Christmas Parade! We're going to see the Newfoundlands!

My favorite Christmas Parade.   The St Augustine Christmas Parade is this coming weekend, always on the first Saturday of December in St Augustine Florida.   The parade is one of Florida's largest and always includes the Newfoundland Club of Florida Dog Club Newfies!   The best part of the parade by far.  What an awsome sight to see up to 50 Newfoundlands walking, riding and pulling carts, many decorated with Holiday cheer!  Many years I am out of town on this weekend, and am so glad that this year I will be able to view the parade.   I hope to meet some of the Newfs afterwards.   Just seeing them walk by doesn't do it, they go way to fast, you need time to take in all these beautiful creatures!  
 I have yet to walk in the parade with my Newfs.   I did promise to get home in time to take the boys to one of our local parades.  They have a lot of fun visiting and getting the doggie treats thrown to them from the Hooter's Girls float!   I hope to get some parade photos to post on here later this weekend.  Let's hope the rain coming through Florida will hold out, it is supposed to be very cool weather, great for the dogs!

Newfoundland Dog New Postage Stamp Designs added

Having fun with my new designs. I always make special stamps for the holidays!



make custom gifts at Zazzle

Newfoundland Dog Postage Stamps & Gifts

make custom gifts at Zazzle

Forgiven Newf

Okay, so Yogi the Newf was in big trouble for eating a plate of raw hamburgers ready for grilling and some rice cakes all in a day or two!   He laid low for a couple of days after getting his feelings hurt from his scolding.  Poor guy.   He always apologizeds though, in his own special way.   He fnally crawled up in to bed with his daddy yesterday morning and cuddled up, then went sound asleep.   He is such a big gentle guy, so hard to get mad at.   Now the household is back to normal Newfie happiness.  We were both getting way to easy on him for little food thieveries he was conducting.   Like stealing your apple core off the end table when you left the room....

We made chocolate deserts this evening, and they were so good waiting patiently on the kitchen floor for something to eat.  These were not the doggy kind of treats and none were for them.   Luckily their Godparents came by with a bag of treats, some for tonight and some for the next few days.  They were so happy to have visitors, and their favorite people at that! 

We had a nice dog walk this afternoon.  They got to visit with the neighbor lady and smell all the good dog and cat smells around the neighborhhood.   Now both News are zonked out for the night having sweet doggy dreams!

Newfoundland Dog Gifts

FOR FUN NEWFOUNDLAND DOG SHIRTS, CLOTHING AND GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFTS VISIT MY STORE!

Trouble in Newfieland

It seems that our youngest Newfie, who is almost 3 years old has gone back to some very bad habits that he arrived at our house with.   He was a counter shopper....food his number one priority in life.  After becoming a part of our household at 13 months, he quickly ended his food shopping, which also include hair brushes, toilet paper, paper towels and any gadgets left on counters.  Now, he was not a chewer, and did not distroy items, but he loves his food and was out of control with helping himself to anything edible.   Quickly, I mean within days of arriving he improved vastly, where you could actually leave the room with food out and he would only stare at it.   Now, he has gone back to his earlier ways.   Yesterday after perfectly preparing burgers for the grill, I stepped out the back door to check the coals.   Only moments later, I remember that Yogi was alone in the kitchen!   Through the back door I went, just in time to find him cleaning the crumbs of raw burger from the plate on the counter!   Yes, he consumed 5 raw hamburgers in only seconds!  Today I come home to find that he has eaten the last two rice cakes from the bag which was on the counter!   He is in big trouble in our household!   It doesn't help that his eye level is above counter level, so he sees everything!   He is otherwise the sweetest, most laid back Newfie I have ever met.   Back to page one we are going with the counter shopping, wish us well!   He is now laying in the corner by himself, feelings hurt, trying to keep a low profile.  This has never been a problem with our oldest Newfie, he will not touch a plate of burgers, even on the coffee table.  Now he will as much as almost touch them with his nose, but will not take!  I'll keep you posted on our progress! 

Boatswain, Newfoundland of Lord Byron, 19th Century

The following poem was writtin by the nineteenth-century English romantic poet, George Gordon, Lord Byron after the death of his beloved Newfoundland BOATSWAIN who was his constant companion and had been by his side since he was a young boy.  Upon the death of his Newf, Lord Byron vowed to one day be buried by his side upon his own death, which unfortunately did not happen...

The headstone read,

Epitaph to a Dog

Near this spot 

are deposited the remains

of one who posessed beauty

without vanity,

strength without insolence,

courage without ferocity,

and all the virtues of man

without his vices.

This praise, which would be

unmeaning flattery

if inscribed over human ashes,

is but a just tribute to the 

memory of Boatswain,

a dog who was born

at Newfoundland

May, 1803

and died at Newstead Abbey

Nov 18, 1808

When some proud son of man returns to earth,

Unknown to glory, but upheld by birth,

The sculptor's art exhausts the pomp of woe,

And storied urns record who rests below;

When all is done, upon the tomb is seen,

Not what he was, but what he should have been,

But the poor dog, in life the firmest friend,

The first to welcome, foremost to defend,

whose honest heart is still his master's won,

who labours, fights, lives, breathes for him alone,

Unhonour'd falls,unnoticed all his worth,

Denied in heaven the soul he held on earth:

While man, vain insect! hopes to be forgiven

And claims himself a sole exclusive heaven.

Oh man! thou feeble tenant of an hour,

Debased by slavery, or corrupt by power,

Who knows thee well must quit thee with disgust,

Degraded mass of animated dust!

Thy love is lust, thy friendship all a cheat

Thy smiles hypocrisy, thy words deceit!

By nature vile, ennobled but by name,

Each kindred brute might bid thee blush for shame,

Ye! who perchance behold this simple urn,

Pass on - it honours none you wish to mourn.

To mark a friend's remains these stories arise;

I never knew but one - and there he lies.

                                                                               
                                                                                               - Lord Byron

Doggy Days Festival

Today the Newfie boys got to go the the Doggy Days Festival!   It was a little warmer than we would have liked, but it didn't seem to matter to Moose and Yogi.  They were very excited to visit with other dogs and take in all of those doggy smells!   The festival was very nice and was a big hit.   There were a lot of booths set up, some with rescue dog information, low cost pet shots, obedience classes, therapy and service dog information and training groups.  We got coupons for a Doggy Wash place that both grooms dogs and has a self wash area too!   We are wanting to try out the self serve wash.   They do have accomadations for big dogs like Newfoundlands.   They have some walk in tubs for the giant breeds and big dogs so that they will not have to be lifted.  Also available are grooming tables for big dogs.  Of course there were the usual booths with dog supplies such as collars, leashes, personalized tags and clothing.  Our Newfies got to meet a lot of nice dogs of all breeds.   They got dog treats from one vendor and Yogi used no manners at all!  All of his bad food habits come back to him when we have him out tin public.  We really need to work on that.  He is so good at home and will wait for ever for the okay signal, but he looses all consiouness about manners when a stranger offers him a treat.  Their favorite of course was George the Great Pyrenees.  He is pictured above with Moose.  George was very sweet and gentle and it was fun to see the two breeds side by side. 

Yogi stopping for a water break from the spicket.

A Visit to the Dog Park

Finally we have some cool weather here in Florida.  Moose knows what this means.  Instead of his morning outing in the yard and then off to find a quiet place to sleep off the day, he follows us everywhere and gives us the stare down until we give in and take him somewhere.  Yogi hasn''t figured out this cool weather thing should mean we get more daytime outings, but I'm sure he will catch on sooner or later.  Today we went to a dog park in a semi-rural area.   It was the middle of the day and we were the only visitors at the park.  The boys do not care, they are so happy to run around and sniff all the scents from the previous dogs.  A good time was had by all.  The temperatures remained in the 50s all day, it was great!  Boy was Moose a happy dog.  When we got back to the house he lay down for his nap, but the look of happiness and thankfulness  glowed from his face.  Moose is a Newfie of many expressions, and you can read him like a book.  Here is a photo of Moose pouncing through the park, slime a flying from the mouth, he almost looks vicious!

The weather should stay nice throughout the weekend.  There is a "Dogy Daze"' festival going on this weekend and we promised them we would go as long as it is not hot.  They are both looking forward to it!

Below is Yogi just hanging out enjoying the smells!

Halloween Walk

The boys favorite place for evening walks is a nice little street that runs right off of the beach.  There are lots of shops and pubs, a nice sea breeze and we all get to met some very friendly and interesting people who visit the town from all over the world.  The local community doesn't need much of an excuse to host a festival, art walk, parade or any themed event.   There is always something going on and it is a great place to visit.  For Halloween the pubs were hosting a pub crawl an many costumed characters were walking the streets.  Being still so hot here in Florida we don't dress the Newfs in clothing, but we did manage to find some halloween garland for them to wear in celebration of the event.   We walked the area and spent some time hanging out on the benches watching the costumes and of course the Newfies got plenty of the attention that they love!  It is amazing that no matter how scary the costume, the dogs were not effected and all ghosts and goblins were their friends.   We probably spent a couple of hours out for halloween, a good time was had by all!

Water Bowls

Why is it that every once in a while I decide to walk around the house in bare feet?   I know better than to do that!   Even if the coast looks clear, I seem to step in a wet spot somewhere!   When it comes to Newfies, no matter what you try with the water bowl situation, the is no dry solution!  If anyone out there has anything that works, please let me know!  I have tried keeping towels under the bowl, they were constantly soaked and it was quickly quite disgusting.  I bought a mat that was supposedly made to hold water in the grooves, it was also quickly disgusting.  I have talked to other Newf owners who say the only thing they use is "the porcelain bowl", fortunately neither of my boys even try to drink from the porcelain bowl.  One Newf was messy enough, then along came Yogi, who didn't know how to drink from a bowl!!   Evidently he spent most of his first year drinking from a lix-it type water dispenser.   We just laughed watching him bite at the water in the bowl.   He is now better, but still to this day he always tips the bowl sideways and steadies it with his foot so that he can make little bites at the water.   Needles to say I only put about 3 inches of water at a time in their bowls, they definatley are picky and do not like dirty, slimmy water.   As soon as it is slobbered up I pretty much dump it and fix fresh.   They will lay at the bowl and yip to let me know it is too slobbery, and please get fresh!   Back to the mess of it.   The best arrangement I have come up with so far is using a very large rubbermaid or tupperware cake lid, as an outer bowl, placing the stainless water bowl inside.  This allows for the majority of the splash/spill water to land in the tupperware instead of the floor.   Of course there is always drool water on the floor around the water dish area, but it has been a huge improvement using double bowls.  You will find in any Newfoundland household drool and wipe towels placed in every room, probably in more than one place!   Lesson learned, never walk barefoot through the kitchen, or wear good clean socks, they will be soaked!

Back home with my Newfies!

It is so good to be back home hugging my big furry boys!   Vacations are fun, however we sure do miss our Newfoundlands!  We were out of town for about 10 days and it is really hard to be away from them.  They are every bit as huggable as they look!  They were very happy to see us, not that they are not spoiled rotten by their God Parents while we are away.  I do believe Moose has gained a pound or so, they both really know how to put on the charm and get lots of treats!  

 We really have to figure out a way for them to join us.  We would love to get them up north to play in some snow.  Traveling with one Newfoundland is not so bad, but I'm sure it will be tough to find places to allow not one, but two big dogs.   They are harmless and not distructive, other than leaving behind a bit of black fur!   Figuring out how to get both dogs and luggage into a vehicle will be our number one problem.  Who needs much clothes anyway?  My dream is to one day have a camper of some sort that we can all take off and travel in together.  For now we are happy at home with our boys.  They were very happy to get out on our family walks again yesterday and today.   The weather here in Florida has changed just enough to give them more time outside and they sure are enjoying it.  Tonight we have a hoot owl in out back yard tree and it is driving Moose crazy,he's trying to figure out what that "hooting" noise is coming from up there.   I finally had to drag him in the house as he was barking at it trying to get it to leave his yard.   Yogi of course is clueless as to anything being in the tree.   His main concern is dinner and getting attention.

Newfie Bath Time

Bath time for the boys.  I changed up this time and decided to bath one of them each day.   It is quite a chore.  Yesterday was Yogi's day, Moose stood by and watched.  It takes a good hour each dog, not including dry time.  Poor Moose, he looked so sad when I finished bathing Yogi yesterday and took them both back in to the house.  Yogi was feeling pretty good after his bath and kept pouncing at Moose who just didn't get it.   This morning was Moose's turn.   Moose is a tough one, he has a very thick coat, especially for being a Florida dog.   The big challenge with bathing them is getting them wet!   The water just repels right off of them.   They are water dogs and have an under coat of fur and longer coat of hair.   I don't have a tub and use the hose sprayer.   It is hard to get them wet enough for the  soap to even lather up.   Most importantly of all is rinsing!   You must be sure to rinse thoroughly or the residue will dry out their skin and cause itching.     Dry time can be up to 24 hours without any help of a dryer or towels!    Many Newfie owners have powerful blow dryers for dogs which blow only cold air, this keeps the oils from drying out of their fur.  Unforturnately the $250.  blow dryer is not in my budget so towels and sunshine help out a bunch here.   I will say the boys look great after bathing.  Newfoundlands should not be bathed more than a few times per year unless they are being shown.   Regular grooming will keep them looking good and cleans their coat.   I use a no rinse spray moisterizer on themseveral times a week, it is by Nova Pearls and it smells great too!   The photo is of Moose, doesn't he look like a sweet little baby boy?

Another one of those embarrassing moments!

I went to the bank to trade in a bunch of one dollar bills that we had been saving all year.   Handed the nice teller my rubber banded stack of ones, she slowly lifted her hand back through the window and in it was a tangled mess of black Newfie hair!    I gave a quick appoligy and tried to explain that I owned two huge black furry dogs.   I don't think she knew what to say or if she believed me! 

Welcom to Cool As A Newfie!

Coming Soon!  

Posts from a Newfie owner to all Newfie lovers!

Sign up, follow along and  have a few laughs out of living life with two Newfoundland dogs...