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Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here on a sunny Sunday. We’ve been having lots of sunshine in the past few days and the temperatures have been hot enough to fry a biscuit on the sidewalk. Mind you, no biscuit around here sits on the sidewalk long enough to get crispy.

All kinds of tidbits to share today. First, let’s start with the Boss….

As you know, he was diagnosed by a cardiologist in 2019 as having not one but two heart issues. The treatment that was decided upon was medication. He gets three pills a day – in homemade pill pockets. No problem taking them AT ALL. Anyway, it was time for the vet to renew his prescriptions – so she wanted to see him for a general exam. She checked his eyes, and ears and felt his belly. She checked his lumps and bumps and then gave a very good listen to his heart. The Warden always holds her breath while the vet listens. She listened. And listened. And listened. And she checked the Boss’ records to see what he was like the least time. Drumroll…. No change! No news is good news!!!! She said whatever we are doing – keep it up. So that was fantastic.

Now he DID have one itsy bitsy teeny problem, though. The ongoing reoccurring goopy ears. Likely due to my detailed cleaning procedure. So he got new drops. As soon as the Warden put them in, I had to give them a taste while she was out of the room. Busted when she came back. She said she wonders how many times in a day she says “Wojtek- LEAVE it.” What can I say – I was just inspecting her work!

In other news- I entered my first CARO rally trials yesterday- and drumroll- I qualified in both! You have to score 170 points out of 200 to pass. In my first trial, I scored a respectable 194. In my second trial, after I helped the Warden to be less nervous (honestly- why she stresses I don’t know! I don’t stress. I mean it’s not like this is the Olympics or anything!) , I scored a 198. One crooked sit and something that I was slow to respond at cost us the two points. The Warden was THRILLED. But get this – in this type of rally you can get treats at certain stations. Unlike AKC and CKC rally where there are no treats. One might think that this is easier because you get rewards. However – not really. Because in some ways it’s tougher. Some of the rules are very particularly about position and you can fail for a misstep. So it’s fun – but challenging!

I should mention in our first trial that the Warden was generous with the treats. But trial 2? She forgot. Really. There were 4 opportunities to pay me for my hard work – and she totally forgot. I have so much more training to do with her…

I go back today and I’m in two more trials. I need one pass to attain my Novice title. ANYTHING can happen – so paws crossed it goes well!

What else…..oh – how about a really good news dog story. Get out your Kleenex for this one…

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Living/family-credits-12-year-dog-saved-euthanasia-saving/story?id=100768919

We dogs know JUST the right time to come into your lives. You’re welcome!

OK. Gotta get the treat bag ready. Hopefully the Warden won’t be so stingy today. I worked with her a bit last night and indicated when I wanted to be rewarded. Let’s hope she remembers today!

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

July 4. It’s Independence Day in the United States. The Warden is both a Canadian AND a US citizen so we get to celebrate another national birthday. I’m also a dual – because I was born in New Jersey – so I’m in charge of the BBQ. Sure I am…

We have a bit of a confession. This blog post is partly a rerun. Given that we have literally written several thousand blog posts, we feel it’s ok sometimes to plagiarize our own work. So this 4th of July message is written by both me and Viktor…

So in honor of all things American – time to look at those dog breeds that came from the US. When we went to research this topic, we were surprised how many there were. But many of them we had never heard of. Like the Alaskan Klee Kai. It looks kind of like a Malamute or Siberian Husky. It’s in the Rare Breed Category. And there are others in that Rare Breed bunch – the Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog, the King Shepherd , Olde English Bulldogge, Shiloh Shepherd, and the Chinook to name a few.

Besides these lesser known breeds, there are lots of very familiar breeds who call the US their home – the Alaskan Malamute, American Staffordshire Terrier, the American Foxhound, American Water Spaniel, Boykin Spaniel, Australian Shepherd, Black and Tan Coonhound, Treeing Walker Coonhound, Bluetick Coonhound, Plott Hound, Redbone Coonhound, Boston Terrier, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, American Cocker Spaniel, and the American Eskimo Dog. Those Coonhound varieties really seem to be prevalent.

I think we need one – a raccoon keeps digging in our lawn. I bet if we had a coonhound, it woudn’t happen.

No doubt many of these breeds had ancestors in other countries – and they immigrated to America.  The US is a melting pot of people – and I’m sure the same is true with us canines!

We’re also sure we’re missing some breeds – forgive us if we’re missing your favorite.

We wonder if all these breeds like Apple Pie, grits, macaroni and cheese, Clam chowder, lobster rolls, Buffalo Wings, hotdogs, Philly Cheese Steaks, chocolate chip cookies and baked beans. Our guess is, they probably WOULD like most of those American dishes – but they probably shouldn’t eat many of them – without some unfortunate dietary upset.

And speaking of dietary issues – the Coyote seems to FINALLY be feeling back to normal. Well- as normal as a squeaky-for-no-reason sensitive, observant, unique, independent, Picard can be. Said the barky, observant, independent, sometimes stubborn PON.

Had a good session with the Borzoi babes this morning. Those chicks like treats and are excellent at nosing their way into training bags. Gotta love a nosy chick.

So have a fabulous day and Happy Independence Day to all my American friends and family. Have a hotdog on me!

Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy here wishing you a Happy Canada Day! Even if you don’t live in the Great White North, you are welcome to have a Molson’s and a plate of poutine and celebrate along with us!

Actually I’m thinking,though, that we may be skipping the poutine. I’m thinking it might be a bit rich for us canines. Oh and speaking of eating…. remember how I was talking about the Coyote and how he was eating everything lately ? And how he was happy about it? I should not have said a word. Poor guy has had a couple of pukey moments the past few days. He’s still hungry – and happy – but he tossed his biscuits three times in the past 5 days. Once was a pile of grass. Eeeeewwwwww.

The Warden thinks he may have a little case of gastroenteritis- the fancy term for an upset stomach. And she’s feeling like she may know why…. On Monday she had a steak for dinner – and there was fat along the edges- which she cut off. Everybody got a couple of bites in with their dinner – and being the bigger guy – he got a bit more. The problem began the next day. Otherwise, other “systems” are working just fine. She’ll keep an eye on him – and hopefully he’ll be fine today.

Back to Canada Day….we know you’re interested in Canadian dog breeds – and although we have talked about them in the past – we found a new article. Read it carefully- there may be a quiz coming up. Didn’t you hate when your teachers said that….

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/dog

We must confess – our annual photo is a repeat from last year. We’ve had days of rain- and although we had a tiny break yesterday-the Warden was lucky to get a few shots without flags. Or headgear.

She didn’t push her luck with flags. She Warden said we all look a bit wild ( more wild than usual) with our humid hair. If she thinks WE look wild, perhaps she had better look in the mirror. You know it’s bad when your phone face ID doesn’t recognize you…

This moist weather has brought out the slimiest creatures on the face of the planet. The slugs. They seem to be everywhere and we have to watch that we don’t bring in any hitchhikers in on our coats. I’m not exactly sure what slugs are good for. They eat plants – and leave a gross slime trail on sidewalks. We WISH the birds would eat them- but we don’t see any evidence of that. Now I’m a nature lovin” guy – and we should be respectful of all creatures – but I’m thinking that there are a few creatures the world would not miss…ticks, black flies, mosquitoes and slugs. Yuck.

Otherwise , things have been quiet at the asylum. One funny story- on Tuesday night when the Coyote had his first episode of tbe pukeys, his stomach was REALLY grumbling when we went to bed. The warden shut off the lights to sleep, but it was like there was a washing machine on in the bedroom. So here it was – midnight and she got dressed and went to take him for a walk. It was a foggy, misty, dark night and they went up the road with her wearing her trusty head lamp. The Coyote just trotted along- happy to be out.

The organic garbage pick up was the text morning – so the giant green bins were out at the end of driveways. They passed one or two, and the Warden aborted the Coyote’s attempts to pee on them. It was quiet. And really the perfect scene for some Stephen King horror film. Just as they were about 20 feet from another green bin, “something” heard them – flipped open the lid and jumped out. Both the Warden and the Coyote jumped. They didn’t get a clear look because it was so dark and foggy, but best bets are that it was a trash panda. Also known as a raccoon.

The Coyote and the Warden looked at each other and decided to turn around and retreat back home. The Coyote kept looking over his shoulder- which was not particularly reassuring for the Warden. They were both happy to return to the haunting sounds of the PONs of the Baskervilles – I initiated the chorus because I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t going for a walk too!!!!

It was lights out when they returned…

Anyway, have a Happy Canuck Day, eh – wherever you are!

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

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here on a terrible Tuesday. And WHY is it terrible? The weather forecast. It has that four letter word for the next few days. R-A-I-N. Yup. We went from the Sahara desert to the rainforest. Thankfully we got out for our walks early enough in the morning yesterday , that the monsoon hadn’t yet started. However – the Boss was still miserable because it was warm with 100% humidity. He’s like a canine barometer. You can tell when humidity is high because he huffs and puffs and pants like he is about to collapse. So although it poured rain all afternoon- and we know how he feels about rain – he was perfectly calm and comfy because the temperature went down. Despite the fact that he doesn’t like getting wet – he’d rather have his hair plastered to his head – than standing all wild with heat and humidity. He likes being comfortable.

Meanwhile, the Coyote is REALLY acting weird. I mean REALLY weird. More than his normal squeaky-for-no-reason weird. He’s eating. I mean eating everything. Sure – he’s gone on spurts where he eats one meal and possibly two meals a day. But it’s always been dicey. For some reason, though for probably a month at least – he has eaten every bit of his breakfast AND his supper. AND for several weeks he has also joined in morning blueberry distribution. In the past, he needed to be “invited” to join in and probably 75% of the time he gave his regrets. But now he’s right there when the cobalt orbs are taken from the freezer. He doesn’t even need an invite.

But the best one yet – we heard three words that are RARELY uttered around here. In fact we heard them THREE times yesterday. The words? “Elroy get off.” And where was he? Well he had two paws firmly stabilized on the kitchen counter and he was surveying the what was there. Yeah – I realize it’s not the first time he has ever done it – but let’s face it, he has thought pretty much most of his life, that food was overrated. But since he became a veteran (that’s what dogs over 7 are called in case you might have thought he served in the military) – he LIKES food. Admittedly, he DID toss a piece of apple in the air yesterday- but when he realize that I can swoop in and grab any food from the floor faster than an eagle grabbing a fish – he didn’t toss the second piece. He devoured it.

So looks like he has a senior appetite. But unlike some other seniors in this household who shall remain nameless (canine OR human), he doesn’t seem to gain much weight. I guess he still has a skinny metabolism. Not true for the other seniors- especially the one who wears glasses. But I’m not saying who….

What else is new? Hey did you see this story:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/06/26/daisy-dog-disc-frisbee-golf/

I think Daisy read about my golf ball retrieving skills and decided to give it a try with the discs. I had over 500 balls – and I gave them back to the course to thank them for letting us walk up there. Dogs are not really allowed on the course – but we know the owners and they let us walk when there’s no one around. So I pay them back in balls. I haven’t been collecting lately- I must get back at it!

Today is my date with the Borzoi babes. I better go and get brushed up so I can make a good impression.

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

Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy here – enjoying Sumer – which officially began yesterday. It was also the longest day of the year – and we were sure to get up at sunrise – and we stayed awake until the stars came out at night. Gotta squeak out every second of sunlight and Vitamin D that we can get. More time for fetch, rolling on the newly cut lawn, and chasing the bunnies. Yay for summer! Enjoy it while you can – now the days will start getting shorter. Teeeeheeee.

In other news- according to the crazy calendar, on this day in 1847, some guy by the name of Hanson Gregory supposedly created the first donut ring. And all this time I thought it was started by some guy named Tim Horton. That’s an inside joke for Canadians.

Anyway – on this auspicious holiday, it only seems right that we look at some healthy donuts for us canines. So here ya go – with several recipe options:

https://www.petsradar.com/advice/homemade-donuts-for-dogs

If you try any of them, let me know what you think! The Warden said it will be too warm to bake today. Not sure what her excuse is for not baking in the winter….

I went to a rally match on the weekend and I was average. Not brilliant. Not a total dweeb. Average. There won’t be any instant replays televised about my performance on CNN ( the Canine News Network- in case you were thinking it was something else.)

Hey – did you see this news article:

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/16/31-year-old-dog-grooming-artists-business-brings-in-1point3-million-a-year.html

Personally I bet some of those dogs end up with PTGD. Post traumatic grooming disorder. The Boss would absolutely NOT be subject to that “service.” He hates brushing – let alone having his hair dyed and clipped to make him look like a leopard. Or a giraffe. I think we’d all be making a quick escape. Plus you could buy a whole lot of biscuits for $1200!!! Count me out too.

Finally today – a video that made the Warden laugh hysterically. I think because although we don’t resemble each other, Dennis and I are kindred spirits. Check this out – hope it gives you a chuckle:

https://www.tiktok.com/@dennis_thats_enough/video/7050551296675384581?lang=en

Dennis. My hero.

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

Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy here on a special Sunday! It’s Father’s Day! To honor this day – we thought we would share a story about the only Dad in this household- the Boss.

Yes – as some may recall- the Boss is a father to one child – a pretty girl by the name of Ginny. Here’s her baby picture- in case you forgot:

Ginny apparently takes after her Dad- she barks out instructions, and avoids water like the plague. But she’s also super smart. Guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Anyway, let’s hope Ginny doesn’t take after ALL her father’s traits….Yes – the old fella was in trouble again.

It started the other day when the “smart” Boss decided to break with routine- and had the Warden running through the neighborhood at 6 AM….

Every morning, she and the Boss get up at 6AM so she can give him his cardiac meds an hour before breakfast. Then she lets him out for a quick pee – followed by a treat – and depending on energy levels, she will either lounge in bed for another 45 minutes before we all go out, or all the walks will begin.

When she lets him out, keep in mind she’s in her pajamas and bare feet….

The other morning she let him out and he often walks around this circular garden bed we have in the middle of the driveway. He goes out, goes around it, has a pee, circles back and comes in. However, the other day, while the Warden was waiting for the circle back, he never reappeared. She gingerly walked in her bare feet to look up the driveway- and poof – he was GONE. She couldn’t see him at all. He was nowhere in sight. But she figured she knew where Mr. Sneaky was headed. She raced back in the house, threw on some clothes and some shoes and took off after him.

Now keep in mind it’s 6AM. And she now begins to lurk through neighbors’ yards. She didn’t want to shout for him – as people have their windows open – and he’s half deaf anyway. She headed for his probable destination- the house with the cats….

Sure enough – as she lurked through their yard – she spotted him. When he saw her, if he had one of those comment bubbles over his head it would have read “Holy $:&@!” He saw her and literally BOLTED for home. She never said a word to him- he just knew he was busted. He bolted but she stayed because she had this sneaking suspicion he MIGHT have left a present for the cats – and sure enough- she spotted a deposit on a path. She scooped and headed for home. He was nowhere in sight, but she could follow his wet paw prints on the pavement. He was sheepishly waiting by the front door, trying to look nonchalant.

The next day it rained – so his pee was lickety split. But….yesterday…. She thought she would video him to show how he normally behaves. She was going to use the video with this blog.

Unfortunately for her – the Boss thought it would be more fun to do a repeat performance. She was taping – and keeping an eye on him….

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ctm6mF7AygX/?igshid=ZjUwM2YwMzA3MA==

Remember- she is in bare feet. But this time she wasn’t going to let him out of sight. She started running after him. And clearly the deaf dog isn’t so deaf – because he started running. You don’t see that in the video.

She did manage to get him before there was much chance anyone would see the crazed woman with the wild hair wearing pajamas and barefoot chasing a 13.5 year old dog. And trust me – that 13.5 year old dog CAN run. That’s what is doubly funny about his nonchalant walk.

That guy is pretty clever. And sneaky. Despite his little “indiscretion” I think because he’s a Dad, he should get some extra treats today. And of course, it’s only appropriate that he share….

In other news -I’m off to a match thing today – will report on my adventures after. Otherwise, things have been quiet at the asylum.

We’d like to wish a Happy Father’s Day to all Dads, Granddads, Dog Dads and Dad figures. The Warden’s Dad is no longer here – but she KNOWS he would have found our antics entertaining. He’s no doubt walking Mickey, Midas, Barney, Schubert, and Guinness (dogs owned by him or the Warden) as well as Dorey, Beamish, Harper, Paxton and Viktor ( dogs who were around after he passed away). He was a dog person for sure. Like I said before – guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree…

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

Hey blogaroos! Squirmy here on a terrific Tuesday. Going to hang out with the Borzoi babes this morning. Always a good time.

So I have a trivia question for you. What sound can make the Warden jump out of bed FASTER than the sound of the urky-gurkies. You know the urky-gurkies – the sound a dog makes before he pukes. Someone once said they could use the urky-gurkies as an alarm clock sound.

Anyway – there’s something that made the Warden LEAP out of bed the other night faster than the urky-gurkies. Or at least it was a close tie.

Let me set the stage….we had gone out for our last pee of the night. The Coyote was in his pony-sized den, and I was in mine. The Boss was lounging on the Warden’s bed – because he is free at night. Age has its privileges. The Warden said one of these days she’ll leave us all free. If she has no where to be the next day because she’ll never get any sleep. But that’s another story.

Anyway, she was reading in bed, and there was one light on. And she heard it. The telltale sign that we hear in the month of June. The sound of ping pong balls bouncing against the windows and the window screens. The dreaded light-seeking, hard-sided, creepy-legged flying ping pong balls – June bugs. The Warden heard them bashing at the window in a crazed effort to get close to the light. And that was no big deal. It’s a typical sound in June.

But then she heard a DIFFERENT sound- a kind of buzzy sound. And it sounded like it was not outside…..she looked up in time to see a June bug flying by her. She screamed and leaped out of bed. “Eeeeeewwwwww” she shouted. We didn’t know WHAT was going on.

Here’s the thing with June bugs- they are not very aeronautically designed. Kinda like little drunken blimps . Who fly and crash land. She ran in the bathroom to get her glasses – although it’s not hard to see the big beetles – even without glasses. She came back in the bedroom- watching and listening. At last fly by – it almost looked like he might have fallen behind the headboard. She was mumbling that we were all moving to another bedroom if she couldn’t find the kamikaze insect. Just as she said it- he flew by- bouncing against the wall and falling to the floor. While all this is going on – we are all watching with interest. Although the Boss seemed kinda bored. When the mini tank hit the floor, she figured he might be dazed enough for her to get the broom. WARNING: if you are a bug lover and feel June bugs should be picked up and taken outside while the music from Born Free plays in the background- do not read the next part.

So she got the broom. She wasn’t about to pick him up, nor step on him because you need steel sole work boots to squish the ping pong balls. So she hit him with the straw broom. She picked it up and he wasn’t there. She figured he was stuck in the bristles. She carefully walked to the bathroom with the out-stretched broom like a weapon. She hit it over the open toilet bowl – and looked down. There he was – still moving. He then went for a free whirlpool ride to wherever.

The Warden thinks he got in through that giant hole in the screen door to the deck. The light had been on in the dining room- but after we went out for our pee- all the lights were turned out EXCEPT for the bedroom. She figured he couldn’t get in through the screen in the bedroom- there’s no opening big enough for the buggers. So it had to be the deck door. The one with the hole that yours truly designed.

Last night- we weren’t allowed to keep the deck door open. AND the house was pitch black. A bit of overkill if you ask me. It’s kind of like wartime blackouts – except the enemy is clearly less dangerous.

She still obviously hasn’t put up that new screen thing that she bought with magnets. This could be interesting. Anyway- if she doesn’t want us to suffocate in the evenings, she better replace that screen quickly.

The Warden read that some dogs and cats actually like to play with and/or eat June bugs. Attempting to eat a bumblebee was enough insect roughage for me. I’ll stick with blueberries.

So that’s the latest from the asylum.

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

Howdy blogaroos!!!! Squirmy here to report on the latest news from the asylum.

The forest fires closest to us are gone. Controlled. Finished. The one in the Western area of the province is still problematic though. But rain has helped. Unfortunately, provinces across Canada have had fires – so our neighbors to the south in the US have seen lots of smoke from those other provinces. I guess it just shows us that we all need to take good care of the earth – because what happens to one of us – happens to others as well!

I went to an obedience workshop last week that focused on heeling and stays. I was pretty darn good with the heel work – but holy moly, things didn’t go so well on the stays. I guess because when I was seated next to a cute poodle babe on the sit stay, I felt it was my obligation to go over and introduce myself. Who knew that I wasn’t supposed to be sociable?! I got 1.5 steps toward my new friend and the Warden swooped in like a seagull grabbing a leftover pizza crust someone had tossed out. Whoosh. There she was. And I was reminded that stay means stay. Blah. Blah. I was good after that. Bored. But good.

So I was looking at dog news and saw this story about two rescue dogs. Check it out:

https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2023/06/07/shelter-dog-buddies-moos-cprog-orig-bdk.cnn

We’re all pretty close in this house – but I’m not sure anyone would scale a wall for any other dog. OK. MAYBE we would. The three of us have rather unique relationships. I am super duper crazy close to the Boss. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to lick his face, his ears and other unmentionable parts of his anatomy. Even when discouraged from doing so by the Warden. The Boss puts up with me – but will grumble when he’s had enough. I don’t generally listen. I like to lay next to him. I like to roll with him. Some people say we recognize dogs who are the same breed. Beats me – but I a sure am attached to him. Like a tick.

The Coyote and the Boss are fine together- and the Coyote respects the Boss. They are kinda like some siblings – they exist well together – there’s no arguing or anything, but they don’t go out of their way to hang out together. They don’t DISlike each other- but they have different interests.

Now the Coyote and I are like two siblings who love each other one minute and could kill each other the next. The Coyote goes through these weird spurts where ALL he wants to do is play Humpty Dumpty. He squeals and squeaks to get me to play. It’s like an obsession. So we wrestle and play – with me frequently biting him until he cries – and when we’re thoroughly exhausted- or (more likely) the Warden breaks us up, we stop. He won’t go through a doorway if I’m on the other side – because he knows I’ll ambush him (unless the Warden intervenes). She says I’m a bully. I guess I am sometimes. She says it’s a good thing I’m cute. She says she has to protect the other two from me. What can I say – I’m a pandemic puppy. I don’t know social rules. (Bwhahaha- sometimes I kill myself with what I say.)

So for all you crazy multi-dog households- do you notice some dogs are closer to each other than others? And do ya think dogs recognize their own breed? And do senior dogs rule – like in this household. Pushy as I am – the Boss is still the Boss. Does size matter? If that was the case, the Coyote would rule the roost – but he doesn’t. Let me know your thoughts!!!

Time for the morning chaos run.

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

Yo. Blog people. Elroy here for a change. The mops are in the grooming palace (aka garage) being tortured, so I get to write for a change. I’ll probably be next – but my grooming takes all of 15 minutes compared to the hours on the two of them. Wash and wear Picards – gotta love us.

So what’s new around here besides the fact that we went from the fires of heck to building the ark. Yup – we got the much needed rain for the wildfires- and all those prayers were answered. Like 100 times over. It rained most of the weekend and poured all day Monday. We’re talking Niagara Falls rain. None of us wanted to go out. In fact yesterday morning, when we went for our jaunt to the lake, we all made multiple pit stops because we were kinda bursting at the seams. If ya get my drift. On top of that, our usually dry path was a river. I didn’t care – I just sloshed on through. On the other paw, the mops were zigzagging through the woods to avoid the deep water. Particularly the Boss. Oooooo-eeeeee he was NOT impressed. Mind you, it was up to his belly in spots so he had to wade through. The Imp is used to taking his own routes in the woods so he wasn’t too traumatized. But the Boss. He was giving Her Highness some serious stink eye. We all survived the trek, but Her Highness didn’t dare do it again later in the day. She knows he would NOT have gone.

What else? Oh yeah. Everybody thinks there is something wrong with me. Because I have started to eat things. Like all my meals. And blueberries with the mops. And I even ate apples. I finally have discovered that food can be fun. So much so that I put two paws on the counter and grabbed some leftover pizza crust that was going to be mixed in with our dinners. Jumped up. Grabbed a crust. And ran. Now I understand why the mops enjoy countersurfing. I’m just a bit late to the party. Plus – get this one – I even ate….get ready….asparagus. Her Highness had been chatting with some PON peeps and the subject of asparagus came up. Her two friends said their dogs like the green stalks. So, Her Highness cooked up a few stalks and threw them in our supper. Not too much – I mean we don’t want to go all veggie crazy – because too much of a good thing can end up with too much of a bad thing:

https://www.rover.com/blog/can-dogs-eat-asparagus/?amp

Anyway, the experiment was a success – we all ate our stalks. Yes. Even me. The mops probably didn’t even realize they had something new – they are like vacuum cleaners.

What else….oh so we read about this recent world record breaker:

https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/05/guinness-worlds-longest-dog-tongue-2023

Kind of a weird one- isn’t it? I mean the dog must really have a long tongue – so much so that people noticed. I’m thinking we must be able to break SOME record in this house….like most times a dog is called and doesn’t come. Or one of those eating records – like most hot dogs in one sitting. My money is on the mops. Or most futile attempts to catch a rabbit. The Imp is working on it. Most barking for no reason. The Boss has that down. Ability to raise a human’s blood pressure in the shortest amount of time. That would be a trio win.

OK. Mops are done. Time to go check the river situation. Better put some waders on the Boss. Better yet, let him take the kayak.

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

Howdy blogaroos. Happy soggy Saturday. Yes – for a change we PONs are thrilled because it is RAINING. Who would ever believe we would be saying that?!

As we wrote the last time, Nova Scotia has been plagued by forest fires for almost a week. While we weren’t in any imminent danger ourselves, we knew people who were evacuated. AND we were rather panicked the other day when the Warden passed by a fire about 6km from our home. She thought she saw smoke and sure enough, as she got off the highway and turned the bend- she saw black smoke billowing into the sky from a wooded area. One fire truck had arrived , and some people had stopped to watch – but all she wanted to do was get home to us. Shortly after she passed the scene – the road was closed. That would have forced her to take a detour that would have taken more than an hour. Phew. She made it – and thankfully the flames were extinguished fairly quickly.

But everyone has been on edge because we have never experienced multiple simultaneous fires like these in Nova Scotia.

Yesterday, sadly, the people who lost their homes were allowed into the area to see what was left. In many cases, there was nothing there. It’s so so so sad.

Yet there has been an enormous outpouring of support for people – and pets. The videos of residents being reunited with their pets by volunteers who went into homes to retrieve them is unbelievably heartwarming. Lots of good news bits among the sadness.

But the BEST news – it is raining. And it’s supposed to rain for the next few days. It will hopefully help greatly in the firefighting efforts.

In other news – I started a new class this week. Still with our coach, Jane – but I’m with a new group of dogs. We have a miniature Schnauzer, some smooth collies, a Belgian Shepherd, and my Borzoi babes! A Weimaraner was missing- Mike. I know him from way back in my puppy days.

I did pretty well in my new class – except for one tiny little infraction. Which I have never done before. During part of the class, we went out onto the agility field to practice stays. Well hello- my head exploded. We were on this astroturf stuff which I think I’ve only seen once. But it’s green – like grass. The Warden had this fear I would pee out there – because let’s face it – grass is for watering. My “stays” were a challenge with all the new scents- but somehow I did it. We were heading back inside though, and what does one do before going in – why one pees! The warden was taking me in and I didn’t even lift my leg – I kinda squatted in motion on my way over the threshold. The Warden shouted “no.” But I made my mark. And of course, one of my new buddies then followed suit. The Warden cleaned up the mess while I was in a down stay – supervising her work. She did a good thorough job.

So that’s the main news here. I hope wherever you are, the weather is JUST the way you like it! The Warden said she’ll take wet dog smell over smoke smell any day!!

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