Me @ 18 months

I'm a year and a half! Here's my album through Facebook.

AKC PAL Registration

Since I came from a rescue, I don't know any information about my pedigree. People tell me I'm a Newfoundland, and I believe them because I sure as heck don't look like a Chihuahua. I don't have any proof that I'm a Newfie, except for my stunning good looks, which is a good thing since that's all I need in order for the AKC to register me as a Newf!

The mama sent in an application yesterday to get my Purebred Alternative Listing (PAL) number. Two pictures need to be included, one from the front and one from the side, so the judges can make sure I'm actually the breed I say I am. Here are my photos. I included a head shot since you can't see my face too well in the forward-facing shot.

Teaching My Buddy How to Swim

My buddy, Brody, came with me to Horsetooth Reservoir today so I could teach him how to swim! He loves the water, but only if all four paws are touching the bottom. I let him borrow my life jacket so he would feel safe, and I shared my bumpers with him so he could see how retrieving them in the water is the same game as retrieving them on land. He swam a little bit, which is a good start! We might go again soon. I CAN'T WAIT!

Me in back, Brody in front (did I mention that Brody is a million times bigger than me? He's probably about 160 lbs. and 3 inches taller! Holy cow.)

Me trying to friendly-drown Brody with my orange bumper

Water Work

Today I started learning how to do all of the tests to earn a Water Dog title. I watched some of the dogs who already have their WD titles, then I gave it a try.

Sometimes I didn't know what the mama wanted me to do (there was an awful lot of pointing and splashing), and sometimes I got distracted by these cute little Portuguese Water Dogs who were practicing next to me, but overall the mama says I killed it! I might even be able to test in September if I keep practicing at the reservoir.

Ladies do love a man with letters after his name...

Adequan

I posted about my struggles with elbow dysplasia back in December, and although things got better for a while, my right elbow has been bothering me since mid-May. After loads of the NSAID Rimadyl and rest, my right elbow is still hurting. Mama and Papa decided to start me on Adequan which is supposed to help lubricate my joints and rebuild cartilage.


I had my first Adequan shot on June 28th, and another one this morning. I will have 2 a week for the next 3 weeks, then one per week for a month, then just one a month after that for the rest of my life (or as long as the medicine helps). The mama learned how to give an intra-muscular injection from the vet tech today so that she can give the shots to me at home while I lounge on the couch like a little prince, chewing on treat-filled ice cubes and moaning about how hot it is. Initially, I will probably try to hide from the needle, like this:

Or possibly also like this:

But the mama says I will soon learn to accept my fate...

HCNC Newf-Fun-Day

We have a club for Newfoundlands and their owners in Colorado called the High Country Newfoundland Club (HCNC). On Sunday, the HCNC had a BBQ in Pine, Colorado. Lots of Newfies showed up to be friends with me:

22 Newfoundlands, 2 Leonbergers, and a whole bunch of people got together for pulled pork sandwiches (the mama gave me some pork in exchange for tricks) and games. We practiced skills for water and draft work, and I won the award for the fastest dog to take-a-line out to a "drowning victim" (only this game was done on land). Here's a shot of me with my medal, which I promptly tried to eat because it looked like a cookie:

 

We had fun showing off our skills, but then it was time for Napmania:

The overall winners of the skills contest were awarded with bibs - first place went to my buddy, Bojie. You can read all about his adventures in Colorado at his own blog, here.

"The Newfunday certainly lived up to it's name! What a FUN day we had hanging out with 22 Newfs and our 2 Leonberger members! 24 dogs fighting for the title of HCNC Newfer Skills dog 2012! These skills were timed events which included: fastest retrieve, fastest Take-a-Line, fastest come for recall, and fastest back-up, all skills used in water, obedience and drafting. Congrats to our "top dogs" seen in this photo by the color of their bibs: 4th place: RUCA, 3rd place: MARLEY, 2nd place: VIVI, and 1st place: surrounded by his harem, BOJIE. A big huge thanks to Ed Maas for organizing this wonderful fun day in the mountains! You're all top dogs in our book!"  -from the HCNC Facebook page

Me @ 17 months

There. We're all caught up now. I will be 18 months old on July 11. My album for me @ 17 months has some fun photos from visiting snow AND Lake Marie in Wyoming and some photos where you can see the wildfires burning in Colorado.