Merry !

Wishing all our good friends a very happy ho ho ho! Hope your days are full of laughter and bully sticks, and your nights full of dreams of chasing squirrely-squirrels!

We love you guys...

Licks,

Nanook and Pooka

TUNE IN CHICAGO!

Just got this email in - thought I would share - please if you live in the Chicago area be on the lookout still for Johnny/Tug the newf. There will be an informational talk radio program at 4 p.m. this afternoon about Johnny - information below.

For my part, I just want to stress again that his owners really wish to have Johnny back, and are offering a $5,000 dollar reward for his safe return. If the dog is returned unharmed there will be no police involvement or questions asked. Please bring Johnny home for Christmas.

"Hi again everyone,
We have one other show here on BlogTalk Radio, www.blogtalkradio.com/thedogview
which we use for special circumstances/needs regarding dogs.

Today we have one of those shows from 4PM Eastern to 4:30 PM Eastern.

Please, if you live near Chicago or know someone who does, we need your help! Our friends from North Central Newfie Rescue (http://www.northcentralnewf.org/) have requested our help to spread the word of a Newfoundland missing in the Chicago area. This beautiful Newfoundland show dog's pictures and story can be seen here: http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/692588,CST-NWS-dog12web.article

http://www.k9adventure.com/johnny.html

Please join us as today as we speak with Cissy Sullivan from North Central Newfie Rescue who is the liaison for his owners. There is a $5000 reward for the safe return of Johnny Be Good (Tugs) to his family. These dogs do a great service in water rescue for humans, so we want to return the favor and rescue Johnny. Please cross post and if you have a newsletter mailing list or blog, help us get the word out and get Johnny home for Christmas!
--
Have A Pawsitively Grrrreat Day!

Jeannie Thomason, VND
Natural Pet Care Educator
Nutrition Consultant"

Pookalicious Photo Shoot

Please Bring Johnny/Tug Home!

MISSING GIANT BLACK DOG WITH WHITE PAWS AND CHEST

CHICAGO - Johnny/Tug the newf has been missing for more than a week. He has a medical condition and needs treatment immediately. His owners are desperate without him and are offering a $5,000 dollar reward for his safe return with NO POLICE INVOLVEMENT OR QUESTIONS ASKED - they just want their dog back in good health.

Please if you have seen him or know where he is, pass the word along.

Information about where he can be surrendered and the reward given is here: http://www.k9adventure.com/johnny.html

Tug/Johnny Still Missing in Chicago...

And the members of newf.net are having a candlelight vigil for him tonight at 8 p.m. eastern standard time in the hopes that the power of positive thinking and prayer will help to bring him home to his grieving, frantic family. There was a tip that reported he was seen in the company of three "youths" and everyone is hoping that whoever has taken him in is caring for him lovingly and will see the news coverage or a flyer and return him safely home.

Here are the details and the link to his website again:
http://www.k9adventure.com/johnny.html

"I would like to set up a candle light prayer for the safe return of Johnny Be Good to his owners. Tomorrow evening at precisely 8:00 PM I would like as many NN members as possible to light a candle and say a prayer that Johnny Be Good - Tugs, is unharmed and okay and returned to his family as soon as possible. This is the prayer that I will be saying:

Dear Lord,

We pray for the safe return of Johnny the Newf to his family that loves him. We pray that he is safe and unharmed and that whoever may have him is treating him well and will realize that his family is desperately trying to find him. We pray that they will return him to where he belongs so that he may be reunited with those that love him. We pray that he has not fallen into the hands of those who might mistreat him and that he is not hungry or cold or afraid. In Jesus name we pray for these things. Amen

Although I am not the most religious person, I do believe that the power of united prayer can work wonders. So any and all who care to join in a jointly united prayer for Johnny's return, please light those candles and say your prayers and just maybe, we will be heard and our prayers will be answered!"

ATTN: CHICAGO! LOST DOG!

We don't know how many folks from Chicago read our blog but if there are any, please be on the lookout for our buddy TUG - he's a 2 year old Newf boy with white feet and a white chest and he is lost and alone and scared in the big city.

His family is heartbroken without him and are offering a $5,000 dollar reward for his safe return, no questions asked. You can see pictures of Tug and get more information here: http://www.k9adventure.com/johnny.html

He's been spotted around this area:
Merchandise Mart, around 300 N. Wells Street, as well as the area around the dog park at Grand Ave. and Orleans

It is our sincere hope that his family gets their Christmas Wish and Tug comes home safely!

Oh Yeah...And...

Mama is a bad person because she has turned our brother into a LolCat. Uncool mama. Uncool.



moar funny pictures

Hard at Work...

Thursdays is our class day - I have Attention III and Pooka is taking Attention II. These are courses building up to Novice Obedience showing and the skills we are learning and perfecting are HARD.

Here's the stuff I'm currently working on:

Heeling - specifically at this time left pivots cross stepping with my rear, attention on face, and left u turns, pace changes, and halts with sits. All of a sudden the food has moved from mama's left hand to mama's FACE! This is very strange but the good news is since that changed I'm getting rewarded a lot more often and asked to do less! (Mama's Note: Not for long, lazybones! We just take a step back until you're comfortable with the food in my mouth and are solid again with your attention and then it's right back to long sessions of heeling!)

Right Finish with Sit - I have this down except that I do it too slowly. Mama says we'll lose points if I do it at a walk so sometimes she'll ask me to "come around" and then she starts walking forward really fast when I'm half-way behind her and I have to trot to catch up.

Stand for Exam - I do this perfectly in class but now we must practice with complete strangers in weird places. A stand for exam is when your handler puts you in a sit, then asks you to stand up again which is SO random, and then she tells you to wait and she goes and stands 6 feet in front of you while someone comes up and gropes your head, back and behind and then leaves. You can't move your feet AT ALL. Then your handler comes back and circles around you, finishing in heel position to release you. It's all very weird but I like it because it looks like mama is doing more work than I am for this exercise, at least.

Fronts - This is a recall where I have to sit EXACTLY straight in front of my mama. Now she's doing these crazy things were she goes and stands at an angle to me and calls me and I have to run to her and then straighten my butt out before sitting or ELSE.

Left Finishes - I'm not super good at these. I get too excited to come back and sit so I don't go far enough back and then my butt sticks out instead of being tucked politely behind me and I get in trouble. *sigh* Mama calls it my Kloofbear butt and says I have to get it under control!

I'm doing almost all of this stuff off-leash in my classroom. I'm the only dog in class that can be trusted to hold his stay even when the instructor comes and shows me food right in my face and drops it on the ground right in front of me or drags a toy around. I'm a GOOD DOG.

Updates!

So, please note that we have finally updated the Growth Chart on the sidebar with Pooka's current weight. Sorry we were so bad about keeping track of his rapid swelling - he was weighed pretty regularly but we always forgot to write it down...

Anyway, our current weights are:

Nanook - 143 lbs. (Mama's Note: That's probably about 10 lbs overweight).
Pooka - 135 lbs. Yup, he weighs almost as much as me, only he's actually SUPER skinny! He's just much, much taller than me. Brat. Mama says we're her odd couple - one short, stocky dog and one tall, skinny dog. Big dog small dog short dog tall dog...

Guess what! My TDI acceptance packet arrived today in the mail! Mama says I look very handsome in my laminate ID and it will no doubt help me pick up chicks. But unfortunately we STILL can't start going on visits. We got a little note in our package saying that TDI was all out of membership handbooks and so they will be sending us one as soon as they get them in - but we must read that before we start going on visits, so we are waiting some MORE. *big newfy sigh*

Look at my face in that picture. (Mama's Note: Seriously, look at his face in that picture! My little Romeo...) I've got all this newfy love to give and I'm being THWARTED. Argh. Oh well...good things come to those who wait patiently with their chins on knees drooling heavily. Take it from me.

We talked to Pooka's vet this afternoon - Pooka's urinalysis came back just fine so that's good news - his internal organs are all behaving themselves. Hope everyone is having a good December, gearing up to the holiday season...

And speaking of the Holiday Season, if you don't know what to get for your loved ones this year, why not purchase for them a Newf Calendar? I just happen to be Miss May. Click on the Miss May link and see if you can pick me out of the lineup!

Oh no! They're all sold out. Sorry! In that case, we suggest you buy a doggie nibbles cookbook from our friends at Harnessed to Hope. See here for more details!

Dockside Doxy...

Pooka has been taking his Doxycycline since Saturday evening but so far no real change - he's still sleeping a lot and is less active than normal; although he loves going for his walks and still likes to play and wrestle and chew on inappropriate things. We've been told that results are usually seen within a week so we're hoping by this Saturday he'll be back to his old, largely demonic, self.

The good news is that so far the doxycycline doesn't appear to be upsetting his tummy - his poops are fine. And although he did have a brief vomiting episode first thing this morning, none of us here think it had anything to do with his medication. We think he threw up because he had swallowed a 7" long segment of nylon rope that he had methodically unknotted and removed from a bumper toy of mine. We think this is why he threw up, because that is exactly WHAT he threw up - still completely intact. It was pretty gross. We're all watching him carefully though just in case it was doxy-related and not just because he'd swallowed something that his body didn't want to have to poop out. We're pretty sure though that it was just his small intestine taking one look at that rope sitting in his tummy and saying, "oh HELL no - that's going out the way it came in, thanks all the same."

We've heard that giving a probiotic a few hours after giving the medication can help, and also that adding milk thistle to the diet will help buffer the stomach against the harshness of the drug. Pooka normally gets a probiotic called Petdophilus in his food so now he's getting it in a little extra food a few hours after his normal mealtime when he gets the drug, but we haven't tried milk thistle so we can't actually say if it is helpful or not.

Everyone please cross your paws for us that Pooka is feeling more like himself by this weekend! Lotsa Licks - Nanook

This Newf Reviews: Ice on Ice

Hey there, readers! This Newf Reviews is returning to bring you a segment on a subject I'm sure all my readers are interested in - why I look so freaking fabulous all the time.

The answer is not straight-forward of course. Good looks are a combination of genetics, hygiene/grooming, product and nutrition - and I'll actually list a few of the things that I do to achieve my now-infamous look in a different post - but today's homage is specifically directed at Chris Christensen, and his delightful leave-in conditioner/sunscreen - Ice on Ice. The truth is, my behind is a trial and a tribulation. It has, ordinarily, the same consistency as a Brillo pad. It has eaten three pin brushes to date, and my mama is pretty sure that whole bronze-age cultures exist within the fur on my hind end, all busy building temples and sacrificing whatever crumbs Pooka dribbles onto me to appease the great god Comb and keep him from wreaking havoc on their villages.

I've tried a number of products to soften the fur there and make it more tractable - mink oil, infusium 23, Cowboy Magic in small amounts; but the cowboy magic attracted dirt and felt greasy, and while the mink oil and infusium 23 both worked - they didn't work as well as the ice on ice. And so, dear readers, I present to you:

THIS NEWF REVIEWS: CHRIS CHRISTENSEN'S ICE ON ICE

Company Standards: Chris Christensen is a supplier of products primarily for show dogs - but don't let that stop you from trying some of his stuff on your pet dog! We've heard nothing but good things about their products and the results gained from them. They also make brushes and color-depositing shampoos. My mama washes me with his White on White every other time I am bathed to get rid of the stains I get on my chest and paws from holding bully sticks and other treats, and drooling on myself constantly. Here is a picture of me after being white-on-whited:


Size and Portability: Generally the stuff comes in a 16 oz bottle - there are two varieties - Ready To Use or Concentrate. We got the Concentrate - it's a 15 to 1 ratio for dilution with water so it's a good deal for the money - the least expensive we have found it is on Amazon for $35.95. If you'd rather not spend so much to try it out, you can buy a 16 oz bottle of the Ready to Use pretty much anywhere online for $10.00.

Newfy Drool-o-Meter Rating: Well it's not a treat or a toy so it doesn't get OUR glands going - but if you want to know how much the girls drool when they see me well...let's just say it's a LOT. I'm at least a Two-Slinger.

*Newfy Drool-o-Meter Key:

Dry Mouth: Zero interest or appreciation for the item in question - not worth drooling over.
Minicicles: Just the tiniest hint of a droolcicle starting at either corner of the mouth. Drool worthy? Barely.
One-Slinger: The treat is good - good enough to get the juices flowing but not so good that I would offer it as an aperitif on a first date with Sunshade.
Two-Slinger: Now we're talking! The drool is even, it's sling-able, and it has been earned.
Simultaneous-Ropes-to-the-Floor: The highest honor I, or any newf, can offer a treat or toy. So delicious and delightful that the drool flows like water.

BONUS! Humorous video of Newf and Baby...

What Next?

The mama here - sorry we've been quiet but it's just been one thing after another!

Pooka came up lame on his left front paw two days ago - I squeezed him all over his front legs to see if it was the pano acting up again and he was only sensitive on his toes so nope, not the pano. We had played in the frozen yard the night before and we thought maybe he had just bruised his paw gallumphing on the frozen ground but we brought him to the vet to be sure it wasn't more serious.

She also squeezed him all over, considerably more professionally than I had, and then declared that she thought it was soft tissue, and not a fracture of any kind, but just to be on the safe side she wanted to test him for Lymes. They ran the Snap 4dx in office and it came back positive - but that doesn't always mean the dog has the disease actively - it just means he's been exposed to the disease in the past. So she sent out the C6 quantitative test and called us back with the results last night - but somehow I missed her message until just now. A normal result is 0 to 30 - Pooka's came back 83.

My poor baby newf! So he must start a round of doxycycline but because in very rare instances dogs have liver problems on doxy first I must bring in his first urine o' the morning so they can keep track of his liver functions - which I must collect tomorrow morning since obviously I missed today's.

The things I do for my furry ones. Eesh. I'm going to be spending the rest of the day trying to figure out how best to collect it - so far I'm thinking soup ladle.

Just a note also on the efficacy of Frontline. Clearly, it isn't 100%. My guys are frontlined and up to date and yet here is my fluffy baby newfy with lymes - so if your dogs are frontlined be aware that while it might help prevent a tick from transmitting the disease, it definitely, definitely doesn't ALWAYS. I think we'll be making a lymes test part of our yearly checkups.

Anyway, the boys had a photoshoot last night at twilight - and here are some of their pictures.