will ever catch me performing. Her Highness has begun to try out the new grooming products which arrived last week. And unfortunately, she also decided to try them on yours truly as well. In fact – I had a complete bath totally unexpectedly yesterday. I believe it was a combination or trying products and the fact that because I will be attending school again, I must look somewhat presentable. Yawn.

Today we have rain in the forecast. At least through our morning walk. After all I had to go through with my bath and grooming- I think it’s critical that my walk be cut very very short. I mean who would want to ruin my wonderful coiffure? I must be clear in my protest. Either that – or hide…

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

Happy Sunday blogaroos. It’s me Squirmy again! Because I have to tell you all about my latest adventure!!! My Enforcer and I went on a little road trip. It was supposed to be just a trip to the pet store – but it was a super sunny warm day, so we decided to hit the road. Well, I didn’t decide. She was driving. So I guess she made the plan and I literally went along for the ride.

First stop was actually a little hiking trail. I was kind of wild and it’s clear to My Enforcer that I need more training to walk nicely on a leash. Bla bla. Anyway, we walked – well I pulled and she tried to keep up with me – and I explored all the new scents. Then of course we had to take the obligatory photos to prove I was there. With my shark leash and collar. I probably would have scared people away wearing that attire – but we didn’t run into a single person, dog or bear.

Next stop- a pet store. I actually stayed in the car for this. So much for socializing. Anyway, she emerged with a BIG bag of stuff. There were some yummy treats, and she did say something about Christmas gifts. She thinks I wasn’t listening, but I heard her loud and clear. Gotta find that bag.

Next stop was a town called Lunenburg. It’s an old fishing town and home to the famous Bluenose. For those who don’t know, I’m not referring to cold temperatures and frozen faces. Yet. I’m referring to a famous schooner that’s on the Canadian dime. It was built in 1921 and sailed in lots of races. Until it sunk. Then the province built another one and its kind of a Canadian icon and ambassador. And speaking of the Bluenose – did you know that Nova Scotians are sometimes referred to as Bluenosers? In fact, the name came BEFORE the schooner got its name. There are several stories about the origin of the name – but the one I like best is the fact that back in the olden days, fishermen would wear thick woolie mittens out at sea. And sometimes, the mittens were dyed blue – just to add some color to their wardrobe, I guess. Anyway, when they would be out on the cold seas in the winter, they would wipe their running noses with their mitts – leaving a blue dye mark. So they really were blue nosers!!!

So that’s your Squirmy history moment. Anyway, I went down to the pier where the Bluenose hangs out when it isn’t being an ambassador. But it wasn’t there.

It was my first time on a pier, and all was going great. I was looking around. Enjoying the breeze. Looking at the water. It was an enjoyable experience.

But then, when we went to leave the pier, something unexpected happened. Now I had passed people on the pier. No big deal. In fact My Enforcer had to keep me from going over to people – I wanted to say hello. But what I had not expected was a strange four wheeled vehicle with a small two legged on board. A stroller with a kid. Well. You’d think I was shown a scene of Frodo eating the very last morsels in the dog food bag. I mean I was horrified. Clearly I need to get out more. I put on my brakes and would not move. Even the yummiest treats in my face would not get me to move. My Enforcer envisioned me slipping my collar – which is not loose- but she was still worried. She worried either that would happen – or we were both going for a swim in the ocean. And what did the man with the stroller do? He stopped right by us. Even though it was pretty clear I wanted nothing to do with that strange device and miniature human. My Enforcer explained I was just a puppy. I’m still not sure how we managed to get off that pier – it’s a blur now. I think it involved some dragging and pushing – but I made it out alive. And then I happily marched down the street.

I posed for another shot at a gazebo. I’m starting to get this whole picture taking thing. Sit still for two clicks and then you get a treat. Easy peasy.

After all that we went home. And I was exhausted. For about an hour. Then I was raring to go.

Yesterday My Enforcer went to some kind of seminar about dog obedience and rally competitions. Dogs weren’t involved. Go figure. I hear it was all about some new “rules”. No dogs in this house are interested in rules, so probably just as well we didn’t go.

Tonight I head back to my obedience class. I did my homework but as many of you humans owned by dogs know, whether I will remember what I practiced at home will be another story at class. I call it performance anxiety. Actually, The Boss calls it that – I just stole his words. What do I know – I’ve only been to one class.

Hope you have a happy Sunday!!! I know I will.

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