Me @ 11 months

After my surgery, I had to grow back the fur on my legs. You'll find some snaps of my skinny little arms at this link, as well as Christmas celebrations. I received an awesome gift from my Newf. Net Secret Santa. Newf.Net is a forum where you can learn all kinds of things about Newfoundlands around the world.

 

It may be Christmas, but I'm a bit of a grump. I hate those nasty little Nutcracker men who come into my house uninvited. Hate them.

Elbow Dysplasia

At 10 months old, I have been diagnosed with bilateral elbow dysplasia, with a fragmented coronoid process (FCP). You can read about it here.

I was limping a lot after heavy exercise, so the mama and the papa took me to the vet where they did x-rays. The x-rays of my right elbow looked like this:

It was determined that I would need surgery to remove possible joint mice (pieces of bone floating around in my joint). I went to Englewood, Colorado, to the VRCC and a very smart surgeon explained the options to the mama and the papa. They decided to have arthroscopic surgery done on both elbows. There was only about a 50/50 chance this would make my elbows entirely better, but it was worth a try since my pet insurance (PetPlan) would cover most of the cost.

That's my name in the middle - on the board for operations in the VRCC

So...I had arthroscopic surgery on December 2, 2011. The afternoon after the mama and the papa talked to the VRCC doctor about options, I had my surgery. Although I was knocked out for the surgery itself, the doctor let Mama and Papa watch it.

They were able to make sure I was safe, and they could see the bone fragments being removed on a TV screen.  These are videos of part of my arthroscopy:

Mama and Papa came to visit me in the post-op recovery room. I looked so tiny and frail, but it wouldn't be long before I was starting to feel back to my old self again. Still, I had an intensive, restricted activity period of rest for 3 months after surgery.

Me @ 10 months

Here I am at 10 months. In this album, you will find photos from my first Thanksgiving and a playdate I had with a neighborhood Newfie named Brody. There are also photos from my surgery, which I will post about separately.

I am also learning to sing with the papa's Navajo flute:

Me @ 9 months

 

Here's an album of me at 9 months old. This was a super exciting time for me as we got our first snow in Colorado at the end of October. This video is from Oct. 26th.

Me @ 8 months

This album has a whole lot of fun in Colorado and Wyoming, including a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. Dogs aren't allowed to hike in RMNP, but we can go along for a car ride and to meet some new people!

Me @ 7 months

This album includes a lot of laziness and a short hike in Colorado.

Me @ 6 months

Included in this album is a trip to Wyoming, a stay in a hotel room in Colorado Springs, a visit to Garden of the Gods, a lot of napping, and Yellowstone.

Water Puppy

I love the water. Let me count the ways:

In the Horsetooth Reservoir with the Papa

Swimming in Hanging Lake in Wyoming's Snowy Range Mountains

Me @ 5 months

The mama is lame and didn't start helping me write this blog until I was already a year and a half old (secret's out!), so I'm doing a little back-logging. If you want to see more of my handsome face at 5 months old, you can visit the mama's Facebook album titled Bo @ 5 months.

And to tide you over, here's a video of the mama teaching me tricks. She really has no idea what she's doing, but I make her look good:

Food, Glorious Food

I enjoy eating. You could say it's one of my top 5 hobbies.
If I had to make a list, it would probably go
1) Eating
2) Napping
3) Biting things and / or people
4) Eating
5) Rolling in the grass.

Eating is for sure a top priority, and if possible, I like to combine #1 and #2:

See, I told you I like napping. If you don't believe me, then watch this video.

Forever Home

After I went for a final vet check-up (71 lbs. !)and to get my microchip, it was time to go home. I had met the mama and the papa the week before. When they came to see me, I made sure to act extra cute, rolling around on the floor and giving lots of Newfie kisses. I knew that once they brought me home, I could get away with being naughty...but not before! These are the first pictures in my baby album where I was getting used to the new house and backyard:

Me and the Papa

 

 

This is my donut toy. I do not share my donut with ANYONE.

Mama and Papa gave me this tiny little pool to play in. Can they not see that I am a big, growing boy who needs a whole LAKE of water to keep cool?

Petfinder.com Days

One of my Petfinder.com photos.

This is the one that sealed the deal for my mama. I mean, look at that head of hair...faboosh!

I was born on January 11, 2011 at a Newfoundland breeder's in Montana. When I was still a little pup, something happened to my left eye and I went blind - maybe one of my littermates stuck a dew claw in it. Since I was "damaged goods" the breeder didn't want me anymore, so a group of nice people who love Newfies arranged transportation for me to get from Billings, Montana to Fort Morgan, Colorado. At 3 months old, I traveled with several different folks who had agreed to get me from one point to another until I arrived at Tinker's Dream, where I lived the good life with a bunch of other Newfies (including Festus and Tinkerbell, the rescue owners' Newfs, and my favorite chew toy Henry, who has also been adopted after his heartworm treatment). I was at Tinker's Dream for 2 months before the mama and the papa found my gorgeous face on Petfinder.com and came to take me home.