The NEW Dog page

Muszka at 1 year, with a celebratory balloon

 Muszka with Balloon                                      Muszka w/Balloon in yard

Eventually, she runs around with it in the yard too close to the roses and it pops.  Or she jumps on it herself, or some other method for balloon death.  But she has fun.  We release the helium filled balloons in the house with strings on the ends, and she likes to jump to get the ribbon, pull the balloon down and run around with it.  In the above pictures, it was quite a trick getting herself and the balloon through the dog door into the yard, but she made it.  She is VERY smart. 

Another odd thing abour our dog - she has a thing about stealing socks and underwear.  Now I've heard of this before, and the explanation that I've been told is that it's about the strong human scent on these types of clothing items, which makes sense to me.  BUT, this is not what Muszka likes to steal - she prefers the freshly washed (and folded) versions, even better is fresh from the store - when NO ONE has worn them previously.  I was surprised to find 3 folded pairs of clean socks stashed in the cedar chips in her dog house, and a brand new pair of underwear buried behind a rose bush.  All were completely unharmed, just stashed away for safekeeping, I guess. 


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Muszka is a Polski Owczarek Nizinny, or PON for short. The English translation is Polish Lowland Sheepdog. Various websites describe the dogs as:   a robust little sheepdog, considered a rare breed, ideally suited to families, trustworthy, faithful and devoted to all their "flock", suspicious of strangers, compact in size (17"-20"), non-shedding coats, and a merry disposition.  The AKC says " Medium-sized, cobby, strong with a long, thick coat and hanging hair that covers the eyes. The PON's herding and working ability is attributed to an intense desire to please. The PON is lively but self-controlled, clever and perceptive and is endowed with an excellent memory."


Muszka
Muszka at 6months old


Muszka is Polish and means: FLY, MIDGE, DRY-FLY, BEAUTY SPOT, PATCH, SPOT, BEAD, BOW-TIE

We like the Beauty Spot definition.  

So, our experience so far - almost 3 months into this adventure;  she's a ton of fun.  She has effectively two modes - on and off.  As opposed to previous dogs I've had, she sleeps in.  If we're still asleep at 8:00am, she's not moving out of her bed either.  If there's something to do, she's certainly up and interested, although she tends to be a little sleepy in the morning.  She doesn't like to go to bed unless everyone else has gone to bed.  

She likes to sample the plants in the garden.  Unfortunately for me, she loves to eat the blooms off of my fresias as soon as they come up.  The roses are taller, and they fare well, but I've caught her eating those blooms as well.  Her first sample was of the peppermint plant, and she seemed to really enjoy that.  She loved the wild strawberries when they came up, and even likes the unripe green plums that occasionally fall due to the wind or birds.  So MOST of the time she has pleasant breath, although she does also have some disgusting tastes.  

She's into games, fetch is good, but 'chase me' is even better.  She likes to make sure everyone gets a workout.  She'll play with just about anything - leaves, balls, plastic drink bottles are among her favorites.  When playing with bigger dogs, she likes to launch herself from your lap, to gain an advantage.  

We can certainly speak for the 'suspicious of strangers' - she tends to bark at new people.  Bicycles are still a bit scary, though she is curious about them.  All in all though, she's very mellow, and it's easy to take her anywhere with us.

Here are a few more puppy pictures:

Barking at something.
Muska at 3 months

Puppies at 6 weeks 3 Weeks OldNewborn puppy
6 weeks                                                                3 weeks                                                               2 Days