Nanook and Pooka

OUR BABY IS HERE!

2011-06-27T20:50:00.003-04:00

We are very happy Newfs. Although the Mama has been a bit you know, busy - the Papa has been working hard to make sure that we do not feel left out of anything. He gets up extra early to take us walkies and feed us and get us special drinks out of the garden faucet.

In the meantime, we are watching over our new baby - lying on the floor by the bassinet, and making sure no one gets too close. And Pooka is convinced that a few kisses from him will fix everything when the baby is crying. In short - we are Newfs.

A Quick Update

2011-06-19T10:12:00.002-04:00

Pooka is a bazillion times better. Thank you guys for all your good thoughts and well-wishes - they totally worked. His temperature has been normal for about a week now, and he's energetic and bouncy again.

He's still on the antibiotics, and will likely be on them for some time since we still don't know what caused his sudden high fever and we want to make sure we kill whatever it was, (and some things take longer to die than others), but he's really doing awesomely, and we're so glad to have our fuzzy baby bear back in tip-top shape.

Here are some pictures!

Sucking on his paw again:

Airing out his naked tummy:

Taking a nap with a friend:

Chilling with his brother after dinner:

And sharing snuggly time with Nanook:

A Month Later...

2011-06-12T08:42:00.002-04:00

And we're STILL waiting for our baby!!!

But things have been a bit crazy here for the past week, so the baby is probably not going to come soon. Pooka has been very sick. And we still don't know what has caused it.

For the full story from our Mama's perspective, please visit her blog by clicking right here.

What we CAN tell you is that his fever has been much better the past two days - although his temperature is a *little* up this morning at 102.6, he also just went for his first walk since coming home from the Critical Care Unit on Wednesday, so the exercise might have done it.

We are all keeping a very close eye on him. We even guard him while he's sleeping.

The vet *thinks* he has aspiration pneumonia, but she isn't sure. He's getting lots of antibiotics and they do seem to be helping, but he's very tired all the time, and sleeping lots and lots. Please keep him in your thoughts!

A Wordless Post

2011-05-14T09:16:00.000-04:00

Still Growing...

2011-04-02T17:09:00.001-04:00

And the boys are still waiting, impatiently, for me to produce this baby they've been hearing about for months and months.

Treat Ball - The Movie

2011-04-01T13:52:00.000-04:00

The Mama Writes:

The boys get a part of their daily food intake in these big orange balls with a hole in. They push the balls, the food falls out of the hole - happy dogs. Happy, BUSY dogs. So I can relax or do some laundry without someone giving me the "but it's 37 degrees outside Mom...why don't we all go take a nap OUTSIDE together?" eyeballs. Or at least - that's the idea.

But Pooka has a problem. As soon as he chooses one treat ball, it means that, by default, he is not choosing the OTHER treat ball. He wants both, but there's no way he can hold both treat balls.

So he grabs one, and runs off with it. Nanook advances on the other and starts to push it with his nose. Pooka hears the noise of the treats rattling in the treat ball that Nanook is pushing, and LOSES it. He comes galloping back over to grab the other treat ball, dropping the one he is currently holding in his mad rush.

Now, ordinarily, this would be horrendously bad behavior and I'd be correcting him for it because it's not fair to Nanook, constantly having his treat ball stolen. Except that I have seen a glint in Nanook's eyeball when he pushes the treat ball he has at that moment. He KNOWS it drives Pooka crazy. He WANTS Pooka to come steal his treat ball - because in that mad rush and snatch maneuver, Pooka manages to knock a ton of cookies out of both treat balls, leaving said cookies in a pile in front of Nanook. More cookies than Nanook would ever get out of his treat ball by himself. Nanook is incredibly tricksy.

I do intervene to make sure that Pooka doesn't stand and hover over both treat balls, because that's clearly not fair. But I can't help the fact that every time he rushes over in a panic, I nearly pee my pants laughing. I'm a bad mom. And the upshot is that I don't get anything else done, because I'm outside in the 37 degree weather videotaping their little song and dance, and laughing myself sick instead.

Video starts off slow but picks up toward the end.

Happy Birthday Nanook and Pooka!

2011-03-03T08:00:00.005-05:00

You are four and five years old this week, and I cannot believe how fast that time has gone.

I love you, little bears!

As is traditional, we had a trip to the beach, (where they made BFFs with a year old Lab puppy named Holly), ice cream, and bloete kake!

Toy Hide and Go Seek on a Rainy Day...

2011-02-28T15:23:00.000-05:00

Um. Unfair, much?

2011-02-10T09:17:00.002-05:00

So you guys know that I have been on a diet for, like, forever, right? And my weight is finally holding steady, but it holds steady at such a small amount of food that the Mama feeds me green beans to bulk out my meal and make me feel fuller.

It doesn't work, you guys, but whatever.

Anyway.

I can't help but notice that the Mama has been kind of packing on the pounds lately. I don't want to be rude, but I mean...she's really beefing out. AND she's eating all the freaking time! Whatever she wants!!!

I ask you. Is this fair? Is this right?

So I did the only thing a Newf can do, under these circumstances. I dropped a subtle hint that I thought maybe she ought to consider easing back on the old feedbag...

sigh Maybe Next Time?

2011-02-08T09:43:00.001-05:00

Well. It's official. I, Pooka, will not be getting the Little Girl I've been asking for every Christmas for years. Instead, I am getting a Little Boy. I'm a leeeeeeeettle disappointed, but I am sure I will love him even though he is not a little girl. And perhaps this will be better, because surely little boys like throwing sticks and playing in the mud, two things very close to my heart.

Here is his picture.

What Can We Say?

2011-01-18T17:11:00.003-05:00

This winter we've been SUPER busy keeping The Mama warm and helping her incubate her egg. It's been very cold here in Newf Jersey, and we take our jobs seriously. If you are interested in that sort of thing, the Mama has been blogging about incubating the egg over at her blog. Please be warned that it is a very HONEST account. Sometimes maybe too honest. Like if you were ever thinking about procreating, you might not want to read it. Mostly we just wish she'd hurry up and have the baby already. We are totally prepared to be Newfie Nannies, but we can't REALLY get started until the baby shows up.

In other, horrible, news...I, Nanook, have suddenly grown my first grey eyebrow hair. It is a sign of my advancing age, you guys. BUT on the other hand, The Mama says the ladies LOVE a man with a little salt in his pepper, and she told me I remind her of Sean Connery. So that's alright. Here is a picture of it. What do you guys think? Distinguished?

Merry Christmas! Happy Howlidays...

2010-12-20T08:10:00.003-05:00

Nanook and I are members of a website called Newf.net - which is all other newfies and their owners hanging out and talking about us, (as is only natural).

Every year our friend Laurel organizes a Secret Santa Paws exchange, and we all exchange gifts with other Newfs, and then we OPEN the gifts while talking about us opening them to everyone else in a chat room.

This year, we got some truly epic toys! There's a floaty twisted Loopy, and a big blue bouncy tube, and a reindeer stuffy, and a Christmas Wubba, and an alien flying saucer thingy, and treats!

We were super excited about all these new toys, and I kept trying to steal all of Nanook's from him to put in my Pooka Dragon Hoard. (I like to pile everything up and then lie on top of it so Nanook can't get to ANYTHING. Hey. I'm a little brother. Being annoying is my job.)

I mean, look at me trying to suck Nanook's brain out of his ear in the picture!

So. That was awesome. But then the Mama said, "you're not done quite yet boys. There's oooooone more gift you haven't opened." And she put a little box in front of us.

It didn't look like it could possibly be holding anything very good, because it was so very little, and we are so very big. Also, it didn't smell like liver, so we were pretty blase about it. But we opened it anyway, because honestly - we like to rip up wrapping paper.

And inside we found this:

We stared at it for a while, and I tried chewing on a corner to see if it was edible, smell notwithstanding...finally the Mama laughed and said, "Ok, ok. You see the gift we got you guys is backordered until June 26th. I'm really sorry we couldn't give it to you guys for Christmas. But we wanted you to know that it is coming, so we framed a picture of it for you."

We stared some more. We had to admit we were still confused.

The Mama said, "Pooka - it's a BABY."

Oh. OH!!!

You guys, I'm FINALLY going to get the little human child I've been asking for, for Christmas, every year since I was 1! I really hope it's a little girl. I LOVE little girls. The Mama says it is too soon to tell for sure.

I hope all of you get whatever your hearts desire for Christmas!

Much love,

Pooka. (And Nanook, who isn't too impressed by little humans but doesn't mind them all that much. Sometimes they are sticky with leftover food, after all.)

Word on the Street Is -

2010-12-16T16:46:00.002-05:00

The big fat guy in the beard and the red coat will be swinging by a little early this year, for us Newfs. Evidently the Secret Santa Paws exchange we're in is holding their opening party TOMORROW!

So stay tuned, evidently we got some pretty amazing presents coming our way...

Social Activism - Justice for Rosie

2010-11-16T11:53:00.004-05:00

Guys, we need your help. All of your help. We need you to write letters, and sign petitions, and make phone calls, and send emails, and above all we need you to tell everyone you know all about this, so that they will write emails, and make phone calls, and sign petitions.

And this is why.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/107006303.html

http://www.highlinetimes.com/2010/11/08/letters-editor/property-damage-least-her-concerns-des-

http://desmoines.komonews.com/content/vigil-rosie-we-all-just-hurt-each-other

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_166183500071259&notif_t=group_activity

Rosie is pictured above, as a puppy. And here is her website:

http://fortheloveofrosie.webs.com/

In brief - on November 7th, Rosie - a 3 1/2 year old female Newfoundland Dog, escaped from her yard. She became frightened, and tried to get back into her home, (as evidenced by muddy paw prints on the front door and fence), but couldn't. The police were called when she was later seen running through traffic - when they arrived children were trying to corner her. She had retreated back to her own driveway. The police tasered her once. She yelped and ran. At some point, the police say she showed her teeth to them, and lunged. They tasered her again. She ran into a neighbor's fenced yard, and tried to hide in the neighbor's bushes. The police located her, and decided that since tasering was having no effect, and they hadn't been able to catch her using the catch pole, they were going to kill her.

They radioed for backup and two more police officers arrived, one of them carrying a sniper rifle. They shot her once, in their words, "to stop her." Stop her from hiding in the bushes? The neighbor whose yard it was, had been instructed to go into her house with her dog and children. They could all hear Rosie screaming after the first shot.

They then shot her an additional THREE times, to "euthanize her."

Here is a pdf of the Police Report:

http://www.trunewfsrescue.com/10-2533%20basic%20case.pdf

So. If you are able to, please - sign the petition.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/rosie-the-newfoundland-shot-by-police/

And if you are able to, please - write to Des Moines' local government and police department.

Be polite but concerned and adamant about your feelings. They want this to go away and tomorrow is one day late as far as they're concerned:

Main City Hall Number (206) 878-4595

Department Directory:

Mayor/City Council - 21630 11th Avenue South, Suite A Des Moines, WA 98198

(206) 878-4595

(206) 870-6540 fax

City Clerk - 21630 11th Avenue South, Suite A Des Moines, WA 98198

(206) 870-6519

(206) 870-6540 fax

City Manager’s Office - 21630 11th Avenue South, Suite A Des Moines, WA 98198

(206) 870-6541

(206) 870-6540 fax

Police - 21900 11th Avenue South Des Moines, WA 98198

(206) 878-3301

(206) 870-7626 fax

Email the Des Moines Animal Control Officer, Officer Jan Magnuson:

animal@desmoineswa.gov

Email the Mayor and the City Council Persons:

City Mayor, Bob Sheckler: bsheckler@desmoineswa.gov

City Council: sthomasson@desmoineswa.gov, mmusser@desmoineswa.gov, mpina@desmoineswa.gov, cscott@desmoineswa.gov, dsherman@desmoineswa.gov, dkaplan@desmoineswa.gov

Let these people know that the world is watching, and that we aren't going to let this quietly fade away. Rosie deserves better.

We can't stop crying, here. We've signed and sent letters and emails and now this is one more thing we can do - ask for your help too, for Rosie.

Lots of love,

Nanook and Pooka

NewfStock Day Two: Main Event

2010-09-30T14:51:00.007-04:00

After a busy, action-packed day like we'd had on Friday, we slept very well but still managed to drag our poor tired Newfie bodies out of bed so we could wake our people up at 7 a.m. for potty time walkies.

It's so important to keep to your regular routine when you are traveling. If you don't keep your people on a tight schedule, they can get cranky!

So anyway, we got up bright and early and the Mama threw on her incredibly attractive "sleeping bag" down jacket that goes all the way to her ankles, and a pair of waterproof shoes she'd bought the day before in Sandra's store, and then we dragged her out into the ankle-high, dew soaked grass of the large meadow behind the hotel and Pooka immediately commenced Operation Pee Everywhere that Any Other Dog Has Ever Peed, Ever. I, Nanook, commenced with a secondary and supportive operation, entitled, "Sniff Wildly and Circle Aimlessly Until the Perfect Poop Spot is Found."

In the distance we could hear a guy yelling, "excuse me!" and we all turned around. The Mama thought we were going to get in trouble for pottying there, because maybe the meadow didn't belong to the hotel after all. (OF COURSE she was picking up after us, but she thought maybe the guy yelling owned the neighboring property and didn't want large hairy dogs going to the bathroom on his grass, even if we WERE picking it up.) Instead it turned out it was the manager of the hotel. He said, "You can go ALL the way to the back, if you want, we own all of this! Go wherever you like!"

It was nice that we didn't get yelled at. Instead he was telling us that the entire world, as far as our noses could sniff, was our toilet.

We liked that guy immediately.

We ran into a bunch of other folks we knew, and their Newfs, in the hotel parking lot, and we all had a good sniff and speak.

Shortly after that we were off to Tim Horton's for our people's breakfast, (we tasted their sausage and egg breakfast sandwiches for quality control), and then back to the hotel for OUR breakfast, and then it was basically time for NewfStock to begin! We headed over to Millenium Park, (conveniently located right next to the hotel), to register and drop off the pledge money we had raised.

Right next to the registration tent were the "merchandise" and "art auction" tents. Guess who got into trouble at both of them? (Hint: they only have TWO legs...)

(Mama's Note: In our defense, who wouldn't want shirts that read:
"It's all fun and games until someone gets drooled on"
"Got Newf?"
or
"Have Newf, Will Travel: NewfStock, 2010"?)

(Mama's Note: And the artwork was lovely! We won the two pictures to the far right above - of the Landseer pup with a red stocking cap, and the Newf backpacking in snow, and also the stained glass piece that the lady in the black pants and green shirt is blocking)

Set up next to the art auction tent, right in the middle of the action, was Thunder and his humans, Emmie Lou and Ron. One of the best things about NewfStock was getting to see old friends, (Murphy and his mom Jen, Sandra and ALL of her pups, Peter and his Gander Bear & Christmas Belle, Patti and her Ozzy & Stevie, Tina and her crew, Judi and Joan and Tikka and Splash...

Here we met Thunder and his people:

(Thunder and his Papa - Ron)

(Thunder's Mama, Emmie Lou, giving Nanook pets.
In the back, in green, is Scarlet's Mama Sylvia.)

Thunder and his people drove ALL THE WAY FROM FREAKIN' FLORIDA to be at NewfStock!!!

And the OTHER great thing about NewfStock was making NEW friends!

(Pooka making eyes at Sulley's mum)

(We met Tug and Beau, and their people...these pictures are of Beau.
The Mama said she was catching Puppy Fever. I hope she doesn't give it to me.)

(Tug and his Mama)

(Beau and his Papa Eric, with me. Note my suspicious eyeball.)

(Beau got a lot of attention, and he was way too young to know how to properly appreciate a good Kid Mobbing. I, on the other hand, as a seasoned Newf, felt that the attention that was obviously my due was going sadly astray...)

(Hellooooooo...doesn't anyone want to pet ME?
READ MY FREAKING BIB!)

(Luckily this one little boy knew enough to pay his respects...)

We also met these guys above - their names are Black and White. Pooka took a shine to Black, and not in a good way. He attempted to make sweet love to Black's head on Friday night, while we were setting up the tents at the park. Black took exception to this in somewhat spectacular fashion, so what happened was - Black's dad was holding him back by the collar, and Pooka was up on his hind legs with his paws wrapped around Black's face, and the Papa was lifting Pooka bodily up into the air away from Black. But Pooka was NOT about to let go of his Kung Fu death grip on Black's head! Ha ha ha! He looked so determined! Not mad, just DETERMINED, to hang on.

Needless to say, the Papa won. So all of our pictures of Black and White from Saturday are at a distance! Hah!

(Peter testing that puppy's carting aptitude,
to see if the puppy liked it and was willing to do it.)

(Boum and Siyesha)

(Joan and Tikka taking a little girl for a ride...)

(Judi and Splash waiting for a customer...)

(We met Sully Without an E and his Mama, Emily)

(Pooka met LOTS of admirers...)

You may have noticed that Pooka's bib changes a lot in these pictures - the truth is, he soaked through FIVE bibs in the course of the afternoon! FIVE!!! He was really drooling. We had set up all our stuff over in a corner of the park, by a picnic table and a tree - and by the end of the day the tree was festooned with dripping bibs. If Dr. Seuss had seen it, he would have composed a story about the Bib Tree on the spot!

We marched in the Newf Friends Rescue parade - the event that we had raised pledges for! We don't have any good pictures of that because we were IN it. Sorry. Just picture us marching proudly, and looking handsome.

The BEST things about NewfStock was meeting new friends and seeing old again - but it was also awesome just to be among all Newf people! No one yelled "Ewwwwwww!" when they petted our chests or chins and got a handful of floogers. No one seemed upset when Pooka leaned on them and left big wet marks on their pants. No one minded the fur flying through the air. And EVERYONE expected there to be fur in the food!

(They didn't even charge for it!)

(Nom Nom Nom!)

Then, you guys, something totally insane happened.

I met...

MY MINI-ME!!!!

OH MY DOG!!! OH MY DOG!!! HE IS SO TINY!!! I COULD SQUISH HIM LIKE A BUG!

Mama, mama, seriously what is he? Is he a baby Newf? Like, two days old??? IF HE IS ONLY TWO DAYS OLD HE SHOULD BE HOME WITH HIS MAMA!!!

I AM FREAKING OUT!

But then the Mama told me that he wasn't a baby Newf after all. He was a mix puppy of some kind, she knows he was part spaniel, at least. And that it was okay that he was out away from his mama because he was a lot older than two days old. But you guys, I'm still worried about my Mini-me. If he stays that little he's going to get picked on. He needs a big strong...well...ME, to protect him.

We also posed for our formal portraits to be taken, for the 2011 Newf Friends Calendar!

We were the first dogs to have our portraits taken, and the photographer kept saying to the Mama, "wow, they're so well behaved. They're so good. They're so good..." because the Mama had taken off our leashes, and then posed us, and was standing by the photographer making us look at one camera and then another, and I wanted to go over to him and say, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY FREAKING PICTURES WE'VE HAD TO SIT STILL FOR IN OUR LIFETIMES, ALREADY?" Plus I wanted to point out that at least we didn't have to hold any stupid passports in our mouths for these pictures...but I couldn't break my sit.

They announced that the Papa had raised the most money of anyone for Newf Friends, and he got a prize! (It was a blanket. I have already drooled on it and thus claimed it for myself for snuggly time.) Thank you to everyone that supported our march - the money is going to a very good cause. Newf Friends has already rescued another six dogs, since Newf Stock - and they're bringing in another two this weekend. They wouldn't have been able to afford it without everyone's support. We really appreciate it, you guys.

And then there was the art auction, which we had to lie still for. But by then we were so tired we didn't mind. After we won art, it was time to go back to the hotel and have a nap because we were ALL exhausted. Then the people had dinner out in town, and Pooka and I had to stay in the car, which was boring. The Mama only vaguely redeemed herself by bringing us fish and chips in a doggie bag.

Then we went back to the hotel, and everyone was soooo sleepy, but the Mama had promised Murphy's mum Jen bottles of champagne because Murphy had nearly died like, 5 times, since the last time we'd seen them and the Mama said Jen deserved to get a little tipsy in celebration of his return to health. The Papa said it was almost 10 o'clock and everyone would be sleeping, and the Mama burst out laughing and said, "clearly you don't know Canadians..." and sure enough, when she went outside all the Canucks were sitting around with beers and glasses of wine and their Newfs sleeping on their feet.

Except for the two ladies who had come from Pennsylvania with a Newf named Chumley. He was a total spaz and kept stealing their socks and slippers and flinging them up into the air and pouncing on them. It was very exciting.

The Mama, the Papa, us, Tux, Beau and his people all hung out in the hotel lobby area drinking beer and eating candy and talking about what it is like to live with gigantic but gorgeous dogs, but after a while it became obvious that we were all going to have to head to our beds. Mostly because Pooka kept getting up, heaving himself slightly closer to the hotel room door, and then barking, pointedly, at all of us. "It's BEDTIME!!!" He did this every fifteen minutes, like clockwork, after he decided that we had been up too late. He's totally the Sleep Police, at home AND abroad.

So we went to bed, and that was the end of Saturday's festivities. You guys, NewfStock ROCKS.

NewfStock, Day One

2010-09-29T09:55:00.004-04:00

Here begins the travelogue of our journey up into the Great White North, narrated by me: Kloofbear's Nanook of the North. It is only fitting that I should be the one to tell the story of our return to the land next to our ancestral homeland. Anyway, I'd been there before. Twice! It was definitely North, though not precisely white.

It WAS, however, very great indeed. (If anyone is interested, here is a link to the official Newf Friends NewfStock Wrap Up Blog Post. Note - there are many pictures of us in it. Because we are that awesome.)

On Thursday, shortly after lunch, (during which Pooka and I spent a great deal of time drooling on the Mama's knees and begging shamelessly,) the Papa mysteriously returned home. It was much earlier in the day than he normally appears, and Pooka and I were both thrown into much confusion of spirits.

Then the suitcases began to appear! DOOM! So I immediately attached myself to the Mama's hip and would not be budged. Then she whispered in my ear; "Nanook, you're coming with us!" This was reassuring, but I refused to be parted from her just in case she forgot me at home by accident. I saw her pack my dog bed, and my precious Fuzzy Ball, (the Fuzzy Ball is sacred!), and our food, and our brushes and combs and some toys, and our blow dryer, and a gas powered generator for our blow dryer, and poop bags, and lots of towels, and cookies, fans, our cool bed, our collars and leashes, our bibs...I don't think anything got left at home! Then she and the Papa packed themselves two little itsy bitsy bags, and the Papa brought his camera, and the Mama packed her camera, and they grabbed certificates that they said proved we didn't have Rabies, and two little blue square things that they said proved they were American, and then we all got into the car.

And we drove for FOREVER.

We stopped a few times along the road, to get gas or food or to go potty. Pooka was having a hard time with the trip, he kept coughing and gagging - the Mama thinks he stress-drools and the drool is very viscous and thick and then it gets caught in his throat. So she kept climbing into the back with us to offer him a drink of water or an ice cube.

Spoiled.

Anyway, once she bought us chicken nuggets! That was exciting. By 9 p.m. we were at the border crossing by the 1,000 Islands. We stopped one last time on the New York side of the bridge to get gas, and to let Pooka and I go to the bathroom. It was cold, and raining. So, in other words, it was perfect Newf weather! Pooka and I galloped around a bit, stretching our legs, while the Mama went "wheeeeeeeee!" behind us at the very end of our leashes. At least, I'm pretty sure that's what she was saying. She sounded really excited about how energetic we were.

(The Mama's Note: "Excited" doesn't even come close to how I felt about getting whiplash from those two fur-covered psychopaths, not to mention being dragged through soaking wet knee-high grass..normally they are excellent on leash, but after 6 hours in the car I couldn't really blame them for being a bit high-spirited. But I could, and did, do some creative swearing...)

We crossed the border, which involved driving over two really high, narrow bridges, and then we went through customs. The Papa says the Mama acts like she's doing something very illegal when she goes through customs - crazy overly-helpful and nervous.

(The Mama's Note: It's totally true. I turn into a complete moron when faced with authoritative men in uniforms.)

We passed through Gananoque shortly after the border patrol guy let us through, (after sharing a long commiserating look with the Papa). Gananoque is where the Canadian Newf National Specialty Dog Show is often held! I've attended it twice in the past. Pooka had never been across the border though so the Mama kept telling him how cosmopawlitan he now was, for having visited two countries.

And then we drove for what felt like FOREVER, in the dark, through absolute wilderness, to Bancroft - Canada.

We arrived at the Best Western Sword Motor Inn a little after 11:30 p.m. The Mama went inside to check us in and get our room keys, and the Papa took us out of the car and for a walk to go potty and get a drink. He fed us dinner really quick, too, because he said he had no idea what would happen if he fed Pooka after midnight.

The folks at Newf Friends had arranged ahead of time for the Sword Motor Inn to accept guests with Newfs, even though the motel normally has a 10 lb pet policy. It was very kind of the Sword Motor Inn to waive their normal pet fees and restrictions for us, and we tried to repay them by not totally trashing the place. When we travel with our people, they always make an effort to minimize our impact on a hotel room - they bring extra sheets and towels to throw over the bed to prevent us from shedding and drooling on the hotel's bedding. They buy cleaning products to wipe down the bathroom since we tend to spend lots of time sleeping on the tiles in there, or drinking out of the tub and leaving drool and fur stuck to the tub sides. They brush down the carpets to try and get as much of our fur up as possible before housekeeping has to clean. AND they always leave a generous tip for the housekeepers, because they know that even though they've done all of that, we still will have managed to make the housekeeper's job much more difficult. So we hope if Newf Friends decides to have another NewfStock in Bancroft, the Sword Motor Inn will allow us 10+ lb dogs to visit again!

While we were outside having dinner, we noticed a big red van with Newf stickers on the sides and the name "Scarlet." My niece was already there! Kloofbear's Gone With the Wind! She's the daughter of my brother Polo! So I was all excited to see her in the morning. But she was already asleep, and it was definitely bedtime for us too. The Mama had spread the extra sheet over the bedding, and brought out the fuzzy ball for me, and the fan for Pooka, and we all went right to sleep because it had been a very long day.

In the morning, we Newfs had our breakfast, and then the Mama and the Papa drove us to some place called Tim Horton's.

We visited there a lot while we were in Canada. The Mama ordered plain glazed Timbits for Pooka and I. They were awesome. Canada is awesome. Tim Horton's is awesome. I loved everything and everyone, while the Timbits were flowing in.

We got back to the hotel and went for a walk around downtown Bancroft. We visited West Wind, a store owned by Sandra N., one of the founders of Newf Friends and the main driving force behind NewfStock. It is Newf Friendly because Sandra and her husband Jim own four newfs of their own and a basset hound - so we were allowed to go in and shop with our people!

We grabbed Subway sandwiches on our way back to the hotel, and had a quick lunch, then it was off to the first NewfStock event - a Meet and Greet Swim Party at local Diamond Lake!

(That's my niece, Scarlet, attacking the water and almost disappearing!
She's a real Water Dog...)

(The Papa had packed his swim suit so he could go into the water with us! Pooka is bringing him back the Wubba and I am following him.)

(Floyd! Sandra's Basset.)

(Scarlet again.)

(From Left to Right: Pooka, Nanook, Ozzy, and the Papa)

(The Mama says Pooka sometimes looks like the Loch Ness Monster when he is water.)

(Pooka attempting to make a Love Connection. He thought the whole event was some kind of Speed Dating party thrown just for him to meet chicks.

He likes blondes.)

(The Papa's Native American name is "Dances with Newfs.")

The beach faced west, into the sun, so the Mama moved along it to a point where the light would be a bit better. This necessitated that we gallop along the beach to check on her every so often, since she was not in the main group of people.

(Pooka checking on the Mama.)

(Nanook and Ozzy)

(Nanook and Pooka)

(Look how amazing my fur looks here!)

It wasn't just us that checked on the Mama though - Newfs in general are very solicitous. Here a Newf named Harley checks in on the Mama also. At top speed!

(Mama's Note: Check out the Newf in the upper right hand corner of this picture. Hahahahahahahahahahahah!)

His name is Clifford. Here are some more hilarious photographs of him. The Mama really liked him. She said he had a lot of "movement" to him.

I can do "movement" too, Mama!

(Pooka with some new friends. Note how gigantic Pooka is, even next to other Newfs.)

(The crowd on the beach.)

(Ozzy.)

(Pooka being gorgeous.)

(Pooka looking around to see if any of the ladies were noticing him being gorgeous.)

(Pooka looking disgruntled because none of the ladies had noticed him being gorgeous.)

(Byron.)

(Murphy and his Mama, Jen.)

(A Golden named Darwin - we all agreed he deserved to be an honorary Newf.
Look at those floogers!)

Pooka and I taking a solitary swim. We were practically the last newfs left at the lake - we don't know when to quit rocking out! We got to use the generator for the first time to run the blow dryer, to get us all dry and get the sand off before going back to the hotel.

That evening our people went to dinner with all the other Newf owners staying at the hotel, and we had to hang out in the car by ourselves. But since it was like, 40 degrees Fahrenheit out, that wasn't so bad. And we were pretty tired from all the swimming and being gorgeous that we'd done earlier - we just took a nap. Saturday would be the main NewfStock event, at Millenium Park, so we needed our beauty rest!

O, Canada...

2010-09-26T11:25:00.003-04:00

We'll be back post-haste with a post-vacation update! Just wanted to thank everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE, that supported us in the HART/Newf Friends Rescue Parade. Between Sandy's collection and mine, we raised the most money of anyone at the event for Newf Friends.

Whoooooooo!

We've got LOTS of pictures, which we will be posting within the next two days. Thank you again guys for being awesome.

Lotsa love,

Nessa (The Mama) & the Boys

Just a Few More Days...

2010-09-14T17:35:00.002-04:00

Until Newf Friends' Newf Stock!

Are You Ready?

2010-09-13T09:16:00.002-04:00

How To Tell If You Are Ready For A Newfoundland

(Borrowed from www.newf.net)

1) Lift a hundred pound bag of wet sand up and down the stairs

2) Push a hundred pound bag of wet sand into your car

3) Borrow a pony and purchase a Dremel and practice dremeling the pony's hooves while on your hands and knees..be sure to remember to give him carrots

4) Smear hair gel all over your walls and throw it on the ceiling and TV, while you are at it...smear the lower half of all windows, curtains, and glass doors

5) Wear old football cleats and run and slide on your wood floors

6) Smear your toilet seat in more gel and bits of mulch and grass

7) Throw away all light colored dress clothes, purses, and shoes

8) Rub fur and gel into the roof of your vehicle

9) Drip lotion out of the windows and down the sides of your car

10) At least twice daily drop that bag of wet sand on your bare foot

11) Shake balls of fur, mulch, and a bucket of dirt all over your house daily (add water for rainy days) for variety add bits of toilet paper, shaving cream, and feathers

12) Throw chains and some of that gel on your stainless steel appliances

13) Stand on your dishwasher door while it is opened

14) Practice repeating " NEWFOUNDLAND....no, it's not a Black Great Pyrennes..150 pounds....4-8 cups a day....no, I don't have a saddle" over and over with a smile

15) Volunteer at the zoo to help wash the large animals and clean up their poop

16) Invite your friends over and have them all try to get in the bathroom while you are using it

17) Throw muddy wet rocks on the floor and walk on it in bare feet in the dark, you may not scream or you will wake someone

18) Have someone operate a chain saw outside your bedroom door all night...record this and play it every night right next to your ear

19) Take a nice long piece of rubber hose and go around smacking all the coffee mugs off the end-tables and hit any close male in the privates and just smack your own legs a few times, too.

20) Take shampoo, egg whites, and a gal of water and make big pools on your tile floors.....run through this windmilling your arms and yelling whoopeee!

21) Pull back your sheets and fill your bed with a bag of yard clippings and sand, add a branch and a bone..... carefully re-make your bed...smear your pillow with hair gel

22) Practice sleeping on the outside 6" of your bed with no pillow and that wet bag of sand next to you...your blankets are to be under the bag of sand

23) Practice telling people that your husband does NOT beat you, that those bruises are from your dogs

24) Stuff your washer with your best bedding and another one of those bags of yard clippings and hair.....add a couple of branches and bones and run

25) Remove your normal dryer vent and just run a temporary hose out your laundry window for venting hair

26) Without smiling, offer to drive your friends for a dressy night out

27) Bend all your eye-glasses and smear with more of that gel

28) Invest in a vacuum company

29) Invest in a dog food company

30) Purchase a vacation home for your veterinarian

31) Walk around your grocery store talking loudly on your cell phone saying BITCH and SPERM COUNT and BITCH PANTIES and IMPORTED SEMEN over and over

32) Take Rosanne Barr to your next school event and hold hands with her while she sings the national anthem....smile proudly!

33) Lay a sand bag in front of your sink, in front of the refrigerator and in front of the dishwasher.. ..now cook for 10 guests

34) Stand at your back door from dawn til dark opening and closing it

Yet Another Fabulous Photo Post!

2010-09-07T10:28:00.003-04:00

Because we know, deep down, you love them.

This one fabulously includes fabulous underwater photography of our gorgeous selves, swimming!

Behold our damp but glorious Newf-ness.

"My, Grandma - what big claws you have..."

HART/Newf Friends Rescue Parade

2010-09-04T07:58:00.002-04:00

We are only a week away from leaving for Ontario, to participate in all the awesome fund-raising activities benefiting Newf Friends Rescue, at Newf Stock! And we're crazy excited!

But this is just a quick post to tell you guys that we will be marching in the Newf Rescue Parade to raise much-needed funds for Newf Friends' rescue operation, and to ask for your support in our march.

Pledge Us Your Support

When you offer your pledge you will see that the beneficiary is HART - Newf Friends is a breed-specific affiliate of HART, and accepts donations through that larger organization - but rest assured that all funds collected are being earmarked specifically for Newf Friends! Three different Newf Friends volunteers see every pledge made online, so there's no way your pledge can go awry.

Pledges will go toward ensuring that Newf Friends can continue to rescue, rehabilitate and find new and loving homes for dogs like Anna, (who is still waiting for someone to say that she's finally found her forever home.) The current economy is murdering rescue organizations left and right, because the need for them is growing exponentially as folks have less and less disposable cash, and so dump dogs on shelters or just leave them locked up in buildings or wandering on the side of the road. Concurrently, donations drop and volunteers have fewer resources to work with. So if you can, please pledge. Every penny will help.

And thank you again, from the bottom of our (extremely large) hearts!

Photographic Friday

2010-09-03T09:50:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since we did a pure picture post! Enjoy gazing upon our handsome mugs.

Nanook Ice, and Other Stories

2010-09-01T15:28:00.007-04:00

Well. It's been a while, and lots of strange and interesting folks have been finding their way to our blog through strange and interesting ways...And since that's the case, you know what we need to do!!!

DOGALICIOUS GOOGLE SEARCHES THAT SOMEHOW LED FOLKS TO OUR BLOG!

If you're a new reader - Welcome! Here's the deal - sometimes we are located by strangers on the internet searching for knowledge, for love (in all the wrong places), or for the answers to all the deep mysteries of life, the universe and everything - as discovered by Google. Seekers of Googling Universal Truth - we are here for you!

Search # 1: Dog Cookies, New Jersey

YES PLEASE! You can send any dog cookies you like to New Jersey. We don't mind at all. In fact, if you'd like to send a whole bunch of them directly to our home, so we don't have to search the rest of New Jersey for them, that would really be best. Send us an email, and we'll send you the shipping information, okay?

But maybe instead of offering us cookies, you were looking for cookies all for yourself? *sigh* Here are the names of some folks who make dog cookies in NJ. They all look pretty delicious to us. *sniff, sniff* Are you sure you don't want to share? *droooooool*

Bubba Rose Biscuit Company, Boonton, NJ

Fat Murray's All Natural Doggy Treats, Montville, NJ

Annie's Pooch Pops, Columbia, NJ (we've actually had the pleasure of sampling Annie's Pooch Pops in the past. They are freaking delicious. All four paws up and waving happily in the air, for Annie's Pooch Pops!)

Search # 2: Nanook Ice

Oh dog that would be wonderful. As a matter of fact, our ice cube maker is BROKEN! Doooooooom! It broke last week. We have therefore been without both Nanook Ice AND Pooka Ice for far too long. But here is a picture of me, from happier times.

That's the stuff, right there!

Search # 3: Can Newfoundland Water Dogs Catch Salmon?

The short answer - they can if you throw the salmon to them. Preferably in easy to swallow bite-sized pieces. We're good at that. Please visit our blog post "Figaro" for more information on this very important subject.

The long answer (and probably what you really meant was 'can they catch salmon in a stream, in the wild?') - I'd imagine if the salmon were running thick and heavy in a river, a well-positioned and really motivated, (ie - hungry. ie - Nanook), Newf could probably catch a fish, yes. Some of our Kloofbear relatives hunt for fish in their pond, and catch them very handily. Salmon are pretty big - but so are we!

Search # 4: When Do Newfoundland Dogs Start Shedding?

Immediately. They were probably shedding a little in the womb. And they continue shedding for the rest of their lives, non-stop, year-round. I will say this though. They do stop shedding twice a year, when they instead do something so spectacular it can only be called "blowing coat." Shedding is to Blowing Coat what fireworks are to an atom bomb. You will discover enough fur around your house while your Newf is blowing coat, to make yourself a half dozen dog-fur-yarn sweaters. It never stops.

I have it on very good authority that indeed, decades after your Newfoundland dog has gone to his final rest, you will STILL be picking Newf fur out of your food, underwear, and butter dish.

For more information on Newfs and Shedding, please see our blog posts on the subject:

Nature's Most Renewable Resource

and

Do Newfoundland Dogs Shed?

Search # 5: Photos Range from Breast Girls

*blank stare* Mostly, we're just trying to figure out which one of our many interesting and informative posts led to you finding us with those search terms in Google. Because honestly, it's freaking us out.

Search # 6: Puppy Biting and Barking

Oh. So you have a puppy then. Because that's what they do. Bite, and bark. Sometimes they bark and then bite. But yeah. Generally, that's what's up.

However, we get this question a lot, and it IS important to teach puppies that what was an awesome game among their litter mates isn't so much fun for you furless humans. The question came up recently in a private email to us, so we'll copy the advice we gave there. This is gonna be a lot of information, so for those of you that don't have a normal puppy, (ie: one that is barking and biting), you may wish to stop reading here.

Okay - the most important thing is for you to know that this is totally normal puppy behavior. If you had another dog, your puppy would be doing this to the other dog, and the other dog would be correcting him whenever he overstepped his bounds - but know also that it would take a lot for the other dog to get upset, because Newfs have such thick fur that those puppy teeth aren't as painful on another dog as they are on you and your clothes! And puppies are given something called "Puppy License" by older dogs - the older dog will permit a lot of naughtiness, up to a point, because the older dog knows that the puppy is baby, and is still figuring things out.

Example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VadluS_ktek
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUEWZMG0Cfw

This kind of rough(ish) play is NECESSARY as far as the puppy's genetics are concerned - he has to learn how to fight and play-fight - it's an integral part of dog pack behavior. So it's not just some weird freak on his part, or him being "bad" - every part of his body is telling him that this is important stuff. So it will take a bit for you to teach him that while it may be important with other dogs - it's NOT to be done with humans, but don't worry! It's possible. What you need to teach him is called "Bite Inhibition." You don't want to teach him to NEVER mouth things - for one thing, a puppy is just like a human baby - they explore their world with their mouth.

When Nanook went through this phase, we tried everything - leaving the room for five minutes and ignoring him, turning our backs and ignoring him, yelping in pain and then dominant downing him, redirection to a toy, obedience classes and taste aversion. And eventually we were able to kick the habit. But first things first - before you can work on training him out of the nippy phase, you need to work on you guys!

So the first thing I want you to do is take a really deep breath, and tell yourself that it's going to be okay. Hah! Because when it was me, I was convinced that Nanook was going to grow up to be a 150 lb attack dog, and that I was doing a terrible job of raising my puppy, and that I was ruining him. And if you've read our blog, you know that instead he grew up to be a 140 lb ball of hair and love, a certified therapy dog, and everyone's favorite Newf. I'm sure your puppy is going to be just fine.

Second thing I want you to do is look at how you react to his play-attacks. Are you getting upset/frustrated/angry? If you are, it will make your job of retraining this behavior much harder. You need to be in control of you before you can be in control of him. He will SENSE that you're getting worked up, and it will just escalate his behavior. Kids ALWAYS try and find a button to push on you, and puppies are no different. Whenever my guys are misbehaving, I think to myself, "Mom Knows Best," and I adopt this persona of quiet-but-firm correction. Remind yourself that this is normal, and natural, and a phase he will grow out of.
Third thing I want you to do is be prepared. This means ALWAYS having on your person a tuggy toy that you can redirect his play onto. Always. I bought a fleecy braided rope toy, and I learned to loop it through my belt every morning for the first three months that they were with us as puppies, so that I would have it to hand the instant that he got nippy.

Now we can focus on your puppy:

I hope you've been teaching him obedience skills. Have you signed him up yet for puppy obedience classes? Classes are absolutely indispensable for a giant breed puppy - honestly they aren't really for the DOG - they're for the owners - they teach you how to communicate with your puppy. I advise classes at your local AKC chapter club if you have one. Wherever you decide to go, make sure of two things: 1. That you will be the one handling your dog and training him - I don't believe that the places that take your dog for a month or two are of any use, because learning to communicate with one another takes TWO parties, and if you send your dog away, only the dog is learning, not you. And 2. That the school you choose uses Operant Conditioning, also known as Clicker Training or Positive Reinforcement Training. Newfs are incredibly sensitive, emotionally fragile and very loyal/human dependent dogs. You can lose that connection with him if you wind up with a trainer who has you yelling at him, or performing harsh leash corrections. If you find the right school and the right trainer, then you and your puppy will soon be able to speak one another's language (body language) in a very meaningful way, which will help you in ALL aspects of his growth and development.

Another important thing is to make sure that your puppy has the opportunity to play with other dogs - this teaches him CANINE body language, which is also really important to his development. We took Nanook to our local off-leash dog park, on weekdays when it wasn't insanely busy, and let him play with the other dogs. We also met lots of nice people and their puppies at our obedience classes, and would invite folks over to our house for puppy play dates in our fenced-in yard. In addition, our puppy obedience class had a half hour session of free play set aside during the class itself, for the puppies to run around the classroom and play with one another. The key to having a stable, intelligent, and well-balanced adult dog is to provide him with lots and LOTS of socialization opportunities when he is little. Free play with other dogs is an important part of socialization. In addition, the other puppies and dogs will be helping you train your puppy in bite inhibition (which is what we'll be working on) because they will yelp and correct your puppy if he bites them too hard. In a normal litter, the other puppies and the mom would be teaching him this - since YOU are now his litter, you'll be continuing that training, along with any dogs that your puppy becomes friends with at class and at play.

Now let's talk about methodology:

IGNORE BAD BEHAVIOR -

Here is how another dog would tell your puppy that he is biting too hard - the other dog would yelp in a very high pitched tone, snarl a little and lunge at your puppy, snapping his teeth, and then ignore him - walk away. The general message being expressed is "HEY! That hurts! You're a jerk. I don't want to play with you anymore."

You're going to do something similar, at first. Find a word that will mean "no, that's not what I want" in your language with your puppy. For my two, I say "eh eh." To them, that means that whatever they just did WASN'T what I wanted them to do. You'll use that word for more than just bite inhibition in your training with your puppy.

The next time your puppy bites you, say your "no" word to him, in a low but very firm voice. Then you are going to detach him from you, and walk away. I set up baby gates in all the doorways of our sitting room, and the sitting room was the room that Nanook had access to most during the day. Any time he played too roughly, I said "eh eh!" to him, carefully pulled his teeth out of my pants leg, and then walked deliberately to the nearest baby gate, and left the room. I made sure to avoid fast, flashy movements because those could stimulate chase/hunt instincts in Nanook. I completely ignored him as soon as his teeth were out of my leg, averted my eyes from him, and when I was out of the room I stayed in his sight, but I kept my back to him and did not respond to him in any way. Sometimes he would chase me and grab my leg again before I was able to get out of the room, I just repeated the process of "eh eh" removing his teeth and walking out of the room. I would wait on the other side of the baby gate for him to settle down a little bit, usually five or ten minutes. Then I would return to the room, and offer him the rope toy to play with. This is called 'redirection.' You are providing him with an ACCEPTABLE substitute, and teaching him what he is allowed to chew on.

If he ignores the toy and launches himself at you again, repeat the process. "Eh eh!" stop all interaction, and leave the room. You are, in essence, giving him a time out. He needs to learn that biting hard will stop all interaction. And you are going to have to be very, very patient. It will take time. He may continue to launch himself at you over and over again. Up until now, biting you resulted in a wonderful game for him, a game that he really enjoyed. AND he's got his instincts telling him that this is an important part of his puppy training. The behavior will actually get much worse before it gets better. Your goal, (to get your puppy to stop biting you in play), is called a behavior EXTINCTION, in operant conditioning. You want the behavior to stop. But before it will stop, he will escalate the behavior in an attempt to get the result that he wants from you. This is called an Extinction Burst.

Let's use a different example: barking.

Say in the past every time he barked, you looked at him and gave him attention. Your attention was what he wanted, so he was rewarded for the barking. Now let's say you start ignoring his barking. He feels confused - every time he barked before, you gave him the reward of your attention. He thinks, "maybe she just doesn't hear me. I'll bark louder." And he does. This is called an Extinction Burst. The dog will perform the undesirable behavior much louder, or worse, trying to achieve the reward that he got before. I'm telling you this so that you expect it, and don't assume that because he gets worse, it means the retraining isn't working. It's normal. It's a part of his learning process. You need to be firm, and very patient, during this period. Be aware that the behavior will not stop overnight, but that it WILL stop. And that now is definitely the time to teach him these important manners - dogs learn bite inhibition prior to 4 months of age, so now is the perfect time to be reinforcing this with him.

You must also make sure that you praise and reward any good, gentle behavior on his part. If he's playing politely with a toy, tell him he's a good boy in a quiet but happy tone of voice. Give him lots of positive attention for good behavior - your attention and praise is what he wants most in the world - make sure that he gets it when he deserves it, and doesn't get it when he doesn't.

But all of the above is offered on the assumption that you have the time to work on this with him. And I'm going to tell you that you need to MAKE the time to work on this with him at least once a day now, when he's young and eager to learn, and easy to train.

REDIRECTION:

Okay - so you've told him that biting you hard is a bad thing, by ignoring him. Now it's time to teach him what you consider appropriate play. He's a puppy! He has to have some kind of interactive play with you! So let's move on to the redirection portion of the exercise. Lots of folks will tell you that teaching your puppy to play tug of war is a very bad idea - that it makes them feel like the alpha etc etc. My trainers used tug of war all the time, and so I think that's nonsense, provided that you follow three very simple rules of engagement.

1. You are in control of the game. In order for this to be the case, you will be the one to decide when the game starts, to offer the toy, and to direct how the game is played.
2. You teach the commands "Give" and "Take."
3. You always win the toy at the end of the game.

I played tug of war as a relationship building game with Nanook - it was part of our formal obedience puppy training. Tug of War is a game played between the two of you - with eye contact going on. It's very personal. Here is how I taught it to Nanook.

When I came back into the room to offer the toy, I would drag it on the ground in front of Nanook enticingly, like you would play with a cat. I would say the word "take" as I did so, just once. If Nanook grabbed the toy, I would say "good boy!" and then commence with gentle tugging. If he didn't tug back, or crowded me, I used my free hand to nip his front paws in a gentle/playful bite motion. Usually then he'd whip his paws away from my fingers and back up, tugging on the toy. After a little bit of tugging, I would offer him a cookie with my free hand right in front of his nose, saying the word "Give" as I did so. He would immediately drop the toy to take the cookie. He'd be told "good boy!" when he dropped the toy. Then I would drag the toy in front of him again, saying "take." Sometimes, to make the game more rewarding for him, I let him 'win' the toy - a good strong tug and I'd release the toy and say "oh! you won!" with a ton of admiration in my voice. He'd get very smug and prancy about it, and usually he'd bring it back to me for me to start the game over again. If he turned away to take the toy away from me, I would gently 'nip' his tush with my fingers - just like another puppy would do to get his attention back. He usually turned back around to me and then I'd grab the toy again and we'd play some more. If he didn't turn back around, I made sure to grab the toy and remove it from him - you do not want him to think he can just steal the toy! Although I would sometimes let him 'win' a battle, I ALWAYS won the war. What this means is that when I decided that the game was finished, I got the toy back from him, and tucked it into my pocket where he couldn't reach it. Or I would take it and put it someplace very high up, where he couldn't get to it. The important thing there was that it was clear to him that the toy was MINE, and that I was the one inviting him to play, and deciding when the game was over.

If at any point he ignored the toy and tried to bite me, I repeated the extinction training above - "eh eh" and left the room. If at any point during the game he bit my HAND instead of the rope, even by accident, he'd get the "eh eh" and the game would be over and I'd leave the room for five to ten minutes. Rinse and repeat.

Gentle mouthing is not the same thing as hard biting. If he takes your hand gently in his mouth, you may continue quietly playing with him - it's important that he learn FIRST to control the FORCE of his biting, before you start to try and decrease the frequency of mouthing. And puppies do explore their world with their mouths. If he is polite with his mouth, and gently takes hold of something, you may quietly praise him a little bit. The object in teaching bite inhibition is not to teach bite prohibition - a dog that never learns to control the force of his bite may bite too hard when he is provoked later in life - causing serious injury. Accidents happen. A door might get closed on his tail, or a child might poke him in the eye by accident. A dog who learns to control the force of his bite is more likely to offer an appropriate level of reaction to sudden pain.

OTHER TEACHABLE MOMENTS:

You can also work on him being gentle with his mouth by hand-feeding him one of his meals every day. This is also an important activity to help prevent him from becoming food aggressive or protective of his bowl. He needs to learn that all good things come from you. So offer him a handful of kibble. If he bites you hard trying to get to the kibble in your hand, he gets "eh eh" and you take your hand away for a few seconds. Same with treat feeding - hold the treat in your fingers and offer it to him. If he bites too hard, close your hand in a fist around the treat and say "eh eh - gentle." If he lets up and mouths your hand more gently, or licks instead of mouthing - immediately open your fist and give him the treat with a "good boy! gentle."

I also worked on good bowl manners by keeping my hand in the bowl while the dog was eating - and slowly adding small pieces of hot dog to the bowl while the dog was eating. My hand in his bowl = yummy additional treats. Positive things should happen while you are around him while he is eating. I would also occasionally take the bowl away in the middle of a meal, saying "Give," adding some hot dog bits to it quickly, and putting it back down with his release word, "Okay!" and praise if the dog was calm about me taking the bowl. Teaching him that you taking his food away is a GOOD thing is super important.

In addition, I always, always - even still - put both boys in a sit/wait while I put their food bowl down on the ground. If they broke the wait as puppies when the bowl hit the ground, I'd pick it back up immediately with an "eh eh! Sit. Wait." If they waited politely, they would get praise, "Good boy!" and a piece of hot dog offered directly by hand. Then I'd give them their release word, "Okay!" and they were then allowed to go eat. As they got older and more steady I slowly weaned out the piece of hot dog.

It's also a good idea to work on grooming now - teaching him not to bite the brush took me a good long time with Nanook because if you stop the brushing when they bite the brush, it's actually a GOOD thing for them - so instead you ignore the biting of the brush, praise it when they don't bite the brush, and I often offered a redirection in the form of a spoon of peanut butter - he licked the spoon while I brushed him. That pretty much did the trick.

Best of luck!

NewfStock!!!

2010-08-30T20:05:00.003-04:00

It's almost here! The most anticipated event of our year - NewfStock.

It's like Woodstock, only for Newfs. And it is happening in less than a month! September 17th through the 19th!

It's three days of wild and wooly Newf activities in lovely Bancroft, Ontario. All proceeds are going to benefit one of our very favorite charities, run by some of our very favorite volunteers in the entire world: Newf Friends. We're especially excited about the opportunity to help raise badly needed funds for Newf Friends to continue rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming Newfies in desperate situations - by marching in the Newf Friends Rescue Parade! We are currently accepting pledges via our very own Giving Page. Nanook, Pooka, the Mama AND the Papa will all be marching in the parade for Newf Friends, and we hope you will help support us while we do so.

And hey - anyone that wants to come out to Bancroft, whether you are Newfed or not, please do! It is not a Newfsclusive event, it's free, and we'd love to meet all of you guys!!!

Here's what we're looking forward to!

What can you expect at NewfStock?

We have several hundred people and close to 100 Newfs, as well as many other breeds of dogs registered to attend. The fun filled day will be packed with activities for the whole family, including lots of food, music and the chance to relax and spend time with friends.

Activities that are Available:

Food
lots to choose from – burgers, veggie burgers, hotdogs, fresh fruit, baked goods, and more….yummmm! All profits go to Newf Friends, so bring your appetite and eat up!

Music
lots of great music to keep your toes tapping and tails wagging

Raffle Items
fabulous items donated by generous businesses, volunteers and friends. You don’t want to miss out on this!

Games

You and your Newf will have a blast and win some cool stuff!

Vendors

Newf Friends will be selling pet themed items with all profits going to the rescue. Also, other vendors will set up booths in exchange for a donation to our rescue! Do some shopping!

Reiki and Craniosacral Therapy Booth

Featuring Zeljka Worden and Jillian Pinder. Learn about taking a holistic approach to your pet’s care and using massage and touch to promote good health and aide with healing.

Social Activities

Catch up with old friends and make some new ones! There’s lots of places to sit and relax at the park and just enjoy the day

Parade

We’re asking everyone in attendance to join us in kicking off the day with our huge parade of Newfs and Newf wannabees around Millennium Park. Rescue dogs get to lead the pack! Don’t worry, it’s not too long a walk! Be sure to collect pledges for our walk, this is our main fundraiser of the year!

Photo-shoot

Have your Newf featured in the 2012 Newf Friends calendar! For a $5 donation your Newf will be photographed by one of our talented photographers and included in the calendar. Photos will also be available for purchase after the event. Sign up at the registration booth!

Carting Aptitude Testing

Book your time for carting aptitude testing. For a donation you will get a ½ hour session with Peter Maniate of Hannibal Kennels who will work with your Newf to assess their Carting aptitude. Sign up at the registration booth, all proceeds got to Newf Friends!

Learn more about carting at Peter’s online Carting Corner resource:http://www.hannibalkennels.on.ca/articles/carting_corner/#carting_corner

Grooming Seminars

Offered by Joan Fisher and Judi Walton these seminars will go over the basics, including how to trim those ears!

Carting Demo

Offered by Joan Fisher and Judi Walton. Don’t miss this chance to see some gorgeous Newfs doing what they love to do!

Pampered Pooch - Nail Clipping and Ears

Run by Sylvia Delson & Mary Bylone. For a $5 donation your pooch’s nails will be clipped and ear hairs will be trimmed! What a deal! Be sure to have this done before your photo shoot! All proceeds go to Newf Friends.

HART Dog Show

Are you ready for some fun? HART’s always popular all breed show will be taking stage at NewfStock, and we bet some Newfs will be in the running for winning the tallest dog and longest tongue contests! Come on out and join in on the fun!

Art Auction

You are not going to believe the stunning pieces of art that have been donated to Newf Friends for this auction. Online bidding is available ahead of time for people that are not able to attend NewfStock to bid in person. Details will be on our site soon. These one of a kind originals are phenomenal and will make a wonderful addition to your collection. Bid generously! 100 % of the proceeds go to Newf Friends to care for Newfs in need! Several of the artists will be in attendance.

Prizes

You can win stuff, good stuff and lots of it! Besides the raffle table, prizes for contests, and the prize for generating the most pledges, the day will end with HART’s draw of the winning raffle ticket for $1000 cash! Yup, $1000! You should buy a ticket!

Photos with Sparky the rescued pig

Sparky, who was the model for the Telus commercials, was rescued by some supporters of HART and will be making an appearance at our big event. Be sure to toss a toonie to have your dog's photo taken with Sparky!

And so much more! We have new additions signing up daily!

Itinerary – The Weekend at a Glance

Friday, September 17^th

2:00 – 3:30 pm

Meet and Greet Swimming Play Date – Weather Permitting

Location: Diamond Lake Public Beach

Details: Everyone welcome. Beach is located about 15 minutes from the hotel on a very quiet street. Ample parking is available; the beach is large, sandy with a park area surrounding it.

Dogs on leash. Please clean-up after your dog.

This is not an “official” Newf Friends activity, but rather a suggested meeting place for Newf lovers.

What you need: Bring your own chair, towels, etc.

Directions: From the Sword Motor Inn turn left onto Hastings Street (Highway 62 North). Follow to South Baptiste Lake Rd and turn left. Follow to Old Diamond Lake Rdand turn left. Follow to beach on the right.

4:30 - 6:00

Volunteers meet to set-up Tents for Saturday – everyone is welcome to come out and lend a hand assembling the tents!

Location : Millennium Park.

Thank you to the Bancroft detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police for keeping an eye on our stuff overnight!

6:00 pm

Dinner and Social for all Newf Lovers and friends

Location: Sword Motor Inn Restaurant (where most attendees are staying)

Details: This will be a buffet dinner (including vegetarian fare.) Cost is $22 /person, this includes taxes and nonalcoholic beverage. Alcoholic beverages are extra.

Sorry, no dogs in the restaurant.

Saturday, September 18th – NewfStock Main Event

NewfStock!!! Taking place at beautiful Millennium Park in downtown Bancroft,Ontario from 11am – 4pm. Rain or Shine! Music, vendors, games, contests and Newfs! Booths open all day long!

Dogs on leash, with an adult at all times please. Bring your own chair, your appetite, your dogs, your kids, and don’t forget your pledge form!

9:30 – 10:30 am

Volunteers set-up booths at Millennium Park

10:30

Registration opens – drop off your pledge forms, pick up your free gift and bandana for your rescue dog(s), register for your photo session, sign up for the carting aptitude testing, buy your food tickets, pick up info about the bonfire – and meet some new friends!

11:00

NewfStock Begins!

Meet and Greet

Live music on stage

Pre-register for HART’s dog show at the HART booth

11:30

Parade around the Park, led by Rescued Dogs – everyone welcome to join us!

12:00 – 1:30

HART’s Amazing All Breed Dog Show on stage – join in on the fun – prizes for everyone!

12:30

Carting Demo

1:30-2:15

Grooming Seminar

Live Music on stage

2:30 – 3:30

Art Auction
(bank machines are located a few minutes away. Payment in cash or cheque)

3:30-4:00

Winners announced for Penny Raffle, Most Pledges collected, and Winner of the $1000 Grand Prize for HART’s raffle

Raffle Tickets Drawn

4:00-5:00

Volunteers Clean Up and take down tents. Extra volunteers welcome!

8:00 pm - ???

Newf Friends Bon Fire – Weather Permitting

Location: To be confirmed. Details and maps will be available at the registration booth at NewfStock

Details: Social gathering. On leash dogs welcome.

Roasted Marshmallows, good company, lots of Newfs, what more could you want?

What you need: Bring your own chair and a guitar if you have one… and a marshmallow roastin’ stick!

Sunday, September 19^th

11:00 am

Nature Hike

Location: Vance Park

Details: Dogs welcome on leash and of course clean up after your dog.

Directions: From hotel, turn right (south) onto Hastings Street. At the lights at Bridge Street turn right. At the bend, veer left to stay on Bridge Street. Follow to Oak Street, turn left. Follow to Vance Farm Park.

Holy Poop, People are Morons

2010-08-30T09:15:00.003-04:00

Pooka here, with a 911 411 - I am moved to post on a subject that recently came up on my very favorite-est website:

www.newf.net/forums

Not because the people THERE are morons, (because they aren't), but because when I went out into the general internet to search for answers to the question the poster on Newf.net had asked, the comments, responses and general nonsensicalness of what people had written on the subject was MIND-BOGGLING.

The question came from a lady whose Newf, Chance, had just snuck into the garbage and eaten a whole bunch of back rib bones.

First off - Chance, we don't blame you. The things our humans throw away are completely outrageous. Delicious, and outrageous. Obviously you were just trying to do your part to reduce their global footprint - by lowering your trash output. With that said, those bones were COOKED, my friend. You were really taking a chance, Chance.

The crazy thing though, is that lots of people on the internet are of the opinion that cooked bones are totally okay for dogs. One particularly intelligent specimen actually said that he didn't think eating GLASS was bad for a dog, because they tend to swallow things whole. So, my ducklings, here's our 411 on the whole issue of bones and dogs.

1. Cooked Bones:

The danger with a dog eating cooked bones lies in the way that bones react to cooking. Depending on the TYPE of cooking, most bones become more brittle, and more prone to fracturing into sharp-edged shards. An exception to this is long-term pressure cooking, which causes bones to become extremely soft - almost mushy. But assuming that you didn't pressure cook your bones into gelatin, cooked bones are a total no-no for dogs. Period. Because if a single fragment of a single bone happens to come out sharp, even on only one side, it is capable of doing a lot of damage as it travels through your dog's digestive tract. It can pierce multiple organs, resulting in some EXTREMELY expensive surgery if you are lucky, and a terrible death if you aren't.

Ignore anyone who says that cooked beef/pork/turkey bones are okay because their great great great great grand pappy who kept bear dogs fed 'em scrap cooked bones all the time. Ignore anyone who says that CHICKEN bones are okay, but the others aren't. Ignore anyone that says that certain chicken bones are fine, and not others. ANY cooked bone, (unless it has been pressure cooked into squishiness), has the potential to perforate your pet's inner workings and cause death. Yes, you may get lucky - a cooked bone might be eaten just fine by your pet this time around. Nanook stole a chicken drumstick once, (and only once), after it was cooked, and ate it, and came through the experience just fine. But that is LUCKY - not proof that cooked bones are safe. It's like saying just because you didn't get shot in this round of Russian Roulette, you never will.

So, I will say it again. DO NOT FEED YOUR DOGS COOKED BONES, REGARDLESS OF THE ANIMAL OR ORIGIN.

2. Raw Bones:

For the most part, these are probably okay. Raw bones tend to be softer and more flexible, and they usually don't shatter in such a way as to leave very sharp fragments. They're often touted by raw-feeders as the bee's knees in oral hygiene. We know lots of dogs that are fed them and are totally thrilled. We have also been yelled at, a lot, by vets who say that even raw bones can splinter into sharp fragments. Since that's the case, and we operate on the assumption that our vets USUALLY know what they're talking about, we aren't prepared to say that they're safe, or that they aren't, so we're keeping our mouths shut.

**"But Pooka," you say, "what about wolves and other wild animals, that eat raw bones ALL THE TIME?"

Yeah, okay sure - our wild cousins ingest all sorts of things that we kept dogs don't often get our teeth on. And they seem to be just fine. Our caveat there is that wolves and other wild canids aren't eating just meat and bones, they're also eating the feathers and fur that the meat and bones came wrapped in. Those wrappings are largely indigestible, so they travel through the digestive tract with the bones that don't get digested, and wrap around them in the stomach and intestines - providing those bones with a lovely soft cushion and preventing the bones from irritating the stomach lining and intestines. That this happens is a given - we've sniffed all sorts of wild carnivore poop down in Virginia, and it all had fur or feathers in it tucked among the bones that got passed.

Anyway. Here's the important part of this post - WHAT TO DO IF YOUR DOG HAS EATEN COOKED BONES.

1. Immediately stuff your dog with milk-soaked bread. No, for real. This is what our vet had us do when Nanook ate the dreaded cooked chicken drumstick. The bread will, hypothetically, help cushion the bone fragments as they travel through the stomach and intestines.

We've seen websites where folks advise feeding your dog small amounts of torn up cotton ball smeared with liverwurst, operating on the same principle as the fur/feathers wrapped around the bones - but because cotton isn't digestible, we're not sure how safe this is, and we advise calling your vet regarding this before actually doing it. Indigestible objects can cause obstructions in your pet's guts and make a bad situation much, much worse.

We go for the bread, since we know it DOES digest eventually. If you can get your dog to eat fibrous foods, like canned pumpkin, chopped up green beans, etc, those may also help - Nanook's stool often has partially digested green beans in it, and anything that may provide cushioning between the bones and the walls of the stomach and intestines is a good thing.

2. Call your vet. They'll tell you what to look out for. More than likely, they'll suggest monitoring your dog for vomiting, diarrhea, bloody stool/bloody vomit, abnormal body temperature, appetite loss, and listlessness. They'll also suggest you watch the dog's stool for pieces of bone being passed and perhaps tell you to provide your dog with gut grease, (some sort of mineral oil to help things pass smoothly).

Neurologist.

2010-08-27T19:53:00.002-04:00

The Mama Writes:

Here's a break down of Pooka's recent visit with the neurologist. I'm recapping it in case it ever comes in handy for someone else!

***

According to Dr. Glass, there are only something like 65 board certified Canine Neurologists in the entire country, so it may be particularly useful to have this information for folks who aren't fortunate enough to live 10 minutes away from one, like we are.

I'm not going to recap basic information about Laryngeal Paralysis because you can read that anywhere on the internet - this is just going to be a breakdown of what he did, the questions I asked him, and the information he provided me that I haven't seen elsewhere.

First he asked me a bunch of questions about Pooka's behavior, (eating, drinking, coughing, vomiting, sneezing, gagging, vocalizations, exercise, urination and eliminatory functions). Then he examined Pooka physically, testing his eyelids, reflexes in legs, (he actually tapped Pooka's knee for the jerk reflex with the little rubber hammer!!!), flinch reflex in eyes and other parts of the face, and then observed Pooka's movement at the walk.

Then he opened it up for questions.

Question One: Is Pooka's LP hereditary? (especially in light of his brother being diagnosed with the same disease)

Answer: Ultimately ALL giant breed dogs diagnosed with this illness have inherited it. This is because from an evolutionary standpoint, any dog that is larger or smaller than a small wolf is evolutionarily wrong, one way or another - they all have traits that would ultimately lead to evolutionary dead ends, if it weren't for the intervention of humans. But in the case of LP, and giant breed dogs, this is particularly because the nerve fibers are SO much longer than in your average wolf. The Laryngeal Nerve or Galen's Nerve starts in the brain, and travels all the way down to the heart and back up again, traveling then between the larynx and the esophagus to reach the neck. In a giant breed dog, that's a very long trip. Breakdowns can happen. And Pooka is a REALLY big Newf.

The doc then added that likely there are other neuropathies present besides just the LP, (he noticed some abnormalities in Pooka's hind end movement quite apart from his hip dysplasia, including a lack of flexion in the knee during walking), but that for the most part these won't have any, or any significant, effect upon his health - that these invisible neuropathies would be occurring and ending without any outward sign or symptom, and weren't anything to be concerned with.

Question Two: What Testing Can Be Performed for Underlying Neurological Issues that May Have an Effect on his Longevity

Answer: The tests he would order if it were his dog were:

Hypothyroid
Myasthenia Gravis
Serology for Infectious Diseases (especially protozoan diseases)

These are things that, if they are present, can be treated - which will have a slowing effect upon the progression of the LarPar.

He added that if a Thyroid test came back marginal, then the dog is not really being affected by the disease, and treating it won't be more than a placebo for the owners of the dog - giving them something to do. He said Thyroid, and Lymes, are the two most over-diagnosed neurological conditions that he sees. But it won't HURT the dog, more than likely, to treat it, and it does give the owners something to do...

Question Three: Which Surgical Option Is Safest/Most Effective - options being Arytenoidectomy, Partial Arytenoidectomy, or Laryngeal Tie Back?

Answer: Of all of them, the Tie Back has the highest rate of success with the fewest complications or dangers. This is because it is just tacking back a part of the body to get it out of the way, rather than completely removing it. The others will cause greater swelling and bleeding, and also require a tracheostomy during healing to allow swelling and bleeding to stop in the throat, and that increases the likelihood of infection and post-surgical complications.

I added that I had read that post-tie-back-surgery patients in a recent study had a median post-surgery life expectancy of 1,000 days. Dr. Glass said that almost all studies done of that sort are done at university hospitals, and that he believed that the median life expectancy of dogs operated on by soft tissue surgeons in private practice would be longer. He explained this as follows:

The surgery in University hospitals is usually performed by first year residency vets, or by teachers instructing a group. Because this is the case, the average surgery time in a university hospital is around three hours. He said he was drawing that number from his experience as a first year resident in a Uni hospital. In private practice, the same surgery is done in 30 minutes. He believes that the amount of time a dog is kept in surgery and under anesthesia can profoundly affect their recovery and their life expectancy post-surgery.

I also asked him who the foremost surgeon in the country for the tie back procedure would be - he said he didn't know - but that the surgery is very common and that nearly all soft tissue surgeons would be familiar with, and able to perform to their credit, the procedure.

I quoted Marvistavet's website where they say that the chief complication from the tie-back surgery is that since the adjustment is so small, (millimeters), pulling it too far results in a higher likelihood of aspiration pneumonia in post-surgery patients. I thought this sounded fairly common-sensical but he said that was nonsense.

I pointed out that even if the life expectancy was that quoted by the study, that 1,000 days post-surgical procedure isn't a bad lookout anyway, for a giant breed dog that only lives on average 8 to 12 years, and he said yes, that it is important to keep that in perspective - that if Pooka requires the surgery - it's entirely possible that he wouldn't require it for YEARS yet, and that by the time his LarPar has progressed to that point, he may have only had 3 years of his expected lifespan anyway. And many dogs that do pass, pass of completely unrelated causes since this is a disease that is usually diagnosed in elderly dogs.

BUT he stopped me there, to tell me that he wanted to make sure that I knew that there have been MANY dogs in his experience that have been diagnosed with LarPar and have never needed to have the surgery. He says being hyper-vigilant when it comes to keeping Pooka from experiencing moderate to high temperatures, or moderate to high humidity, scenarios will help prevent Pooka from ever having a respiratory attack. Observation and vigilance may provide Pooka with a long, surgery-free life.

Question Four: Since we were addressing respiratory attacks, I asked if there was any place where I could receive training in how to intubate a dog during an emergency situation.

Answer: This question floored him. He said in all his years of practicing no one had ever asked him that before, and that he thought I ought to ask Dr. Trotter - that it was possible he would be willing to provide that instruction or recommend a resource where I could learn it.

I mentioned that my husband was planning on taking an EMT course, but that I assumed that human and canine intubation procedures were vastly different. He said yes, they are very different. We would need to learn the canine methodology to prevent us from accidentally intubating into the stomach, which can create a life-threatening scenario all by itself.

Question Five: I asked if it would make sense for us to keep a sedative in our canine emergency kit, in the case of a respiratory attack.

(This being because a respiratory attack can cause profound anxiety in the dog, which worsens the gasping for air behavior, which only makes it more obvious to the dog that he can't get air and makes him more anxious, and causes a vicious cycle - the treatment for a respiratory attack is sedation and intubation).

Answer: This was another stumper. He'd never had anyone ask him this one either. His fear there is that in some cases, it can worsen the attack rather than alleviating it, and there's no way to know how the dog will react. He related a story from his very first day in practice, when TWO bulldogs came in with the exact same problem, (respiratory attack), both were medicated and treated exactly the same way, and one survived and the other didn't. He said since I live so close to the hospital that it would be safer to just race him in - but when I asked about scenarios where we were NOT close to the hospital and the choice was sedation and intubation ourselves, or likely lose the dog anyway, he suggested that I bring this up to Dr. Trotter, and see if he had any recommendations.

He again pointed out that vigilance in monitoring Pooka's level of heat-tolerance/humidity-tolerance and preventing overheating would go a long way toward preventing that nightmare scenario from happening.

Question Six: When Pooka's chest was xrayed for evidence of Megaesophagus, (important step after diagnosis of LarPar), was he also examined for masses and edemas?

Answer: Yes. There was no evidence of tumors, masses or edemas.

Question Seven: Supplements?

Answer: "If they worked, (vitamin E, selenium, etc etc), I would be selling them by the truckload. Again, they won't hurt but they're not going to have any effect upon the LarPar itself."

I ran out of steam around then. I'm sure that was a relief for the good doctor! But he said if any other questions occurred to me that I must not hesitate to call him. We drew blood for the thyroid panel, myasthenia gravis, and serology tests - I should have the results by this time next week.

I have to say it was a relief to get all of these questions out, and to hear the stories from the doctor of dogs diagnosed who never needed the surgery and lived out normal lifespans. It reminded me too that when Pooka was diagnosed with bi-lateral hip dysplasia at 8 months, we thought THAT was a death sentence, and he's been totally symptom free there all his life thus far. So we're crossing all our fingers and praying that Pook pulls the same miracle off with his LarPar - and that he's one of the lucky ones that the condition doesn't advance in.

How You Like Me Now

2010-07-30T10:39:00.001-04:00

In celebration of the fact that Nanook's cytology came back clean! No cancerous cells! We are posting his new exercise video!

Man Are We a Drag...

2010-07-27T10:29:00.005-04:00

It seems like we only blog when we've got bad news to share. I'm really sorry guys - it's been one seriously lousy summer.

We took a bunch of time off to just be Newfs with our Mama, taking care of her after she lost the puppy, (like Pooka in the picture here demonstrating the proper way to perform the Yoga position "Downward Facing Dog"!), but now it's all gone topsy turvy and she has to take care of us!

And she's going to fill you in because frankly, we can't spell all the words.

Hey y'all - The Mama here, with a report on the State of the Newf in New Jersey:

Pooka's brother, Marcus, (you might remember Marcus from the post about Nanook's trip to Canada), was recently diagnosed with a neurological disorder called Laryngeal Paralysis. The vets call it LarPar for short, which is a very cutesy name for a Not Cute At All disease. Marcus had a history of coughing, gagging, and making a sound that his mother refers to as "roaring" occasionally. Immediately I felt concerned. Pooka occasionally gags on his kibble, and sometimes he coughs when he's thirsty. He's also slowed down over the past six months. A LOT. No more marathon runs/walks - no more long swims. He'll only fetch for 15 minutes, then he takes a break. I thought maybe his hips were starting to bother him - but one of the symptoms of LarPar is exercise self-restriction.

At the same time, Pooka has had an ear infection that we just haven't been able to get rid of. So the allergist/dermatologist at our veterinarian's office recommend that he be sedated, and have an ear flush and deep cleaning performed. While he was under, we would have him tested for Laryngeal Paralysis, and also take new xrays of his hips, since the only views we've ever taken were when he was 8 months old.

All of that happened on July 23rd.

The ear cleaning went well. CT scans were taken of his middle ear to rule out middle ear disease as a factor in the Infection That Will Not Die, and those came back pretty normal looking. The doc removed a lot of impacted horrible black stuff from his ear canals, and sent us home with clotrimazole solution that will hopefully let us finally kick this infection.

The hip radiographs were taken, and according to all the vets that saw them, there is minimal osteo-arthritic bone growth. The xrays look similar to the ones taken when he was 8 months old - very little change. Which is AWESOME news - as it means that at least where his hips are concerned, my baby bear won't be having trouble getting around any time soon.

Unfortunately, we don't know which will last longer, his hips, or his ability to swallow and breathe. The Laryngeal Paralysis test was positive for LarPar on the left side of his larynx. The left arytenoid cartilage flap was, in fact, completely paralyzed. The disease is progressive - he will continue to lose function in his larynx until eventually both sides are completely paralyzed. He is also now 21 times more likely to develop Megaesophagus than a normal dog, because both conditions stem from damage to the vagus nerve. In short, it's a pretty poor outlook for our beloved Pooka Bear.

But we're NOT giving up! I've got to set up an appointment for Pooka to visit a neurological specialist - sometimes LarPar is a symptom of a larger underlying neurological condition, and finding and treating that condition can help prevent the LarPar from progressing too quickly. Hypothyroid is usually indicated, and so that will be the first thing we look for. I'm also switching Pooka to a home cooked or raw diet - (still doing research) - as I find it's much easier for him to eat solid foods than it is for him to eat kibble - which are basically tic-tac sized for him! Since overheating is a huge concern for dogs with LarPar, because they cannot pant like normal dogs to cool themselves down, we've really scaled back our summer exercise regimen (which was never particularly strenuous in the first place) - and we've added fans all over the house. The house has always been kept very cool for the dogs' comfort, and now there are floor fans in addition to the air conditioning! Pook really seems to appreciate them, especially after some exercise.

In the meantime, Nanook has developed hotspots all along the length of his tail, and one of the lymph nodes in his left hind leg is swollen. I'm hoping it's just his immune and lymphatic system doing their jobs, but just in case, we had it aspirated and sent out for cytology, and we're waiting for the results of that test now.

And that's pretty much everything that's been going on here. Hope all of you are well - if you've got some extra loving to spare, please send special prayers out for Marcus, Pooka, Nanook, and our friend Mango who has been having seizures!

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

2010-05-26T10:36:00.002-04:00

Or forgetful...

(LOOK AT THIS GIGANTIC CARROT!)

Sorry that so many of our posts have been so far apart, and that they are all apologies for not posting more.

We had a blog post all ready to go, about the fact that the Mama was going to have puppies, or the human equivalent, etc...but unfortunately she is no longer going to have puppies and we have all been a bit depressed. Pooka especially. The human puppy was supposed to come on Christmas so he was FINALLY going to get the Christmas present he's been asking for every year.

And he's been a really good dog lately, so it's totally unfair that he's not going to get it after all.

We hope you all forgive us if it is still a little while before we return to blogging frequently. We are all doing okay, just a bit slow and sad, and taking it easy. We climb up on the bed every morning to give the Mama Newf Therapy, and we haven't let her out of our sight in two months. She needs us more than the blog does, right now. But we WILL be back!

Lots of kisses to all of you guys,

Nanook and Pooka

Transport Help Needed

2010-04-06T10:23:00.001-04:00

Autumn Acres Rescue really needs some major help getting a Landseer boy from OKC to Little Rock ASAP to catch his ride to his new home. Anytime before late Thursday night this has to happen. Here's the transport request & itinerary;

Please Crosspost!!

PLEASE HELP..if you think you can do part of one leg, just LET AUTUMN ACRES KNOW!

Transport needed from Oklahoma City, OK to Little Rock, AR going to a screened (home checks done) home in MD. We have the Little Rock, AR to Maryland part filled...just need to get him to Little Rock to catch his ride to Maryland on Thursday, April 8th late night (we have someone who'll hold him till the transporter arrives that evening.

Date of transport: Thursday, 4/8/10 (really ANY DAY up to Thursday is preferred)
Transport Purpose: Rescue to forever Screened home in MD
Transport Coordinator: Donna Palen
Rescue Placing dog: Autumn Acres Animal Rescue Org.
Website: http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/KS87.html
Emergency #'s:816-776- 3022 or cell 928-458-0616
Coordinator email : dpalen@... or donna @ autumnacres. org (without the spaces)

Breed/name; Landseer Newfoundland/ Triton
Age/Weight: 2 yrs old/ 118 lbs
VET RECORDS: Yes
UTD ON SHOTS: Yes
DEWORMED: Yes
SPAYED/NEUTERED: YES
TEMPERAMENT: Isn't fond of alpha small dogs (not sure about alpha big dogs)
CRATE: Doesn't needs one, so this is optional.

Thursday (or before), April 8th, 2010

Leg 1. OKC, OK to Henryetta, OK
1 hour 27 minutes / 90.19 miles
9:00am-10:15am
NEEDED

Leg 2. Henryetta, OK to Fort Smith, AR
1 hour 32 minutes / 94.09 miles -
10:25am-11:55am
NEEDED

Leg 3. Fort Smith, AR to Russellville, AR
85 miles 12:05PM – 1:25PM
NEEDED

Leg 4. Russellville, AR to Little Rock, AR
80 miles 1:35PM – 3:10PM
FILLED

6 year old Newf needing a Forever Home!

2010-04-06T10:19:00.001-04:00

If anyone can help Deuce, please contact:

866-WET-NEWF (938-6393)
SENC Rescue, Inc.
c/o P.A.M. Smock
203 Northfield Drive
Warner Robins GA 31093-1648

SENC Rescue is in need of a very special forever home for Deuce. You can read more about him below.

Deuce is a wonderful 6-year old male Newfoundland with an amazing set of flews!!!!!!!! We had no choice but to shave him down as he was matted to the skin; we took off 9...yes, that's right...9 pounds of mats! He is current on vaccinations, neutered and microchipped. Deuce has some ongoing medical issues that will require daily medications. He has vision loss in his left eye, slight hearing loss due to chronic ear infections and scarring, as well as bilateral elbow dysplasia. Deuce was also diagnosed with Systemic Lupus; however, he is in remission at this time. Deuce needs a quiet home where he will be the only dog and we will not place him in any home with children. If you can offer Deuce a forever home, please visit our website at sencrescue.org and complete our online Adoption Application.

http://sencrescue.org/SENC_Adoption.htm

Happiness is a Human Home

2010-04-04T17:45:00.003-04:00

First of all, Nanook turned 4. It's pathetic that we haven't blogged about it. Pathetic. Sorry about that, you guys. This is my "I'm sorry, we're pathetic" face. See it? It's pretty good, yeah?

So. I, Pooka, am 3 now, and Nanook is 4. Dudes. We're OLD.

We've had lots of adventures since the last time we wrote. We've walked a bazillion times on the beach, and met lots of cool people and puppies! We've had like, FOUR crazy huge snowstorms and we have lots of pictures to share with you guys when we get around to it. And now that the weather is turning and our pool will soon be open, we will be planning our joint birthday party.

In the meantime, our humans just returned from a week-long vacation, and we're enjoying the reunion and massive snugglefest. More on...well...everything - later.

So stay tuned!

Lotsa love,

Nanook and Pooka

3 Years Old

2010-03-01T09:09:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Pooka Pooka Face!!! Cannot believe you're already three!

Weight Loss Update!

2010-02-26T11:00:00.001-05:00

Nanook has lost a little more than 9 pounds so far on his diet! We've still got a ways to go but he's definitely on the right track.

Thanks for all of your good wishes, everyone!

Snowstorms and Newfs Go Together Like PB&J

2010-02-26T10:36:00.001-05:00

Work Out Video # 3

2010-01-29T19:56:00.001-05:00

Without Further Ado...

Nanook - Dog on Fire

2010-01-20T10:54:00.001-05:00

Update on the Nook

2010-01-18T20:17:00.002-05:00

Nanook checking in - the diet continues. We're on day four of my detoxification and exercise programme.

This is how I feel about green beans.

Yuck.

The first day, I picked them all out of my bowl and spit them out on the floor. But when additional sustenance was not forthcoming from anyone, I sucked it up and I've been eating them the past two days with a will. They make my tummy less rumbly, echoey, and empty.

We'll probably go for a weigh in later in the week, to see if my efforts are having an effect.

My good friend Bojie has been a big help - he came over on Saturday and we all went for a long hike and jog through the woods of a local park, together. Otherwise it's been me, the Mama, the Papa, and Pooka - walking and jogging. I'm in good spirits, apart from feeling much abused by the lack of cookies coming my way.

Hope all of you guys are having as much luck with your New Years Resolutions!

Lotsa Licks,

Nanook

New Years Resolution

2010-01-15T16:48:00.004-05:00

Nanook here, reporting in.

Well guys. It's happened. I've finally porked out so much that The Mama refuses to fall under the spell of my woeful Eeyore "I'm starving" eyeballs, and she has put me on a Diet and Exercise Regimen. I had to go to the vet the other day for a check up for my Therapy Dog certification, (we have to do that yearly), and they put me on the scale and at first the Mama thought maybe I was standing on it funny but no, that was actually how much I weighed, and then she totally freaked out. I mean she FREAKED out. I was right there, and I saw it, and I hope I never see it again. She turned a gaze of terrifying determination on me, and I knew I was in for it.

You guys know I love my Mama, but seriously I don't know what to think. Except that she's been suddenly transformed into a demon from the nether pits of hell. She won't share her food with me, you guys! Not even a tiny taste! And I can't even find the kibbles in my bowl under all these freaking green beans! She gave me a STRAWBERRY as a cookie! A freaking fruit!!!

As if that weren't bad enough, she's also...she's making me...guys, she's making me jog.

*long-suffering sigh* Here's hoping your post-holiday detoxes are less painful than mine...

Lotsa licks,

Nanook

Update! You guys, it's CATCHING! Look at poor Bojie!

Whoa Whoa...Newfie Be Good!

2010-01-15T12:24:00.001-05:00

Gratuitous Bitey Face!

2010-01-11T09:35:00.001-05:00

Happy Holidays!

2010-01-03T10:29:00.003-05:00

Happy Holidays!

Love,

Pooka, Nanook, and their buddy, Bojie Claus

2009-11-26T21:13:00.002-05:00

Gifts!

2009-11-23T10:39:00.003-05:00

The last time we wrote we mentioned a new friend in Malaysia but we didn't elaborate. This time, we will.

This past summer we got a fan-mail from a lady named Sarah. She complimented both of us outrageously, (we love compliments!), and she told us how much she enjoyed looking at our pictures and reading all of our thoughts and then she said she'd like to send us a gift because she is such a big fan.

We thought, "holy cow!" She seemed like a very nice lady - she said she wished it was cool enough in Malaysia for her to have a newf but since it isn't, we're the next best thing. She also said she'd been reading our blog since Nanook was only 6 months old! She wrote a bit about our personalities and she got us dead on - she totally knows us, you guys. And she wanted to send us a present. At first we weren't sure if we should accept or not because we hadn't really done anything to deserve a present and also Malaysia is very far away - shipping must be dreadful! But she insisted and so we thanked her very much and said okay.

Our presents arrived in August, (that's how far behind we are in our blogging! Sorry guys!), and oh my gosh they were gorgeous. They still are, because we've still got 'em. And since we're trying to be better bloggers and catch up on all of these posts that we missed, we finally did our photo shoot so that we can show them off to you guys!

The presents arrived with a very nice note attached that said that since she makes HUMAN jewelry, she was afraid she didn't have anything that could survive two robust newfs, so she hoped the Mama would wear the jewelry for us. We're okay with that. But we thought we ought to wear our presents at least ONCE - so we rocked 'em for the photo shoot!

First, Nanook-

Sarah Wrote: "The pink charm bracelet is specially designed for Nanook. The woofie charms represent Nanook who is always around his Mama, who is represented by the other charms. Because of his affection for her as can be detected by the pictures posted, (reflected in his eyes, the way he looks at her and to her), and also because he's such a Mama's boy! I'd like to call this one, "Nanook Loves His Mama."

(Mama's Note: I think he's looking so disgruntled below because he's thinking, "great - now NO ONE will believe I'm not really Bojie's girlfriend.")

(Mama's Note: Nanook has a long history of bending, or outright breaking, traditional gender roles. I refer specifically to the times when he wore marabou feather barrettes. Since Sarah has been reading his blog since he was 6 months old, she obviously knows all about it!)

Next, Pooka-

Sarah Wrote: "The clusters with beads in no proper order sets my mind to Pooka - all over the place, a little bit of everything, playful, Pooka's got no worries, he's just happy! He IS Pooka! The theme is because Pooka loves the sea so much. This cluster bracelet designed for Pooka is simply named after him."

And as if those gorgeous bracelets were not enough - she ALSO sent The Mama a present too! Actually, she sent her THREE presents, a bracelet, a necklace AND earrings. Pooka has been thinking about getting his ears pierced because he likes the Mama's earrings so much, but I think he'd look a bit dopey. His ears are way big enough as it is, he doesn't need to draw any more attention to them.

Still, since the Mama is a bit camera shy, she let Pooka wear her present for the photo shoot.

So guys, we want to get very serious for a second. We feel like this has been an object lesson in the way that all of us, never meeting, can still touch one another's lives - just by being honest and true and putting ourselves out there, a little. So often all you hear about are the BAD things that can happen if you share too much on the internet.

You never know what ripples your actions and choices will have out in the wide world - if a silly dog blog from New Jersey can touch and inspire a woman who makes jewelry in Malaysia, then ANYTHING is possible! Be brave - people can be, and often are, wonderful.

And if anyone is looking for some extremely cool jewelry, check her out!

Thank you again, Sarah for the gift of you!

All our love,

Nanook, Pooka and The Mama

We're Okay!

2009-11-18T13:54:00.002-05:00

Sorry guys, I know we've been gone for like, forever. And it's totally uncool because so many neat things have happened! We made a new friend in Malaysia, we went to the Newf.net get together in CT, we met Randi's mama and papa, (OMD!), we have been to the beach and Pooka has totally recovered from his butt-surgery! Also, our parents had a party and we weren't invited.

Not. Cool.

We had to hang out in our bedroom for DAYS while they ate and drank and danced. All those sniffs unsniffed! All those people unslimed! It was really depressing.

But we are getting back into the swing of things. Promise! Although it is hard because now the air outside our house is crisp and cool and we want to be outside taking naps and not INSIDE typing things. We are so glad that winter is back! Anyway, after we've had a good long talk with Photobucket about how long it takes to upload photographs, we will have LOTS of neat things to tell you about.

Lotsa Licks,

Nanook and Pooka

Nike. How Could You?

2009-10-01T18:08:00.004-04:00

Okay sure, you say you aren't endorsing him again...but you're clearly willing to have him represent your products on the public stage.

Un.Cool. Here is how we feel about you giving Michael Vick free merchandise.

1. Angry. We're seriously annoyed, Nike. Why on earth would you be willing to have that murdering cretin model your athletic gear?

2. Worried. We're concerned that kids and other impressionable people will feel that your endorsement, in goods if not in monetary contracts, means that the crimes he committed are easily forgivable and ought to be forgotten. But so many dogs lost their lives at his hands that we will NEVER forgive him. And we won't forgive you either, Nike.

3. Depressed. We were really hoping you guys would make a stand about the kind of conduct that is, and is not, acceptable from rational adults. He made an incredible number of poor decisions and he acted with wanton cruelty and disregard for life.

The fact that you don't appear to care about that makes us want to bite something. Or someone.

Personally, we'd like to tie him up and leave him someplace dark and scary, with lots of biting insects.

We won't forgive Michael Vick, Nike. And we certainly won't be buying any of your merchandise!

Cancer? I hardly KNOW her!

2009-09-25T09:13:00.001-04:00

The vet just called to say, "I've got good news!" No sign of malignancy in the biopsy. Pooka is officially cancer free and is going to be just fine!

Whoooooooo!

Pooka's Famous!

2009-09-24T19:55:00.004-04:00

A while ago Pook posed for an ad photoshoot. The lady who designed our new dog bath wanted a new advertising shot. Since I had my sore paw that day, and the Mama said forcing me to pose for a photo shoot with an owwie paw would be WAY too Crazy Stage Mama, POOKA got to be the model. Boo.

We got an advance copy of the October/November Design NJ magazine, which featured the Show Home at Sheep's Run, and guess who has his very own full page spread? He's even on the website. Lookin' good, little brother...

Update on the Pook

2009-09-23T20:14:00.002-04:00

Hey y'all - the Mama here. Pooka is home safe and resting semi-comfortably. His eyes are a bit itchy and he's not crazy about his stitches, but he can't reach them (not that flexible) and his appetite is very good. He was a bit woozy and weird when he first got home, but a drink, some food and a long nap have really perked him up.

Thank you for all of your well wishes and crossed paws! The biopsy has been sent to a lab for analysis and we'll know more in 48 to 72 hours. I'll keep you posted.

Pooka's Behind Takes Center Stage. Again.

2009-09-22T13:13:00.007-04:00

Well, actually usually it is MY tush that is front and center on everyone's minds...because it is FABULOUS...but this time Pooka's tushy is having its turn.

Please forgive the graphic photo, by the way - and a warning: this post is going to be pretty disgusting. Women and children may not wish to read it. Anyone eating something might not want to read it either.

Here's the story. A month ago the Mama was watching Pooka run, which is always a pleasure, and she noticed a white spot under his tail, below and to the left of his anus. She called him over and investigated, and found a patch of skin that was a little raised, like a bee sting. When it didn't go away after a day or two she took Pooka to the vet. The vet stuck a needle in it, (HORROR!), and put it on a slide and eyeballed it but said he hadn't gotten enough cells to be able to say for sure if it was cancer or not-cancer. He didn't think cancer was very likely though, so he said to keep an eye on it, and bring Pooka back in if it got bigger. So every day, for the past month, the Mama has been looking at Pooka's behind. Hah!

Well, on Saturday she looked at it, and she nearly fainted! It had grown! Boy had it grown! It was like, the size of an egg! (Mama's Note: It was. It was huge. It was horrifying. I totally freaked out.) So the Mama totally freaked out, and yelled for the Papa. He came and looked, and HE totally freaked out. The Mama said, "it looks like it is seeping something." And she got a piece of paper towel, wet it with warm water, and swabbed at the spot to clean it up. Only when she did that, it totally burst! And not just a little burst, either. It positively fountained! It shot clear across the room! It also shot clear across the Mama. (Mama's Note: Most. Disgusting. Moment. Of. My. Life.) The Mama sat back on her heels, said, "Oh my GOD!" sat in shock for a few seconds, and then ran for the bathroom. She had to clean it out of her hair, you guys. Hahahahahahahahahahaha!

(Mama's Note: *incoherent sobbing* I washed my hair five times that night. Five times. This could ONLY happen to me. The smell, the smell, the horrible smell!!!)

I was there, so I know what it looked like. Mostly it was a clear yellowish serum, but there was this dirty whitish-brown exudate as well. Like from a pimple. Only grosser. The Mama was in the bathroom for a WHILE. Then she came out and called the vet. Only here's the thing - we were in VIRGINIA! You know, Virginia, on the buffalo farm, hiking and swimming and having a fabulous time? Well, Pooka's behind sure put a damper on things. And not just because the Mama couldn't take us swimming that afternoon because she was busy washing her hair.

(Mama's Note: I relived that moment over and over again all afternoon long in my mind, you guys. In slow motion. Oh god oh god oh god.)

The vet was able to fit us in first thing in the morning on Monday. So the Mama, the Papa, Pooka and I spent all day Sunday driving back home from Virginia. Pooka's Magical Exploding Butt ruined our vacation! Okay that's an exaggeration but there was still a lot of hiking and swimming left to do, in MY opinion, and we didn't do it because we had to transport His Royal HindEndness back to civilization. Hmph.

Anyway, we got back to New Jersey and he had his appointment yesterday morning. The Mama had started to calm down a little bit after doing some google searching on the subject of exploding butt boils - she was thinking it was probably just a sebaceous cyst and nothing to really worry about. But when the vet saw it, then HE freaked out! He took a needle again, (seriously, what is the deal with vets and needles? Is it some kind of weird hobby?) and he got some more cells, and he stuck them on a slide and then he practically ran out of the room. He told the Mama that the rate of growth of this thing was very concerning. So then she started to freak out AGAIN. Only she had to be brave and upbeat for Pooka because he's a little sissy boy at the vets and he starts crying if he gets worried. Or sees another dog that looks worried. Or smells the smell that a dog makes when they are worried. Or thinks about anything. The Mama has to distract him by asking him to do his tricks and stuffing treats in his face to keep his mind off of where they are and why. Personally, I think that's ridiculous. I mean, I'm always happy when I go to the vet, and THEY TOOK MY TESTICLES AWAY! So what does HE have to be upset about? Seriously? Well, up until now, anyway...

Moving on, the vet came back after looking at the cells and he appeared much calmer. He said the worst case scenario, and the thing he'd been worried about, was seeing mast cells on the slide, because that would mean that Pooka's butt had a mast cell tumor on it, and it would be very tricky to operate and remove it because it is so close to his anus and you really need a big clean margin when you cut those out because they are bigger than they look. But he said he hadn't seen ANY mast cells on the slide, and he had been expecting to see LOTS of them, so that was a very good thing. All he saw, as a matter of fact, were red and white blood cells - evidence of an infection. Which we'd basically already known since when Mount Vesuvius-in-the-rear had erupted on the Mama, it had erupted white blood cells. Good times. He took Pooka's temperature, (no fever), and then he seriously investigated the area. The Mama told him she'd given Pooka's tush a bath that morning as a favor to him. As someone else has pointed out, that is the canine equivalent of always wearing clean underpants.

So now the doctor told the Mama that it might be a sebaceous cyst, it might be a basal cell tumor, or it might be a perianal adenoma. Although he said he rather doubted the last one since Pooka is so very young. The options were to leave it alone, do a course of antibiotics, and see if it went away on its own, or to remove it. The sticky bit about leaving it, of course, is that if it gets any bigger, and it's NOT just a sebaceous cyst, that removing it in the future would be really hard since it would have gotten even closer to his important bits. The sticky bit about removing it is that Pook has to go under anesthesia, which always makes the Mama nervous, and it IS in a tough spot to operate on. Then the vet asked the Mama how she felt about it. She said she felt terrified - mostly because if she decided to leave it, and it WAS cancer, she'd never forgive herself. So the vet said, "well then we're taking it off."

So tomorrow my little brother Pooka, (whom we have been affectionately calling, "lumpy butt"), is going to have the lump removed, in surgery. Now he'll have a legitimate reason to whine when he goes to the vet. But to be honest, you guys, I really wish he didn't have to go. Cross your paws for him please!

Hiatus.

2009-08-28T16:58:00.002-04:00

Hey - Nanook here with a status report. We've been on vacation! Okay not really. Or at least, it has been more of a STAY-cation, but we've been avoiding all things internet for a bit. Mostly because we don't have any new photos to show you guys, and we always think posts without pictures are a little boring.

However, we have got a really neat post in the works, about the amazing things that can happen when you are a dead sexy newf with his own blog!

In the meantime, enjoy this photo of me and my Papa having snoozy cozy time together.

Lotsa licks,

Noodles (and Poodles)

Did You Miss Us?

2009-08-12T15:28:00.002-04:00

Hey y'all, Pooka here. Sorry we've been gone for sooooo long guys, but there is a very good reason for it. We were baby sitting! And it is really hard work so we didn't have time to blog, even at NIGHT because by the time the babies no longer needed sitting on, we were EXHAUSTED.

For the record, human two year olds? Yeah, they never stop moving. Like, ever. I mean, I'm a CANINE two year old and I stop moving ALL THE TIME. Sometimes I "hold down the floor" for hours and hours. But human two year olds? Not so much. And they have a deadly fascination with bodies of water! Nanook and I were on our guard the WHOLE time.

We should never have let our humans put in those two koi ponds. They are like deadly kid magnets. Mosquito zappers for toddlers, if you will. It required every ounce of our Newf rescue instincts to keep the wee ones safe.

If we let our guard down for a SECOND, this happened!

Oh my god! Who has eyes on the baby? WHERE IS THE BABY!? CHECK THE PONDS!!! If we discovered a situation like this, you better believe we got in there quick and regulated.

"I want three points of contact with the ground at all times, kids! THREE! Your tush counts as one! I want to see hands gripping something sturdy! I want to see feet in the water only! Atten...HUT!"

"Fiona, that's only TWO points of contact! Don't make me come over there!"

With two toddlers, two newfs become necessary. Luckily, we ARE two newfs. I mostly watched the little girl, because I'm Pooka and that's just how I roll...and Nanook kept a weather eye on Adrian.

We're not exclusive in our affections, so I gave him a paw with Adrian every so often.

"Dude. There are FISH in this pond! Did you know there were fish in this pond??!"

Another important duty - guarding kids that climb trees. Seriously, they could totally fall out of there and get hurt! We glared at him and told him to come down, but he ignored us. So Nanook got close enough to provide him with a soft landing if he should fall. Heh. A "VERY" soft landing, if you know what I mean. Heh. Heh.

I mean that Nanook is a little fat. That's what I mean. You guys got that, right? It'd be like landing on a fringed pillow.

I also guarded any and all explorations of the gardens - keeping an eye out for rabbits, deer, and other deadly creatures. They are wily, and you just NEVER KNOW. Look at the innocent way that that croquet ball is just lying there. But at ANY MOMENT, it could strike! Babies must be protected. It is a 24 hour job. We are only on duty about 8 of those hours though, because the rest of the time we are sleeping. Obviously, in order to be our best - to keep our instinctive response to danger honed RAZOR sharp - we require lots of beauty rest.

With all that said though, there are limits. Any toddler venturing this close to the bee hives is ON HIS OWN.

That's just nuts, right there.

...woo woo woo...

2009-07-23T20:44:00.003-04:00

That's the mournful moose howl of Pooka. He only does it when he hears police sirens, but it is an amazing sound and someday we hope to capture it for posterity.

In the meantime, I thought I'd tell you guys all about my trip to Canada back in May, because let's face it, I haven't done that yet, because I'm a bad Newf. A bad Newf, but a FANTASTIC snuggler! You might remember hearing about the trip from Pooka, who was a bit upset about it at the time.

So, here's the deal: back in May the Mama and I drove ALL the way to Gananoque, Ontario - to visit the 2009 Canadian Newfoundland Specialty. That's a dog show that only has ONE sort of dog at it. Can you guess what sort of dog was invited to this show? That's right: MY kind of dog.

Woo.

We hit some major traffic on the road right outside of Syracuse, NY. Evidently they're doing a lot of road construction there, or at least, they were back in May. Sorry again that this is so late guys. I blame The Move, and The Mama. Anyway - major traffic. But it broke up shortly after we passed through Syracuse, and then we met up with Bojie and Bojie's mom Meg at a rest stop just south of the border! Bojie was all, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" and he attacked me. But he was only trying to play, not being mean. He was really, really excited. Like, REALLY excited. Like, so excited that maybe he has a nervous condition or something. Or needs A.D.D. meds. He nearly knocked his mom over and he totally tangled both of us up in his leash and I was like, "DUDE! CHILL! I HAVE TO PEE!" but he could not relax. His mom finally sat on him so I could get a drink and visit the bushes without him tackling me. It's nice to be loved, but not when you have to go to the bathroom!

Once I had gone to the bathroom I was way more open to wrestling etc, but it was time to get back in the cars and finish the drive. We reached the hotel in pretty good time, and didn't have much of a problem crossing the border into Canada at all. The official at the crossing asked if The Mama had anything to declare and she said, "besides me and the gigantic dog? Just some clothing and a toothbrush. Oh, and his dog food." Since it was in a sealed bag it was okay to bring it, evidently. The Mama would have been annoyed and amused if it HADN'T been okay to bring it, since I eat Orijen food and it COMES from Canada. She would have been all, "What? It's good enough for us Americans but you won't take it back???"

Anyway, we got into the hotel room and got settled, and unpacked our water bowls and brushes and went for walkies around the place and sniffed LOTS of sniffs that told us that there were a lot of other Newfs around. It was very exciting. And almost immediately we ran into our buddy Max, and his brother Marcus, who is actually Pooka's REAL litter brother!

This is Marcus. Doesn't he look EXACTLY like Pooka?!!

We think it's pretty crazy, how much they look alike. And Marcus does the tea kettle whistle when he swims, too! CRAZY!

This is Marcus' adopted brother Max.

And this, of course, is my Best Friend Fur-ever, Bojie.

You can see how totally BFF's we are in all of these pictures. We do EVERYTHING together! We guarded the picnic basket from all the other Newfs while our Mamas watched the obedience competition and the draft competition on the first day of the show...

Bojie was really worried about the responsibility of guarding the food, but I told him there was NO ONE ON EARTH better at watching food than me. I am a CHAMPION food watcher. And eater. But since I'm on a diet I've gotten really good at just STARING at it.

Man, guarding picnic baskets is hard work. And just watching those other Newfs in the obedience competition was EXHAUSTING.

...zzzzzzzzzzzzz...

The Mama says it does not get much cuter than what we did next, sitting nose to nose with the tips of our paws touching. "Wonder Twin Powers, ACTIVATE!"

We even rescued sticks together. The SAME stick.

Bojie almost sank me cuz he had his head so far out of the water that he pushed my end of the stick down...but I wasn't mad because he's my best friend.

....blub blub blub...

Besides, I wanted to share my stick with him. The stick HIS Mama was throwing was embarrassingly tiny, for a Newf to rescue. I mean, he did it and all because where there's a Need then there's a Newf, but...

Well it just didn't look right.

Anyway, we watched the obedience and draft trials, and then we had lunch, and at lunch we totally met up with all our American and Canadian buddies!

There was Buddy and Docker and Ariel and Ozzie and Stevie and Murphy and Max and Marcus and oh so many others. It was awesome.

There are lots of funny stories about our trip, like how our Mamas made the hotel room so cold that they were freezing, and I climbed up into my Mama's bed and lay down on top of her to save her life and keep her warm...and how she sent me over to BOJIE'S Mama's bed to save HER life because Bojie is not as savvy as me when it comes to sitting on people and keeping them warm. Or like when The Mama and I went to have a photoshoot with Sandra, who is a really good photographer, and Bojie got so upset that we left that he broke away from his Mama and came tearing after us, but when he caught up with us he forgot what it was he had intended to do, so he just kept running and he nearly ran right into the big Hotel Laundry room where all the hotel staff and maids and stuff were washing sheets and he freaked them right out!

Or like when we were swimming and a big family group came down to the beach where we were swimming and Bojie ran over to say hi and they all started screaming and the parents all picked up their kids and put them on their shoulders and they all got kind of wet but nothing else bad happened and his Mama and my Mama both almost had to change their pants because they were laughing so hard...but maybe we will save those stories for another post.

And there are more pictures but it's late and I had some extra steak in my dinner tonight as well as green beans and my tummy is so full that I just HAVE to sleep, you know? So if you want to check out the extra pictures, click here!

Videos...

2009-07-08T22:34:00.003-04:00

To the Manner (Manor?) Born

2009-07-08T13:39:00.003-04:00

Hey guys. Nanook here, to tell you ALL about our new(f) home. Or, maybe, just to show you some pictures of us. I guess we'll see how it all pans out.

So check it - a few months ago our people started saying things like, "are you guys ready to move?" and "we hope you like the pool" and "NO EATING THE KOI FISHIES!"

The last two statements had our undivided attention, I can tell you that much. I mean, first of all...did they say POOL? And second of all, what the heck is a koi fishy? We were very intrigued.

The next thing we know, we're being brought over to this other house and we're walking around it and Pooka is a nervous wreck but I'm totally cool because that's how I roll...anyway Pooka calmed down after the first few visits. We weren't spending the night, but we were "helping" our people carry things and put things away and especially by smelling every corner of everything and testing all the bathtub faucets to be sure they worked and produced delicious cold water for drinkies.

But we didn't think that the other house was the house we were moving to, because it was kind of big. You know, it was the kind of house that small poofy yippy dogs live in - dogs that wear diamond pendants on choker collars and have little outfits that match their owners' clothing, and have bows in their fur and get pawdicures. We call them Yippy Yuppy Puppies. And frankly, we're not Yippy Yuppy Puppy material. We're big, and we're hairy, and we drool. People in nice clothing RUN from us. So we were pretty sure this wasn't the house we were moving into. Pooka didn't really care if we were moving there or not; he immediately began peeing on everything outside to mark it as his - even if it wasn't! I guess he figured he would give the Yippy Yuppy Puppies that would live there someday something to think about. But it turns out, we totally WERE moving to that house! Holy COW!

Um. Does this make us Yippy Yuppy Puppies? Be honest.

Pooka is meditating on what it means to be Yuppy and Yippy. Puppy he's still got down pat.

It didn't take us long to find the Koi Fishies. There are TWO ponds of them! TWO! Full of Fishies! You know what I think about that?

Sushi. That's what I think about that.

They look DELICIOUS.

"Yeah yeah mom, we hear you. No eating the fishies...no matter how delicious they look..."

Pooka is more interested in the Pooka Pool anyway.

"Could someone open the gate, please? My tongue is HUGE..."

What do you guys think? Do we look like we were born with silver bones in our mouths?

Do you guys think we could do an episode of Doggy Cribs on MTV?

Whoops! We hear The Papa calling. Gotta run.

Lotsa Licks,

Nanook and Pooka

Lifestyles of the Newf and Famous

Still Not Dead!

2009-06-26T22:20:00.004-04:00

But we're STILL moving into our new home. It is ridiculous! And it means our Mama doesn't have any time to spend writing down our very important thoughts.

However, we feel so badly for you guys who must be missing us, that we are going to share with you our very special secret.

We have submitted our photos to a calendar! It is a very special calendar, called Newfs Gone Bad, and every year they make up a calendar with pictures and limericks, and sell it for charity - all the profit goes to the Newf Health Challenge! All of you Newf-crazy folks should totally order four each! They are very cool, and make great gifts at Christmas time. Hint, hint. And if you're VERY lucky, then WE might be in it! We hope we make the cut.

Here are our submissions...tell us what you think?

Pooka's limerick reads:

"Look, I dug this fabulous hole!
To reach China was likely my goal.
But when Mom started yelling,
from inside the dwelling,
I placed all of the blame on a mole.

Love, Pooka"

Nanook's limerick reads:

"I hope you won't think I'm a slouch
You see, I'm not ALLOWED on this couch!
If I look really cozy
My mom won't be nosy,
She'll take a picture instead, I will vouch!

Love, Nanook"

"I raise my eyes to the sky
'Lord heal this pig' is what I cry
I played just a little too rough,
and the pig wasn't tough,
Now she's missing some legs and may die.

Love, Pooka"

Sorry!

2009-06-15T14:55:00.001-04:00

We are moving to a new house! And so we do not have access to the computer very much right now. We will try and get this move over with quickly though - see you all soon!

Presents!

2009-05-26T11:13:00.004-04:00

Look guys! We got a gift in the mail. Now, you may remember those two classes that Nanook visited a while ago, and then right afterwards Nanook got a package in the mail, that I totally tried to steal...well, we got another one, from the same class, and check it out, this time it had BOTH our names on the package, instead of just Nanook's! This is because, guys, I WENT TOO!

That's right! I had my very first Therapy Dog visit, with my big brother Nanook, my Mama, and my Papa who is my handler, and I did AWESOME. I was so super polite and gave kisses and only tried to escape like, three times. The Mama says that for me, that is nothing short of miraculous - especially since we had to walk through the entire school and the floor was the slippery kind which can be scary for a really big dog with bad hips like me, but I was VERY BRAVE and walked the whole way to the classroom and back on that floor, even down a scary slippery ramp!

I couldn't let Nanook make me look bad, after all.

And so we visited two whole classrooms which was cool because at first I was only supposed to visit one - my people didn't want to overwhelm me. But I was so relaxed and happy in the first classroom they figured I could maybe handle the second one, and I DID!

And now the first classroom has sent us a present in the mail, with my name on it too, and the Mama let me carry it back to the house because it was my very first actual present with my name on it. I AM AWESOME!

Do you guys see how excited I am and the way my tail is wagging?

The Mama said I had to share it with Nanook because he had shared HIS with me before. And because he had gone on the visit too. I said, "okay."

See? I am TOTALLY sharing. That is the present, between us, and I am NOT hogging it. (Yet.)

But you guys then he took it and started opening it! MY present! UNCOOL!

So I took it back. I was determined to open it myself, because it was my very first present from my very first Therapy Dog visit.

Um. Opening presents is hard. The Mama had to help me. But then check out what was inside! A whole bunch of notes, all addressed to either Nanook or me from our friends Chris, Lori Anne, Alex, Heidi, Frank, Jessica, Jake, Meghan, Ricky, Robert, and Jessica. They all wrote to say thank you for visiting, and to tell us that they loved us!

I am looking at the neat cat stickies on the letter from Robert...

A bunch of the letters were addressed to Nanook specifically. I let him have those. For now.

He thought Ricky's lay out particularly tasty...

and was surprised and pleased by Meghan's use of paw prints!

He really liked Chris, Lori Anne, Jessica and Alex's notes...

I confess, the notes that I got from Robert, Frank, Jessica, Jake, and Heidi made me just a little silly from happiness...I gave them LOTS of kisses...

Hah!

Then the Mama said, "guys there's something else in the envelope!" MORE??? They sent us even MORE presents?

And it was our FAVORITE present ever - pictures of us with our kids!

Nanook looks sad because he knows he won't see the kids again until NEXT fall...and he misses them already.

But I was too happy about my presents to be sad. I gave them kisses again, instead.

We love you guys too!

Lotsa Licks, Nanook and Pooka

It's Nonsense!

2009-05-25T14:04:00.002-04:00

Once again, you guys, Nanook gets to do all the cool stuff, and I have to stay home! Un. Fair.

On Monday, I had my very first Therapy Dog visit, with the kids at Middletown High School South. Hey kids from Middletown High School South! We miss you! Anyway, I was a perfect gentleman and I gave gentle kisses and I listened to my Papa and I did everything right!

And then what do you suppose happened? On Thursday all of a sudden the Mama and Nanook just LEFT ME! At home, all by myself! I heard the Mama tell Nanook that they were going to some place called Canada, and that he was going to see Bojie and Bojie's Mama Meg and MY very own brother Marcus, and his step-brother Max, and a billion other Newfs, but I was not invited! Nanook got to go and see MY brother Marcus, but I didn't! I call Shenanigans on the whole thing! Some reward for being such a good dog, I oh-so-very-much-don't-think!

It's enough to make a good dog growl.

And then what do you think? They swanned back in here on Sunday afternoon like they owned the place, when I had been guarding it ALL BY MYSELF, all weekend long. They smelled of Tim Horton's breakfast sandwiches and donuts. Nanook had had some kind of maple syrup cookie. Seriously you guys, I wanted to bite someone. And the Mama only SORT of made up for it by bringing me a new jumbo flossie.

Anyway, I'm sure Nanook is going to be all over this here blog with his "pictures" and his "stories" about HIS friends and what a good time THEY all had and with nary a thought for poor me, guarding the house alone and watching out for the Papa who they left here too. I mean they EVEN left the PAPA! I just wanted you to know what REALLY went on.

Those two are unbelievable.

OMG WE ARE TOTALLY FAMOUS!!

2009-05-14T12:59:00.005-04:00

Guys! GUYS!!!! Our portraits were featured on Charlotte Moss' website!

She's a very famous, very stylish, very modish New York City interior designer, and guys we're totally on her website! Us! She wrote, "I can't resist a good puppy portrait."

SHE WAS TOTALLY TALKING ABOUT US!!!

Auuuuuuugh so cool!

Nanook is in the News again!

2009-05-14T12:08:00.002-04:00

Nanook in the News!

My big brother ROCKS out. And guys, guess what??? I'm going on my first Therapy Dog visit next week! Holy cow, wish me luck!!! Of course my pictures will be mui mucho guapo because that's how I roll.

They got the Mama's last name wrong, but they spelled Nanook's name right so we count that as a win.

The Artist!

2009-05-12T16:20:00.002-04:00

We've had a couple of requests for the name and contact information of the artist that did the pastel portraits of us...here's her info!

Her name is Mary Connell Gaynor

Her website is: http://portraitartist.com/gaynor/

Her email is: MCG815@aol.com

Best,

Nanook and Pooka

Models

My God We Are Handsome

2009-05-04T15:55:00.001-04:00

And immortalized by Art!

It Almost Touches The Second Step!

2009-04-24T08:49:00.006-04:00

The other day, the Mama and I were hanging out in the kitchen while she worked on a blog post about that Africa place, and Pooka was up at the top of the stairs moofing because he wanted her to come up and turn on the tub faucet for him so he could get a drink.

Primadonna.

Anyway, the Mama ignored him for a bit because she wanted to finish her train of thought, and then she went to go help him out. I stayed in the kitchen because I know where the food is at, and it isn't upstairs.

A few seconds later, she tiptoed back into the kitchen, tiptoed back OUT of the kitchen with her camera, and tiptoed into the stair hall. I heard her giggling.

These are the photographs she took. Pooka had evidently gotten tired of waiting for her, and then just tired in general, and finally he passed out cold and let it all hang out.

His tongue is a Force of Nature, ladies and gentlemen.

We're Back!

2009-04-16T19:18:00.004-04:00

Although it is more accurate to say that the Mama and the Papa are back, and therefore able to type for us.

We have been here in NJ the whole time! Bet you were nervous, right? Don't worry! We're still your Celebrity Newfs...

Speaking of celebrities, check out the painting of Pooka! A friend did it for a project our people are involved in, and we think it is AWESOME.

So here's what happened - our people left us again. FOR TWO WEEKS!!! That's just not cool. And they said they went to someplace really far away across the ocean by the beach that we swim in, called Africa, but we think they just went to the beach without us. We're pretty sure they're lying about this Africa place, because they said they saw a cat bigger than Pooka!!! That has got to be a lie.

Either way, two weeks without the Mama and the Papa is uncool. Our pet sitter is really nice, but still. We're Newfs, for pete's sake. We are well known for our firm bond and loyalty to our families!

Anyway, they came home yesterday early morning, and Pooka did his tea-kettle impression with the whining and the hopping and the desperate cleaning of ears and necks, and I did my best impression of a fuzzy shag rug that just wants to get rubbings, and it took like 30 minutes for them to get actually INSIDE the front door. That's what they get, for going to the beach without us!

I'm not taking any chances with the Mama now. I slept in bed with her last night, and I followed her into the bathroom when she showered, and I even held my poops ALL MORNING until she took me for a walk, because she let me out to go potty and then she went back inside this morning and I peed REALLY quick and then came running back into the house to make sure she wasn't leaving again. Pooping can take TOO LONG, in my opinion. Anything could happen to her then!

Pooka is way mellower than I am when it comes to that sort of thing. Frankly I don't even think he noticed they were gone. As long as someone is telling him he's a handsome boy he doesn't care what's happening around him.

Doofus.

Today the Mama opened her suitcase and took out lots of things for us to sniff. Elephant hair bracelets and her hiking shoes, which were covered in exotic dusts and smells! Some shirts she hadn't laundered yet that smelled of wild sage and hot red soil...So we're thinking maybe she went to a different beach than the one we usually go to...because really - a cat bigger than POOKA? How dumb do they think we are??

Pooka got really excited about the elephant hair bracelet, and tried to eat it. The Mama said no, because it is a gift. Pooka was depressed, but he got over it when she let him smell her hiking boots.

That's what's been going on here, lately. We'll be back in full swing before you know it!

Lotsa Licks,

Nanook and Pooka

Going Radio Silent

2009-03-30T16:20:00.003-04:00

We'll be out of touch for a few weeks y'all...but this is just to say...

I'm still watching you...

Bojie Visited!

2009-03-27T20:30:00.002-04:00

Pictures!!!

This is my happy face.

Yay Bojie!

Pooka's on the left here, Bojie in the middle, and me, (Nanook), on the right!

Bojie LOOOOVES to wrestle. He's kinda crazy that way. I enjoy it too but after a while I get annoyed...

When Pooka was younger, Bojie was still intact and he didn't like Pooka very much because Pooka was too. Pooka has never forgotten Bojie yelling at him, so whenever Bojie comes over, Pooka goes and gets a toy and then asks the humans to play with him instead of trying to play with Bojie and I.

Pooka - Newf of Unusual Size

2009-03-23T17:22:00.002-04:00

The ladies at Cosmopawlitan's new grooming salon forwarded these photos to us of Pooka's last grooming session.

He made a new friend! For some reason the ladies there thought it was funny, but WE don't see why. It's not the Pekinese's fault he's so tiny and maybe it's mean to laugh at him for being so stunted?

Don't worry little dude, I am sure you've got a Big Dog heart...

Here, hang out behind me. If they come at us with the blow-dryer again, I'll hold 'em off and you can make your get-away...

Nanook - Crusader

2009-03-23T13:14:00.002-04:00

For Clean Ocean Action.

Nanook, the new(f) Face of Beach Sweeps!

Please leave only pawprints! Take your trash with you when you leave the beach!

PSA - I Am Your Puppy

2009-03-18T12:19:00.003-04:00

We get a lot of emails asking us for advice with new puppies - a lot of the time because we are so very big it can be hard for folks to remember that we are still babies! We found this great letter from your puppy to you, written by Southern Shadows Rottweilers, so we're copying it here. We hope it helps folks when they are very frustrated by yet another puddle on the floor...

I AM YOUR PUPPY

I am your Puppy, and I will love you until the end of the Earth, but
please know a few things about me.

I am a Puppy, this means that my intelligence and capacity for learning
are the same as an 8-month-old child. I am a Puppy; I will chew
EVERYTHING I can get my teeth on. This is how I explore and learn about
the world. Even HUMAN children put things in their mouths. It's up to
you to guide me to what is mine to chew and what is not.

I am a Puppy; I cannot hold my bladder for longer than 1 - 2 hours. I
cannot "feel" that I need to poop until it is actually beginning to
come out. I cannot vocalize nor tell you that I need to go, and I cannot
have "bladder and bowel control" until 6 - 9 months. Do not punish me if
you have not let me out for 3 hours and I tinkle. It is your fault. As a
Puppy, it is wise to remember that I NEED to go potty after: Eating,
Sleeping, playing, Drinking and around every 2 - 3 hours in addition. If
you want me to sleep through the night, then do not give me water after
7 or 8 p.m. A crate will help me learn to housebreak easier, and will avoid you being mad at me.

I am a Puppy, accidents WILL happen, please be patient with me! In time I will learn.

I am a Puppy, I like to play. I will run around, and chase imaginary
monsters, and chase your feet and your toes and 'attack' you, and chase
fuzzballs, other pets, and small kids. It is play; it's what I do. Do
not be mad at me or expect me to be sedate, mellow and sleep all day.

If my high energy level is too much for you, maybe you could consider
an older rescue from a shelter or Rescue group. My play is beneficial,
use your wisdom to guide me in my play with appropriate toys, and
activities like chasing a rolling ball, or gentle tug games, or plenty
of chew toys for me. If I nip you too hard, talk to me in "dog talk", by
giving a loud YELP, I will usually get the message, as this is how dogs
communicate with one another. If I get too rough, simply ignore me for a
few moments, or put me in my crate with an appropriate chew toy.

I am a Puppy; hopefully you would not yell, hit, strike, kick or beat a
6-month-old human infant, so please do not do the same to me. I am
delicate, and also very impressionable. If you treat me harshly now, I
will grow up learning to fear being hit, spanked, kicked or beat.
Instead, please guide me with encouragement and wisdom. For instance,
if I am chewing something wrong, say, "No chew!" and hand me a toy I
CAN chew. Better yet, pick up ANYTHING that you do not want me to get
into. I can't tell the difference between your old sock and your new
sock, or an old sneaker and your $200 Nikes.

I am a Puppy, and I am a creature with feelings and drives much like
your own, but yet also very different. Although I am NOT a human in a
dog suit, neither am I an unfeeling robot who can instantly obey your
every whim. I truly DO want to please you, and be a part of your
family, and your life. You got me (I hope) because you want a loving
partner and companion, so do not relegate me to the backyard when I get
bigger, do not judge me harshly but instead mold me with gentleness and
guidelines and training into the kind of family member you want me to
be.

I am a Puppy and I am not perfect, and I know you are not perfect
either. I love you anyway. So please, learn all you can about
training, and puppy behaviors and caring for me from your veterinarian,
books on dog care and even researching on the computer! Learn about my
particular breed and it's "characteristics", it will give you
understanding and insight into WHY I do all the things I do. Please
teach me with love, patience, the right way to behave and socialize me
with training in a puppy class or obedience class, we will BOTH have a
lot of fun together.

I am a Puppy and I want more than anything to love you, to be with you,
and to please you. Won't you please take time to understand how I work?
We are the same you and I, in that we both feel hunger, pain, thirst,
discomfort, fear, but yet we are also very different and must work to
understand one anther's language, body signals, wants and needs. Some
day I will be a handsome dog, hopefully one you can be proud of and one
that you will love as much as I love you.

Love,
Your Puppy

May be posted, reposted, cross-posted and used with permission as long
as credit is given.
Copyright 2000, by J. Ellis - Southern Shadows Rottweilers

Public Service Announcement - Oral Hygiene!

2009-03-17T11:10:00.002-04:00

Nanook here, to remind all you dogs that it isn't enough to just chew on marrow bones and turkey necks. It's not enough to have your humans brush your teeth once a week, or even once a day.

For the health of your gums and your smile, it's really important that you guys also remember to FLOSS YOUR TEETH!

Make sure you are thorough, and get between all your teeth...

You might need a hand getting some of the tough to reach spots.

Make sure you get the teeth at the back!

Birthday Toy & Snow Pictures

2009-03-16T12:29:00.004-04:00

(A note - Nanook is wearing Muttluks because he gets painful iceballs that build up in between his toes and pads, and then he has to stop playing to chew on them. With the Muttluks on, he doesn't have that problem. Pooka, for whatever reason, does not appear to be bothered by the iceballs, although he gets them too. *shrug* Go figure.)

Nanook's Birthday - Beach Pictures!

2009-03-16T11:53:00.005-04:00

Starting at the end! It's a novel concept - The Mama here, to report on the last chapter of Nanook's birthday. There were two very tired Newfs when we finished Nanook's birthday celebrations and headed home...you've already seen the ice cream pictures, which immediately preceded this shot - now let's take a look at the earlier portion of the day...when two newfs visited the beach and discovered a truly amazing thing.

Snow!

Incidentally, Pooka has some mad skills. These include flinging floogers amazing distances, and also, stopping on a dime.

Literally.

(There was a very interesting smell and he realized it while traveling at high speeds. A full stop was required to investigate the smell thoroughly.)

It was then that something very humiliating happened to the birthday boy. Pooka ran toward the ocean, through a little valley caused by the beach clubs pushing up a large berm of sand in front of the club buildings to protect them from storms. Nanook attempted to follow.

And got totally bogged down in snow deeper than he was tall. He went galloping into it, and came crashing to a stop.

Heroic leaping ensued, as he attempted to get free of the depths and reach the ocean and his brother, who was no doubt enjoying himself without Nanook.

Then he paused at the top and looked regal and tried to convince everyone who was watching that nothing as embarrassing as a Newf getting stuck in snow had just happened.

Meanwhile

I thought the waves looked a little big for swimming...

The Newfs disagreed

Although Nanook had a FEW reservations. Mostly I think he wanted to make sure that I didn't try and go swimming.

They did do a little light exploration - sniffing, mostly, and getting sand stuck to their floogers.

Pooka looking especially bear-like:

A birthday tushin!

Waves? What waves?

The face of a very happy birthday boy

This is Nanook's Hasselhoff pose:

Pooka's paw print, next to my boot print.

Serenity!

We Interrupt...

2009-03-10T22:17:00.002-04:00

Our regularly scheduled programming to bring you this special video report.

Bears feel the funk.

p.s. Pooka is now attempting this at home, but the truth is, boy's got NO rhythm.

Nanook's Birthday - Ice Cream Shop

2009-03-09T21:16:00.006-04:00

On Nanook's birthday, we went to the beach! Then we went home and took a HUGE nap. This is because The Mama thinks its important that we not eat just before or after exercise. Anyway, big nap, then The Mama put us in the car. But first, she put BIBS on us. This is usually a sign that something FANTASTIC is about to happen.

She thinks by the way, that in that picture above, Nanook looks like a stuffy old man on his way to a lobsterfest, and he's afraid that they're going to run out of clarified butter before he gets there. He's ADORABLE! But I'm only saying that because I'm his brother and it was his birthday.

(But also, he's pretty adorable.)

Ever since Nanook was a baby and The Mama first took him to the ice cream parlor, he has sat himself down on the bench to wait for his ice cream. When he was a puppy, this wasn't a problem, but now that he is fully grown his tush doesn't fit on the bench any more but he still sits up there and so slowly he slides off and then has to get back up again. It is very funny to watch.

Because I'm a sensible dog, I kept MY tush firmly on the ground.

You may notice that in the photograph above, I am looking one way, while Nanook looks the other. This is because Nanook is a very focused dog, and I enjoy checking out the scenery. Nanook, on the other hand, knows EXACTLY where the ice cream comes from, and he's watching our Papa buy it.

He never took his eyeballs off of him. Also I'd just like to point out a little size discrepancy. Do you see how our heads are very nearly level? And yet...I am seated, (as previously mentioned), on the ground, and Nanook is on the bench. I am FREAKIN' HUGE!

And now, some photographs of Nanook and his birthday ice cream.

Because he is a very nice big brother, Nookins also shared with me.

I...um. I made a mess on myself.

I HATE when my muzzie is mucky! Moooooooom! I need a towel!

Next we're gonna post pictures of the beach! Stay tuned...

Cosmopawlitan - PARTY!

2009-03-08T11:25:00.001-04:00

Hey guys! We're making an appearance today at Cosmopawlitan in Middletown, NJ - our friends there are having a grand Re-Opening to celebrate the expansion of their store, and the addition of a grooming salon. We get groomed there! They LOVE us.

The party is from 11 to 5 if anyone in the Red Bank/Middletown/Hazlet/Little Silver etc area is looking for some neat dog stuff! They've got the best treats around. Trust us, we know.

It's Cosmopawlitan

1046 Route 35 South

South Middletown, NJ

732.275.1905

Come on down and help them celebrate! We hear the groomers are doing demos!

Lotsa Licks,

Nanook and Pooka

Happy Third Birthday, Nanook!

2009-03-06T09:08:00.001-05:00

I can't believe you're three years old already!!! *crying*

Love you, baby bear!

~The Mama

Snow Day!

2009-03-04T12:16:00.003-05:00

Dudes, you cannot IMAGINE how awesome it was for us to get 10" of snow! TEN WHOLE INCHES JUST FOR US! This is my happy face. I am sharing the moment with the Mama and her camera. Mama CHECK IT OUT! SNOW! Let's go walkies.

We went for a stroll around the yard.

Everything is better in the snow. Especially exploring. We love to poke around in the bushes and sniffing the sniffs under the snow, and checking around corners and under hedges!

And now...ACTION SHOTS!

The Mama is seriously bummed that the below is out of focus, because it is an amazing picture. She says it makes me look like Zorak from Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Apparently he's some kind of bug.

Gravity is a really amazing thing. I can make Pooka's face go from this:

To this!

Seriously, he looks like a totally different dog. A mushy dog.

Below you will see why folks call us Goofy Newfies.

Pooka's Birthday Pictures

2009-03-03T21:02:00.002-05:00

It's really tough, being a dog. You know?

So, it was Pooka's birthday on the first of March, and after our weekend house guest left, the Mama and the Papa piled us into the car and we drove to our favorite doggie store, Cosmopawlitan, to pick out birthday presents.

Pooka selected a small dog stuffie that sings all kinds of songs, a Flat Piggy, a pig ear, a bully stick, and a mega flossie.

MY birthday is on the sixth, so I picked out a pig ear, a bully stick, a mega flossie, a fuzzy Monkey Bone, and a Jolly-Ball-Onna-Rope.

Pooka suddenly realized, below, that he was opening MY present! That's right, pal, I'm WATCHING you!

"Sorry, big brother..."

"It's cool, Pook. I'm really more into the treats at the moment, anyway..."

"The nose knows - and there's a PIG EAR in this package!"

"Monkey Bone and Mega Flossie. Nom nom nom!"

A friend of ours referred to the above photo as "a pig in...muck." It's true, too. Look how happy his eyeballs are!

But the BEST present came that night!

"HOLY COW! IT SNOWED!"

Pooka Turned Two!

2009-03-02T16:46:00.002-05:00

His birthday was yesterday! Happy Birthday Pooka Pook!

There will be pictures added ASAP, and later, a story about Nanook learning a new skill!

Beach Photos! Continued!

2009-02-19T14:02:00.001-05:00

Beach Photos!

2009-02-18T15:14:00.002-05:00

Another Therapy Classroom Visit - Photos!

2009-01-28T10:24:00.002-05:00

Some more pictures of me, Nanook, doing what I really dig doing! Visiting another class and giving kisses and doing tricks and hopefully making people smile!

Incidentally this is the class that sent me the present in the mail...

You want a paw?? You can't HANDLE the paw!!! Oh. Maybe you can...

Little to the left...little to the left...SCRATCH RIGHT THERE!

And you, I will smooch! LOTS OF SMOOCHIN!

Hey. Bring your face just a liiiiiiiittle closer...a little closer...closer...SMOOCH!

I know the kids look happy - but I look pretty happy too! Mama, this boy is really good at giving shoulder rubs...

AHAH! Success! This one boy was really, really happy to see me, and I totally made him smile!

Two! TWO boys I made smile!

THREE! I'm totally on a roll. Maybe a sesame roll. Or a sourdough roll. Mmmm...sourdough...

Lastly, one of the kids asked if I, Nanook, gave hugs. The Mama said..."well, he DOES...but it's probably not what you guys think of when you think of hugs. Because he's so big I've never asked him to stand up on his hind legs and wrap his paws around me. He'd knock me right over. Instead..." And then she asked me for a hug and I gave her one.

Hah!

Classroom Therapy Visit - Photos

2009-01-26T12:55:00.002-05:00

Here are some pictures from one of the classrooms I visited with The Mama in the past month! There are a few things I'd like you guys to pay attention to while viewing them.

1. I am ALWAYS on leash. That's important!
2. I am ALWAYS awesome. That's even more important.
3. Watch the faces of the kids with me. It makes The Mama's eyeballs leak.

The Mama says I am a huge ham and love to face the camera for photos - see me looking for it above? Paparazzi! I love 'em!

This little girl knew what was up! She got up from her chair, took off her glasses, and handed them to her teacher. The teacher asked her why and she said, "I don't want them to get wet from kisses!" She must have met a newf before.

Sure enough. She was very funny too, as soon as I started licking her she burst out laughing, and didn't stop for like, ten whole minutes. And since I loved to hear her laugh, I just KEPT. ON. KISSING!

This boy wasn't so interested in kisses, but that was okay because he was really good at petting.

The Mama says this young man looks just like Nathan Fillion from Firefly and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. He and I had a really good talk about stuff.

And what's a good chat without kisses?

(Mama's Note: He's a pathological pucker-upper. We're working on a No Kiss command but it's uphill work, believe me.)

This boy has a dog of his own that he REALLY loves, and at first he didn't want to come say hi because he was afraid it would be disloyal to his dog. But after his friend took him by the hand and led him to me, he agreed to give me some pets.

I was a very goofy newfy for him.

Upside-down Superman!

And also...Kisses.

What did The Mama expect when she put on my "I Can't Hold My Licker" bib??? I mean, honestly.

Then it was his friend's turn.

I smooched her too. I think she enjoyed it more than the boy did.

It was very nice to meet so many lovely kids, and make so many new friends, and lick so many new cheeks!

And since I'd smooched ALMOST all the kids in the class, the class demanded that I ALSO smooch their teacher.

So guess what I did?

CORRECT! I smooched her too!

Thanks for having me, guys and girls! Hope to see you all again soon.

Lotsa Licks,

Nanook

Gifts!

2009-01-26T10:47:00.002-05:00

I know you guys all remember how busy I've been lately visiting schools and things! I've got a bunch of pictures of those visits that the teachers took that I can post later, but first, check it out! I got a present from one of the classes!

When we went to go get the hay out of the garage to feed the sheepies this morning, the Mama peeked into the mail bin and she saw this envelope and thought, "that looks interesting" and so she took it out and sure enough it was addressed to me! Nanook! And she said, "well, Nanook...carry it back to the house. I have to bring the hay." So I did.

It took forever for her to feed the sheep and give them water and I was super impatient by the time she was finished and we all went into the house for breakfast.

Pee Ess why do the sheepies get to eat first, anyway??? I am clearly way more hungry. Besides, I have a package to open!!!

Can we open it now, please?

Look! It says my name and everything! And it's shaped like a bone! It also said Pooka's name in the corner. I think the kids just didn't want Pooka to feel left out. But MY name is biggest!

Each of the kids in the class wrote me a special message. They all said thank you for visiting, which was very nice of them but totally unnecessary because it was my pleasure. They also paid me many compliments. They said they liked my bib, and my kisses, and the way I rolled over and did tricks. Some of them said they especially liked when I gave them my paw or caught my meatballs in the air. Andrew, that was my favorite part too. Mmmmmm...meatballs.

I am reading each and every message here. The Mama had to help me move the pages because my paws are kind of heavy and awkward for that sort of work.

Then Pooka stole it! He totally did! He was all jealous because I got a present in the mail and he stole it and started reading it too. Maybe because his name was on the front he thought it was supposed to be for both of us. Because I am a very polite big brother, I did not yell at him for stealing my present. I shared. I am sure when he starts going on therapy visits and he gets presents in the mail, he will share with me too.

Besides, he looks kind of pitiful.

And he loved it so much he gave it kisses.

Thank you very much, Class! We loved our present, and can't wait to see you all again!!!

Lotsa Licks,

Nanook (and Pooka)

This Newf Reviews: Dog Tornado!

2009-01-23T08:49:00.003-05:00

There's no place like home...there's no place like home...there's no place like home...

Pooka wants to know if he may now eat the ruby slippers?

Hah! Okay. So we know this newf who got a Newf Tornado and it looked AWESOME. It totally inspired awe all over this household and so the Mama announced that we were going to get one and we were really, really excited.

And then we had to wait for like, FOREVER, for it to show up because it was back-ordered or something and that was terrible. But it finally came, and Pooka tried to carry the box from the mailbox to the house only it was really heavy and awkward and he failed. But it was a really good effort, anyway.

The Mama brought the box into the house, opened it, opened the Tornado, put kibble all in it, and closed it up again, and then put it on the floor. It was my turn first. Pooka was still outside being all male up and down the fenceline so I got to give it a go. I had that thing figured out in three seconds and emptied out in five. That is because I am AWESOME. All you have to do, right, is either smack it with your paw or nudge it with your nose and the parts all slide around and you can get a nose into the cavities to hoover the kibble. Easy-peasy!

Um. It took Pooka a bit longer.

"I love this toy!"

"Um. I AM supposed to carry it around, right?"

"Am I doing this wrong?"

I had to go over and explain to him how the thing worked. Then he got it.

"oooo! Cookies!"

Hah!

So anyway, here is our latest edition of....

THIS NEWF REVIEWS: THE DOG TORNADO!

Created by revolutionary Swedish dog toy inventor Nina Ottosson, the Dog Tornado is composed of four layers - three of which have four cavities each in which to conceal cookies. The fourth layer is the uppermost, and covers the cavities in the top layer. All of the pieces rotate around a central swivel, revealing and concealing the cookies as they move. The dog has to figure out how to push the layers around to expose all the cookies to the nose/tongue. Like I said, it's not hard. Unless you're Pooka.

Company Standards: Evidently the creator is a long-time dog-owner and fancier and she developed the toys to keep her dogs busy when she became a full-time mother and no longer had the same amount of time to devote to training.

She talks a lot about "activating" her dogs, which kind of freaks us out. Are they robot dogs with retractable plugs and scary voices that go "exterminate...exterminate"??? And if so, why the heck would she want to activate them "in a simple, fun and varying manner indoors"??? How many different ways are there to activate a robot dog?! And holy cow she talks about the fact that the toys she invented are dog activation toys! She could be some kind of evil genius in a volcanic crater lair who is sending out her wicked dog toys to activate dogs across the world to do her bidding! OH MY GOD SHE MAY HAVE ACTIVATED POOKA REMOTELY!!!

We better keep a close eye on him.

Size and Portability: We think this toy is a *little* on the small side for us newfs. Can we play with it? Absolutely. But as you can see it is easy for Pooka to pick it up and heave it around, which is less than ideal for the purpose of the toy since some of the cookies fall out when he starts lugging it around. For smaller dogs than us, (ie: practically everyone), we think it would be just perfect though!

Drool-o-Meter Rating*: I give the Dog Tornado a Two-Slinger. There are cookies involved, and better yet, it forces my brain to function! (It would have gotten a Simultaneous-Ropes-To-The-Floor if I weren't so concerned that Pooka is going to go on some kind of Swedish-Planned Murdering Spree post his "activation.")

*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.

Kloofbear's Mischievous Spirit, CGC...

2009-01-19T09:44:00.002-05:00

AND BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL THERAPY DOG!!! I TOTALLY PASSED!!!! Thanks everyone for your well-wishes and good thoughts and sending of beneficial energies my way. It helped. I rocked the socks off the judges.

Lotsa Licks,

Pooka

Busy Busy...

2009-01-14T08:42:00.003-05:00

We're really sorry that we've been so quiet lately guys. The truth is Nanook has been hard at work for the Middletown School System - once they got a taste of Newf there was no turning back! In one recent classroom, he was almost a celebrity - they'd read our blog and seen our videos and they were super-excited to meet him.

But hah! They told the Mama they'd been secretly hoping that I, Pooka, would be coming too! Hahahahahaha! Nanook thinks he's so stinking special/Mother Theresa and it turns out the kids were secretly hoping for ME! The Casanewfa!

Well kids, it's possible that soon I too may be able to visit you, because...(this is a huge surprise okay?)...I AM TESTING FOR MY THERAPY DOG CERTIFICATION THIS WEEKEND!!!!

Holy cow I know right???

So everyone please cross your paws and wiggle your eyebrows for luck and think about me at 1 p.m. eastern time on Sunday. Please think also about my Papa and wish him luck, because he is handling me! (Pffff..."handling me"...I'll be "newfing him" instead).

Nanook and Pooka

OUR BABY IS HERE!

A Quick Update

A Month Later...

A Wordless Post

Still Growing...

Treat Ball - The Movie

Happy Birthday Nanook and Pooka!

Toy Hide and Go Seek on a Rainy Day...

Um. Unfair, much?

*sigh* Maybe Next Time?

What Can We Say?

Merry Christmas! Happy Howlidays...

Word on the Street Is -

Social Activism - Justice for Rosie

NewfStock Day Two: Main Event

NewfStock, Day One

O, Canada...

Just a Few More Days...

Are You Ready?

Yet Another Fabulous Photo Post!

HART/Newf Friends Rescue Parade

Photographic Friday

Nanook Ice, and Other Stories

NewfStock!!!

Holy Poop, People are Morons

Neurologist.

How You Like Me Now

Man Are We a Drag...

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Transport Help Needed

6 year old Newf needing a Forever Home!

Happiness is a Human Home

3 Years Old

Weight Loss Update!

Snowstorms and Newfs Go Together Like PB&J

Work Out Video # 3

Nanook - Dog on Fire

Update on the Nook

New Years Resolution

Whoa Whoa...Newfie Be Good!

Gratuitous Bitey Face!

Happy Holidays!

Gifts!

We're Okay!

Nike. How Could You?

Cancer? I hardly KNOW her!

Pooka's Famous!

Update on the Pook

Pooka's Behind Takes Center Stage. Again.

Hiatus.

Did You Miss Us?

...woo woo woo...

Videos...

To the Manner (Manor?) Born

Still Not Dead!

Sorry!

Presents!

It's Nonsense!

OMG WE ARE TOTALLY FAMOUS!!

Nanook is in the News again!

The Artist!

My God We Are Handsome

It Almost Touches The Second Step!

We're Back!

Going Radio Silent

Bojie Visited!

Pooka - Newf of Unusual Size

Nanook - Crusader

PSA - I Am Your Puppy

Public Service Announcement - Oral Hygiene!

Birthday Toy & Snow Pictures

Nanook's Birthday - Beach Pictures!

We Interrupt...

Nanook's Birthday - Ice Cream Shop

Cosmopawlitan - PARTY!

Happy Third Birthday, Nanook!

Snow Day!

Pooka's Birthday Pictures

Pooka Turned Two!

sigh Maybe Next Time?