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Salutations blog readers. It is Frodo.

As you know, we are mourning the passing of brother Viktor. Brother Viktor. That makes him sound like some kind of religious figure – and as you all know, nothing could have been further from the truth. Let’s face it- he is the dog who stole bananas from the counter – and ate them – peel and all. He also had an affection for dryer lint. I could NEVER understand THAT craving. He also like to eat pockets. Remember her highness’ new coat? That incident was not appreciated.

He is also the dog who would make repeated unsuccessful attempts to catch a rabbit. And would often go AWOL while doing so. I on the other hand, know that rodent chasing in the woods results in dirt and subsequent grooming. I’ll take a pass on that game.

But then Viktor would willingly participate in grooming – and would literally do anything for a treat. Except smile and pose for the camera. While there are dozens of smiling shots of the grey haired cyclone, those did not come without fistfuls of treats. Snow shots were particularly challenging as he preferred to bury his head in the snow.

Viktor would fetch until he was ready to collapse. Yours truly plays for just so long and then gets bored with the monotony. I find it a rather tedious game.

Let’s be perfectly honest. When one looks up the definition of “good dog” ( with regard to obedient behavior), his photo is not depicted.

However, we ALL mourn his loss. Greatly. Our household is very different. Her highness, as he dubbed our human, is feeling very sad. She said, “Viktor had a purpose in life and he fulfilled it. He never won any remarkable dog shows but he was a champion to so many. I am blessed that I was so lucky to have him in my life. Eight years is not enough. But then, no time is ever “enough.”

No. No time with us canines is EVER enough for you humans.

I understand that many of you reading were fans of my brother. And I am here to make an announcement. It is with great trepidation that Elroy and I have decided, in Viktor’s honor, to continue sharing our tales. This will not be easy, as my brother “the wild child” was different from both of us. And people liked him. They liked to read his stories. Because humans do things like slow down to see an accident. And Viktor’s views were often like a train wreck.

Obviously he was entertaining. But I am here to announce that I have a voice as well. A very loud voice. And one that I choose to use often. Particularly at meal time. And why would one bark incessantly at meal time? Because, frankly, I am giving her highness instructions to speed up her meal preparation performance. She’s too slow. Way too slow. Imagine if we sheepdogs were so slow when guarding or moving our sheep. The flock would be scattered in all directions. We are used to speed and precision. We expect the same from humans at mealtime.

Yes. I have a voice. And tales to tell. I am the “good dog.” Or I have proclaimed myself as such. I am also brilliant. Although when her highness witnesses my digging at ceramic tile in an effort to become comfortable, the label “smart” is NOT one that comes to mind.

No barrier can contain me. I did not obtain the name PONdini without escaping from multiple enclosures. Mind you, I did wear down my canine teeth pulling on chain link fence. Which is unusual as we are rarely in the fenced pen. Still, I would not be in any ads for canine dental products.

I confess to being “sensitive” when it comes to feet examinations. And grooming in general. But that’s because I am smart. I see grooming as a total waste of time – given that I will look ragged within minutes of grooming completion.

I am more intent than brother Viktor was – and I take my role as guardian much more seriously. I own our property. Our road. The county. And any place that I arrive first. I am proud of my ability to throw myself gnashing and roaring against the front door when the oil delivery man comes. Mind you, all the delivery man need do is pull out a grooming tool like a comb, and I’ll make a hasty retreat…but he doesn’t know that. I am a protector extraordinaire.

I will be sharing this space with Elroy – who Viktor dubbed the FG. Or Friendly Giant. Sometimes new readers did not know what FG stood for. There are no doubt “other” names that one can conjure up using those letters…

Elroy will be sharing his voice in the next blog posting. You will see that his voice is different again. And his views are different. Very very different. The crazy beatnik dog (as I call him) has a totally unique way of viewing things. I have diagnosed him as having attention challenges. Mind you, he’s the same dog that can stand on a rock and stare at his surroundings (without moving a muscle) for 10 minutes. Indeed. I call him a “Punk”-ard because his hair often resembles a punk rocker. Yes, the Punk-ard is different…

On behalf of our little family, we extend our sincere thanks for your outpouring of sympathy on the loss of the little grey dog who was larger than life. We loved sharing him with you. And now…although we have big paw prints to fill…his memory will live on…

Peace. And paws up.

Hey. It’s me – Viktor here. Well, not REALLY here. I’m somewhere else. But I’ll always live on in the heart of my human – and in memories for many of you reading this.

My job on earth was done. I had a purpose. To tell my story and to live a large life. I had a goal to make people laugh. And sometimes I actually made them cry. I know that my human has cried buckets of tears in the past few days. But I really don’t want her to do that. Nor do I want you to cry.

I want my human to be happy for the amazing times we had – and for the fact that I was able to expand her world exponentially. She has met wonderful people from all around the world. Just because of me. And OK, I guess my brothers in crime also deserve some credit too. It has been an incredible journey.

If you are wondering, I arrived at a very cool place. Coincidentally, I arrived with my Saint Bernard friend, Dudley, and a cute PON girl I just met, named Bloom. The place is just as you would imagine – or I would imagine. Free treats, lots of food and plenty of bunnies to chase. Paxton is here – and I immediately greeted Bucket Head with a nip on his nose. Good times. I’ve met many canine friends here including Harper, Beamish, Guinness, Schubert and Barney who also once owned my human. As well there are plenty of others here- Emzy, Jazz, Sobe, Abby, Hudson, Nello, Cognac, Dorey, Nanny, Bruin, Charlie, Chumley, Jessy, Ozzie, Meg, Cajun, Cabot, Josey, Chimo, Mischa, Sophie, Solo, Java, Chinook….the list goes on. The saying that “all dogs go to heaven” must be true. I’m not sure how I got here, but I’m behaving so nobody changes their mind….

Speaking of people from around the world, a special man from France who was a regular blog reader, arrived just a few days before me. It has been a pleasure to meet him.

And of course, my human’s mother is here and offered to share her yogurt container with me. I also met her father for the first time. I had no trouble picking him out – he’s a dog lover just like her highness. He’s pretty good at playing fetch.

Speaking of which, it’s about time for me to play.

Please know that I’m OK, as are all your canine friends who are here. We live on in your hearts. And we’ll forever and ever be your guardians. We are always watching…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

On September 20, 2014 a little dog in Nova Scotia, Canada decided he had a story to tell. And one story became two, three, hundreds and well over a thousand. Over the past few days I have really come to know that you loved the wild moppet – and his never-ending tales of mischief. I am moved to know that he has touched your life – as he has mine. I’ve lost many dogs, and each one holds a special place in my heart. And sometimes that place is extra big.

Viktor always had such an incredible joy and love of life. We could all learn lessons from him about enjoying every day. I will miss his unbounded exuberance and his race to the treat jar. His love of fetching. And his wild hair when he returned from the woods after a bunny chase. And Viktor always did things “his way.” Even at the very end. We all know how challenging and gut wrenching it is to make that loving “decision” when a dog is critically ill. Viktor took the “decision” away from me. He fell asleep on his own.

This has been an incredibly difficult time. It truly has shattered my soul.

But Viktor didn’t live for sadness and although it’s only right to grieve, one must look at how to honor his “legacy”…

He leaves behind two “brothers” whose voices and views on the world are different. VERY different. But the intellectual and the beatnik have their own stories to tell….in Viktor’s honor. We just need some time before we begin sharing their tales…

Thank you for reading… and your love for a shaggy grey dog.

Viktor is failing.

I so appreciate all of your suggestions, and overwhelming support. I love him beyond the stars – and I know that so many of you love him as well. Right now, Though, I need some space and time . I won’t be responding to messages right now.

You know my love for him – and I know you know I will do everything reasonably possible for him. I know I share him, but right now he is all mine. Thank you for understanding.

To begin, I want to thank all who are praying and sending messages of hope and support. I have come to understand that many of you feel a closeness to this wonderful dog that is hard to imagine given that you have never met him. I have shared everything about him – the good and often the bad! I can truly feel the love that many of you have for him.

He remains critically critically ill. They called yesterday afternoon and said I should come. I raced over but by the time I got there he had rallied. A bit. His ammonia levels are extremely high – causing his brain fog and semi-comatose state. They have been working to reduce those.

He could be seen at the vet college which is a 4 hour drive, but he is in such a poor shape, they didn’t know if he would survive the ride. I would have to drive him. They weren’t recommending the journey.

Last night at midnight they again called with concerns. He showed decline in some blood values, but improvement in some. For example, his ammonia levels had improved. They do not know what the cause is for his problems. Some things point to liver problems but his overall liver function is NOT in crisis. An ultrasound was not remarkable. Some of his kidney values are off – but again, some are normal.

They have tested for lepto and tick illnesses. The results were negative.

There are at least 6 vets who have been consulted on his case, and they are stumped. They said if I didn’t hear from them through the night, no news was good news. Or at least stable news. It’s 6AM. No calls from them. I will call shortly and will go over after the other two boys have been cared for. It is nothing short of agonizing.

Thank you for all the love and concern. It is challenging to write this update – because he remains such a very sick boy. But they do not feel he is in discomfort or extreme pain. That I could not bear. As long as he shows improvement in at least one area, we will continue to fight the fight. The problem is, we don’t know who the enemy is….

Linda here. Viktor really needs your prayers and strong positive wishes. He deteriorated over the past few days and became increasingly listless and weak. I took him to the Animal Emergency Hospital yesterday, as our regular vet was not open for the holiday. They have run numerous tests and aren’t exactly sure what is going on. His bloodwork and urinalysis is showing varied results.

They said that they would call if there was any serious change in his condition. It’s just after 5AM and no calls through the night – so no news is good news. Or at very least, stable news.

The other two musketeers are not sure what’s going on. Mind you, Frodo would have been more than thrilled to get Viktors’s dinner portion….

Sadly, my sister leaves today. We will weather on.

Well my friends and blog readers, things here are…troubling. Yesterday I decided I did not want to eat. Now when a PON doesn’t want to eat, you know you have a real problem. So her highness made an appointment for me to see the vet immediately.

I saw the vet who has LOTS of experience with dogs. The guy who has a great big giant laugh – which can be heard throughout the clinic . He knows her highness well – so he understands what a crazy dog lady she is.

He examined me and didn’t find anything unusual on exam – although he could see that I am wobbly on my feet. I didn’t take a treat from him, mind you, lots of dogs at the vet don’t always want to think about treats. We reviewed my history and my medication list. And of course the first thing he wanted to do was blood work..

It seems that one of the possible long term side effects of my many medications is presenting itself. I have had changes in my liver function. And it has changed noticeably since February when I last had full blood work.

As the vet described, it is high, but in his opinion, not in a critical danger stage. BUT, we do not want it to get worse. So, he gave me some medication for liver support, and he wants me to watch my diet. He also suggested we dial back some of my medication.

Of course, her highness has been reading like mad about my condition. The vet gave me some stimulant for my appetite. Her highness had switched my food back to my old food – as you may recall. The only problem – I’m not crazy about that old food. It has a much lower protein level – which is good for me, but frankly, I no longer find it as yummy as the other stuff that had a much higher protein level. Give me the super rich food – and I’ll eat it. Give me the old food, and I just look at it.

As an aside, her highness has been giving me a liver support supplement (with milk thistle) for probably a year now. We will continue on that.

I should note that I went for a LONG 2.5 km walk with everyone yesterday, and while I wasn’t always at the front of the pack, I kept up and loved it. I played fetch and gleefully tried again to destroy a stuffed toy. I also had brilliant poops (those are her highness’ words, not mine.). I did take my pills because who can refuse pill pockets of ground beef and cottage cheese? I also did eat 3/4 of my supper and all my blueberries. Oh – and treats I would eat.

When Joanie came by to visit yesterday, I ran out to meet her, and every time we go out, I do get a good spurt of energy. So there are times when I am my old self. But it’s obvious at other times that I have a real problem.

So my readers, I really need your positive thoughts and prayers. And if anyone has experience with diets for dogs with liver challenges, please feel free to contact her highness. She would love to hear from you.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

We are very much enjoying our company! I don’t even have the time to write much because we are keeping busy. We have gone for some extra long walks – which we LOVE. The photo you see is her highness and the FG having a heart to heart about him coming down from a rock. Of course, he is about to give her a sloppy kiss on the nose – begging to stay up there.

Her highness is still quite concerned about me. I like to go out and I’m eating fairly well – although not with my usual frenzy. I will play fetch, and I got very excited about trying to “operate on” a stuffed toy yesterday. But otherwise, I’m very lethargic and pretty uncoordinated. I wouldn’t be surprised if she tries to get my vet appointment before the 3rd….Please keep me in your thoughts….

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Well this is one of those good news/bad news blogs..It’s going to be a mishmash – so get comfortable.

So where to begin. How about some good news. I have surpassed three weeks without a you-know-what. That’s the longest I have gone in months. Which is FANTASTIC. Absolutely fantastic. Her highness thinks it may be because we adjusted my meds. She increased my phenobarb by 1/4 pill twice a day. And that definitely coincides with the longer time between seizures.

But the bad news…You may recall that her highness changed one of my medications to liquid form. And she was putting it on my food. So I didn’t want to eat….So she started just squirting it in my mouth- to get it over with. Well you should SEE the faces I make. I hate it. I mean I HATE it. So medication time has become a dreaded time. I never cared about taking my pills. Now I won’t even take the pill pockets she makes. She tries peanut butter on the roof of my mouth, and I spit out the pill. She has resorted to pushing it into the back of my mouth. Which is not fun for either of us.

On top of that, I have been having lots more side effects from my meds. My rear end doesn’t always go where I want it to. And overall, I look depressed. I just lie around, looking sad. Sure – I’ll happily go for a walk- or play fetch, but something is “off.” My regular vet is off until January 3, and her highness booked an appointment for that day. Her highness is very worried about me. And it’s funny, if someone saw me trotting down the street, they probably wouldn’t notice anything. But she notices….Hopefully this is all medication related- and not something more serious….

OK – enough of that. Let’s switch to some good news. We have company arriving today!!! Her highness’ sister and her significant other are coming from Newfoundland! Now he has never stayed here – so we have been instructed to be on our best behavior. Good luck with that. They will be with us until January 2nd.

And speaking of behavior… we got ourselves in some hot water. Good thing Santa has come and gone…

Since I wasn’t eating my pill pockets lately, her highness got some dried liver treats – which I love! She crushed them into little pieces and rolled my pill pockets in the liver. That worked a couple of times – but I am now onto her and the hidden pills so I won’t take those either. Anyway, the other morning, she got up and gave me and Einstein our pills first thing – since we had almost slept in until 7 AM! She then went into the bathroom to get dressed so she could take us out for our morning walks.

When she came out of the bathroom, I was the only visible dog. My two amigos were in the kitchen. As her highness approached the kitchen, she spotted it. A bag on the floor. An empty bag. A bag that had been full of 9oz of dried liver treats. SOMEONE took the bag off the counter – and ate all the contents. Her highness immediately suspected Einstein- he is always attempting to counter surf. Or..did the FG grab the bag? Big brother was no help because a Christmas decoration was blocking a clear view to the kitchen.

Her highness quickly googled dried liver treat overload and found some site that said a dog could get liver toxicity. What?! So her next move was to call Animal Emergency. The problem was there was no way of telling who ate it and how much we each ate. The clinic said the bag size wasn’t all that big – so the only problem might be some gastric issues. Won’t THAT be lovely with company coming? I’m not telling who got the bag down, but let’s just say we ALL enjoyed the treat.

Since the liver rolled pill pockets stopped working, yesterday her highness got groceries and made NEW pill pockets for me. With ground beef and cottage cheese. So far, I am QUITE happy to eat those. Her highness just about did a happy dance when I took it. Meanwhile, Einstein looked forlorn because he is still getting the original pill pocket recipe. Wonder if he’ll start protesting too….

Never, ever, EVER a dull moment…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Let me begin by saying Christmas is not about presents. Oh who am I kidding? It is. At least partly.

So we got all excited about seeing what “Santa” left for us. As I mentioned yesterday, we dogs enjoy the unwrapping almost more than the gift. Unless the gift is edible.

Now I know it’s the thought that counts- and it IS. However, Santa had an epic fail with gifts this year. Except for the edibles. Which we are not allowed to unwrap – because let’s face it – a bag of treats would be devoured in no time.

The whole unwrapping thing began with the obligatory photo. Her highness sets us up and puts the gifts in front of us. Well, this year, the FG couldn’t wait to open his. Above you see the first shot. It is followed by the series where the FG makes his move, while her highness is telling him to “leave it,” and Einstein starts barking out his protests.

Santa bought us these super duper expensive Nylabones. They are supposed to look like a bone with meat on it. Now usually we unwrap that kind of thing and start chewing away. Not this time. We had no interest in them whatsoever. Santa also brought us this suction cup thing that supposedly sticks to the floor and it has a ball attached. With a rope. I think the ads must have glued the thing to the floor. Because ours didn’t work. Which meant Einstein WAS interested in that gift so he could attempt to chew through the rope. That toy had to be put away. We got another toy for fetching – and that he also wanted to chew. Another toy confiscated. The last was a hard rubber toy which no one cared about.

Her highness is so sensitive- she felt sorry for Santa with his epic fail. I think the FG sensed her disappointment- so he did chew on the Nylabone. For like 36 seconds.

Luckily Santa also brought us some sweet potato chews. And those were a hit. Of course – they are edible.

Her highness did some visiting yesterday-and so today she has nothing booked. It’s Boxing Day. But everything is closed in Nova Scotia. So all the bargain sales don’t begin until tomorrow- which they call Boxing Day sales. It’s really a misnomer. It should be Post-Boxing Day sales. Doesn’t really matter – we don’t need anything. Definitely no new Nylabones… That gift was almost as “popular” as those hunks of Wood Santa brought one year. No one EVER chewed those either. I think I need to go back to writing my own list next year…

But as I said before, Christmas isn’t all about the gifts. It was really just perfect that we were able to spend our time together. There’s a quote about Christmas not being about what’s under the tree that is important – but who is around it. I hope you are able to continue sharing in that Christmas spirit, right through New Year’s!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Merriest of Christmas greetings to all my hearty blog readers. I hope on this joyful day that you can take a moment to enjoy the peace and love that Christmas is all about.

I also hope that Santa found your home and you were rewarded for your good behavior and good deeds. Shockingly, he somehow again arrived without us hearing him – and left some brightly wrapped packages with our names on them. The packages have all of our names as it is inevitable that we will steal gifts from one another. Or should I say we will “borrow” gifts from one another. No matter what, the unwrapping frenzy will soon begin. We usually enjoy that more than the actual gifts.

Her highness went to church late last night. So it was extra late when we went to bed. But not to worry – we still got her up at 6:30. We had to see if there were gifts for us!

Thanks to all for your lovely comments and Christmas greetings. We are happy that this blog can make you smile from time to time. Even during those times when our behavior is not exactly exemplary!

Please remember that while Christmas does include gifts, each one of us holds special gifts all year round – and we should try to share those with others. Just try to be like a dog – and share that gift of continual joy – through a simple act of kindness. Be good to one another.

And we canines will be good too. At least for today….

Merry Christmas- have a very good one. Peace and paws up.