Vedauwoo, Wyoming

My other grandma is in town, along with Uncle John and his girlfriend, Molly! We went to Vedauwoo in Wyoming to play in the rocks and go swimming. I did a 3 mile hike and drank lots of water:

RMNP and Estes Park

My grandma and grandad Alexander are visiting me, and we went to Estes Park and Rocky Mtn. National Park today! First we drove up into the mountains where the temperature dropped to 55 degrees (love it) and rained. At the top of the mountain, I got to meet some new dog friends, including a 4-year-old St. Bernard named Molly, a Yorkie, and a lab. There were also a couple of motorcycle clubs at the top of the mountain and they were in love with me. One guy kept going on and on about how good I smell (it's oatmeal shampoo, by the way, thanks), and several people took pictures with me! I might start carrying  a Sharpie with me so I can sign autographs. For now, I'm just using drool to leave my mark...

Back down in Estes Park, I got to meet ANOTHER beautiful St. Bernard in the stream near town. I got a vanilla ice cream cone, saw a hummingbird, and got lots of pets and hugs from people walking by. I behaved like a gentleman, lying down for kids to pet me and ignoring or nicely greeting other dogs.

oooooh, ice cream....

Where's Bo-dog?  Imma pass my CGC in no time, ladies!

Badass Lifevests and Water Training

Here are some videos of me training for a WD title:

Single Retrieve

Drop Retrieve

Take a Line

Pull a Boat

Swim With Handler (I'm still trying to climb on the mama when I do this one, or I grab onto her lifevest and start pulling her to shore. I'm going to be awesome at rescuing an unconscious victim in WRDX, but might not pass WD because I am so eager to "save" people)

Little Spoon

Grooming Seminar (Sexy and I Know It!)

Grooming had been put on the back burner after a trip to the PetSmart beauty salon where we were told it would be close to 200 bones (for all my people readers, that's $200) for a haircut. Plus, I have a love / hate relationship with my floofy fur -- the papa loves it, the mama thinks I look like one of the Beatles (but not in the making-teenage-girls-faint kind of way). So when the mama heard about the HCNC Grooming Seminar, she signed me up and sweetened up the papa with a trip to Rock Bottom Brewery before the event.

Once we arrived, the mama volunteered me to get on the grooming table first. I was a little terrified, but everyone there gave me hugs and treats and loved on me so I would know that I was in good hands. Mr. Ron Horn, who has groomed show dogs for "a long time," showed the mama and the papa how to trim my hocks, feet, and ears--pointing out all the places where the cuts should start and stop--and which type of scissors to use for each location. He said that trimming the fur on the pads of my feet will help with traction, which is awesome because I like to skid out chasing tennis balls on the kitchen linoleum at home. He used thinning shears to cut around the "leather" part of my ear, which must have been tough for the papa to watch, but I think he was starting to come around near the end of my trim when he saw how handsome I was becoming. Look at this huge head that was hidden under all those luscious curls:

Before

After

I got off the grooming table feeling like a million bucks (or $200, at least) and the best part is that the mama and the papa now have the knowledge to replicate the haircut at home. I even saw the papa checking out the nail clippers and a comb for getting mats out of my fur, so I think I'm in for a lifetime of fancy haircuts and fainting girls.

This song perfectly describes how I feel 

(although the video is a little PG-13, don't let young puppies watch!): 

 

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.