The year since we got him has passed in a flash with all sorts of peculiar happenings that we have never experienced before, like the time that his puppy teeth had to be knocked out with a hammer at the vets because they were so strong that the adult teeth were forming crooked. He was gnawing the wooden chair rails, he was gnawing the chair legs, he would shred dried queen palm fronds in minutes, we had large leg bones that he would splinter during his teething to try and relieve the pain and pressure and still they would not budge. In the vets own words, “I have never experienced this in all my years as a vet” but once out the adult teeth straightened up nicely and also saved our chairs.

Summer vacation is over and school is about to begin so more posts on Murphy in the future and Lovespoon carving will take center stage again so visit often and we’ll see what we can muster in the very near future.

These dogs are known to grow to 160 pounds and over so it’s important that the growth is controlled to prevent any growth related problems. We had already decided to take him to a vet that had been recommended by Karrie Cook, one of the members of the Newfoundland Club of Southern California who we are members of and have been for the last twelve years. We have always had that unsatisfactory feeling with our previous vets who we felt had very little experience with big dogs so it was quite refreshing to get some kind of recommendation. I guess it’s just the generalization of all animals and no specific expertise on one that we were looking for. We wanted someone who was passionate about the dogs that we like and according to Karrie he deals with a lot of Newfs, especially rescued Newfs. The appointment has been set up for our visit to the Arbor Animal Hospital in Irvine so it will be interesting to see the difference in service.

With the puppy now at home I would have to set up a perimeter fence, to at least keep him safe until he gets more familiar with his surroundings and the garden has been checked over for puppy proofing. We already have caging that could be clamped together to form a pen from our previous Newfies so that was no major concern, we also had a ground sheet that could be clamped over a portion of the pen to provide shade when the sun lands on that part of the garden. We knew this would be used during the first few weeks, especially during the potty training stage and it would provide a means of keeping him secure while house keeping was in progress.

It’s funny how those items that we had for our previous dogs still remained in the garage, normally we would discard all these items because of the sadness associated with them but I guess we always knew we would get another animal sooner rather than later.

That first evening we set the task of naming our new addition, I had already done some research and wanted to have a name that would relate to the kind of work associated with the breed. They are renown for draft work and water rescue so in my mind any name with sea or water would fit the bill. My son had a stuffed toy with the Landseer markings and that had been named “Murphy” by my wife, to my surprise the origins for that name were Gaelic and the meaning was sea warrior, I needed to have a few alternative names as this one would be a serious contender.

In thinking of the name it should also be suitable so that the children could pronounce it and nothing too complicated. The other names that came to mind were Marmaduke, a Celtic name meaning leader of the seas and Murdock, a Scottish name meaning victorious at sea.

To start off with we asked the children what they wanted to call him and my daughter instantly replies “Puppy!” and Jackson replies, “He is a puppy, we can’t call him puppy!” So after several minutes I offer the three proposals that I had come up with, Murphy, Marmaduke and Murdock. Well once I mentioned Murphy the children went wild, ” Yeah, yeah, Murphy, yeah,” as they’re jumping up and down with their arms in the air. Well, my wife and I looked at each other and said “Well, I guess that’s it then.” Normally there would be a lot of deliberating over the name but in this instance it was decided in under ten minute and the thing is, it totally suits him.

With his new given name I wanted to register him with the AKC so that we could get his pedigree papers, this would give us his lineage and right now we only new who his parents were. We decided to register him as Murphy Warrior of the Sea and this was quite fitting as he has lost no time in scooping out the water from his water bowl.

The excitement of the day had left everyone pretty drained, Murphy had been so far raised on Pedigree puppy food dry and canned. We would change him over to the brand of food that we had used for our previous dogs who lived to a ripe old age. A diet of Wellness puppy and canned food until such time we would transfer him to Wellness regular dog food, this will all be determined by the advice given by the vet. The one thing with Wellness is it’s all natural without any by products and is one of the foods that hasn’t been tainted by pet food recalls.

That evening we decided to take the traveling crate up to the bedroom to house Murphy during his first night at our home. While in the house that day, he had had only three accidents in the cordoned off area of the house so we were hoping he would be able to hold his bladder during the night. This was an unlightly scenario but we were hoping for the best, we knew from our previous experience that no two animals react the same during their first night in a different surrounding. With Murphy it was just like a baby he would start to yap letting us know he needed to go outside and just like a baby it was every three hours which was totally amazing, not one accident.

Even though the night was pretty sleepless for us he never wet in the crate, taking him out as he indicated his needs has resulted in zero accidents since that initial day. He has walked to the door and tapped on the wooden blinds so that he can go out but it is way too early to let him roam the whole house. This little guy with the name of “Murphy” has now become part of our family.

That was nearly twenty months ago, he was a Landseer, a black and white version of the traditionally black colored Newfoundland. We at that time still had his older half brother and his health was just as poor but already stricken with grief we toughed it out knowing the inevitable for him was only months away. That time came when he had continual bleeding from the mouth with it being diagnosed as cancer of the jaw, at 13 years and 1 month his ability to withstand any treatment was out of the question. His mobility was already restricted, appetite was none existent and he had to be helped with any normal functions by using a harness. Our once majestic animals had succumbed to old age and both had died within six weeks of each other leaving our household unusually dog free. That was a hard first three months of 2006 and only now can I start to talk about it and still not in much detail because of the feelings that I have. Call it soft but that’s how it is when you have animals that are part of your family.

Since that time we have only briefly spoken on how we would research our next dog, we knew that it would be a Newfoundland, a Landseer but the question was when. It was always going to be next year, we would start looking then. Our intentions were to research the various breeders who we knew breed consistent quality dogs without the inherent problem of inbreeding. Most of the kennels that we were interested in were back on the east coast and knowing that, the question would always arise on how would we view the animal without making arrangements to visit. The kennel would probably have a strict viewing policy if any at all and a lot of the times the dog is pre-selected for you on the basis of if you wanted a show dog or a pet. The standard or traits of the animal being determined by the breeder on the desires of the enquiring party.

We also had to consider another issue, would the breeder be willing to accept us as a worthy recipiant of one of their animals. Newfie people are very protective and selective on who receives one of their puppies but for us I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem because of our previous experience with the breed.

Our previous two Newfoundlands had a large portion of Canadian genes from the Topmast kennels and being use to that look we always tend to favor any animal that has that particular kennel in their makeup. As always my wife checks the classifieds in our local paper, I’m not sure what she is looking for but very rarely is there any Newfoundland dogs for sale let alone puppies. This last Saturday, September 8th 2007 is an exception, there is a posting in the pet secton of the classifieds:

Newf/Landseer Pups AKC, Blk/Wht, big, handsome, champ lines, avail 9/8, vet check, the price, telephone number and email address for additional information.

She calls to me, who is still working on the Jungle Fort for the children. “There are puppies for sale and they have photos available on the web.” “OK, I’ll check out the website of the newpaper and we’ll take a look.” Well, we get into the pet section and there are no photos posted let alone the classified ad. I think no more of it and just put it down to an error on the newspapers part. The next day, the ads still there, well of course, it’s running for a week, we’ll check again for the photos just in case, you’ll never know otherwise. This time the images are available and they are all Landseers, from what we can see from the photographs they all appear to have good features and good markings. I suggested “let’s go and take a look” but my wife protests that we are not ready, we’re not puppy proof. OK, phone up and find out more information, afterall this is really strange that someone would be selling Newfoundland pups this way.

The first thing my wife did was to email asking for more information, this was about 11:30 AM and half an hour later I said just call and find out the scoop. I tend to be impatient when I’m curious and I wanted to put the issue to rest so that I could concentrate on the final parts of the Jungle Fort. I needed to know the story behind this litter being offered in the paper. The first call offered no such luck and just a message was left leaving me to continue building the Rockwall.

The next call several hours later resulted in talking to the owner of the puppies who was in town visiting her sister from Salt Lake City, Utah. She had driven from Salt Lake City with the puppies, stating there was a larger Newfoundland dog following here in Southern California than back in her neighborhood, making it easier to sell the puppies here than there. The question was asked, who are the parents and can we see some photographs. She said the parents are both Landseers, one from Montana and one from North Carolina and both being exceptionally good looking animals we decided to breed them. So what we have is a classic case of a backyard kennel, the sort of thing that all breeders of pedigree dogs urge you to stay away from because there are no guarantees of what you will get but I was at a stage where curiosity had got the upper hand, the tipping point where there is no going back, a position that everybody reaches at some stage in there life where turning and walking away is not an option.

Now knowing the basic outline, several more calls followed with additional questions asked and on the final call I said, “OK, tools are going away it’s time to go and see what there is, this phone tag will not get it done.” So armed with the directions, kids in tow, we go to see this litter of Newfoundland puppies. During the drive I’m thinking this is totally the opposite way of how we were going to research for our next dog but we’re on a path that could not be derailed and we both knew without even talking that we would decide on a dog today. Once we reached our destination there was a family gathering and I apologized for disrupting their day but they didn’t seem to mind as they showed us to the backyard.

The puppies were cordoned off in a pen for safety, once the owner let them out it was like a small version of Beethoven, as the puppies streamed onto the grass falling over each other. There were seven in total but we were informed that the litter did consist of ten but three had already been sold back in Utah. We had already decided that our next animal would be a male and as we looked at the pups there were two that immediately stood out. These two had the better markings for what we were looking for and the thickest coats with the best tails. For us this was totally different because when we purchased our last two newfies the animals were already chosen for us, we never had a choice. The one that I felt was the best of the litter was in fact a female, I knew that even though she had the best markings a female was out of the question. The next best was a male, plenty of white with a black saddle and blotches of black on the rear, a handsome dog.

While studying the rest of the litter we still kept coming back to the same two dogs even though they all appeared to be in good health, friendly and playful. When I picked him up and laid him on his back he would settle down and just look me in the eyes having complete trust and faith in my handling. His bone structure appeared to be firm with no strange lumps, his bite seemed to be correct with no pronounced over or underbite. He had a well formed head and large paws, so on first impressions he fitted just what we were looking for.

We decided to checkout the parents by online photos and both animals had good marking but appeared to look a little thin although the female your could clearly tell, she had just had a litter. The grandparents we were informed were both champions and OFA clear although the parents of the puppies had not had any checks to confirm their standing. Weighing up the pros and cons we decided to go for the little guy even though all the health checks that the breeders recommend for a large breed had not been fully completed, a pure gut instinct told us to do it. The payment would be by cashiers check which left us an overnight cooling off period should we decide not to proceed and to be honest a sleepless night at that.

Bringing him home was a joy for my wife and daughter, my son was at school and he would be greeted by his puppy, his job was to name him, our job was to see how he would go through the night!

At first we thought he was paralyzed and took him to our vet who instantly wanted to euthanize him. After further examination and several hundreds of dollars later he could find nothing wrong with his spine. We decided to bring him home and and at least recoup. His appetite was none existent for several days before he started taking food in any amounts. We found over the next few days that indeed he did recover but with less mobility, finding it hard to lift his rear without help and relying heavily on his front quarters to lift up his weight.

During the following months he did improve but he still never fully recovered his mobility on his rear. Over that period of time our vet decides to close his practice and the search is on for another vet. Trying to find a vet is like trying to find a doctor for yourself, there are a lot to choose from.

Before we know it he is limping and favoring his left side, has he got a sore on his paw again we ask ourselves, he has always had trouble with the soil in our yard as the housing is built on previous oil well land. After checking his paw we find no sores but notice that his shoulder blade is sticking out further than it should. Now this hasn’t been there a long time, has he splayed out again. The new vet checks his records and does his own check up, taking a sample of tissue and announcing that there is no infection at a cost of several hundred dollars, pain killers is all he could suggest.

Feeling unimpressed with the verdict my wife sorts after yet another vet going on recommendations from several friends. The records are transfered and yet another examination and sample are taken after persistance from my wife stating that there is something drastically wrong. Anything out of the ordinary, you will find a relutance for them to find the answer. There are abnormalties to his shoulder and we need to know what the problem is.

The results are due in one week and during that time he is in a lot of pain, needing assistance to get up. The results reveal that he has bone cancer and there is no recommendation offered. We’re devastated, a once healthy dog six months ago, now a shadow of himself. The only facts the vet offered were, “He can only get worse.” I’m overwhelmed with sadness, there is only one option to end his suffering and I’m completely against it but what can I do. No alternatives are given and the decision is ours. Gone is the best dog we ever had.

Breaking News !!

Reds hold on for a 1-0 victory.

Landseer, latest soccer sensation!!

This gallery photograph of our Newfoundland Dog, “Biggles”, proudly posing after his quick intervention in a game of soccer.

It wasn’t an intentional game, it all started on one of our daily strolls. It was a quiet Sunday morning in the park, not many people around and with him being of good nature we decided to let him off leash. No problem, he sticks to your side like butter eyeing your every movement. Well, as you can imagine we walked pass the local soccer field where a friendly game of soccer was in progress, blue stripped jerseys were attacking from the left towards the solid reds on the right. A long through ball was placed towards the forward on the right edge of the field. The attacker controlled the ball and easily side stepped the defender to head towards the goal. Clearly this was a very serious situation for the red team with only the goalie standing there to defend their precarious 1-0 lead.

Before we new it, “Biggles” our Newfie was away. A mighty fine slide tackle ensued and up he pops, game ball. Of course there was a mighty whistle from the referee, with the game coming to a halt. “Biggles” stopped in his tracks gazing at the referee with the soccer ball hanging from his mouth. The referee walks sternly up to him and does no more than to show him the red card, the game’s over for him.

Disappointed, he walks slowly towards us with his head hung low, but in his mind we know what he’s thinking, the reds still retain their 1-0 lead.

Our two Newfoundland Dogs are both well over the age of ten and as dog people well know, the bigger the breed the shorter the life span. We have been fortunate in having a couple of animals that have truly amazed us in their longevity. We have always provided them with the best food available on the market such as WELLNESS. This is a human grade product and it is obvious that they have thrived on it. It is made up of de-boned chicken, Atlantic whitefish, fruit and vegetables, healthy grains and vitamins and minerals.

During their early years we spent quite a considerable amount of money in training them to become obedient and it paid off but sometimes I think it would have been more fun for us in doing the training with some guidance. There are numerous good quality products on the market now such as Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer. This is a product that you can use numerous times during your pet ownership years. It is an easy step by step guide that you can follow and make adjustments that suit your own circumstances in the setting of your own backyard.

Having said that, our animals have done their tour of duty in their early years at the Pet Expo in Southern California with first class conduct. Needless to say they had to disregard the rules and lay out in the isle where the visitors were instead of the cubicle. Here they had maximum exposure and PETTING from all children at hand causing a major bottleneck!!!

It’s not as though we’re not familiar to the occasional slobber from the dogs but man this was something else. Newfoundlands are re-known for drooling when they get hot, first they will make a beeline for the nearest bucket of water or water bowl and immerse their whole muzzle into the bowl slurping away at the water. We’re not talking about small water bowls, these are the biggest you can buy. I would just use a bucket all the time, but what happens with the constant dunking? Their chest starts smelling like an OLD DISH CLOTH.

After five minutes of drinking, look out, drool is hanging from their jowls. SHAKE, you’ll better duck because it’s coming your way and it’s by no means small. SPLAT, it lands inches from your feet. You may have missed the “BIG ONE” but you can’t escape the small stuff.

OK I’m thinking this is getting out of hand, they’re panting like a locomotive. “It’s time for a trim!” I exclaim. If the excess fur is removed, maybe that will ease their discomfort from the heat. Out come the barbers electric shears and 3″ of fur is taken off, enough to fill up a garbage bag. “That’s a lot of fur” you may ask. YES! And this is a lot of dog. Well, my wife is a good sport and she sheared those puppies in under an hour.

OK, now it’s my turn, flip-flops and speedos are the attire of the day. Let’s get them washed. One dog, one hour, that’s what it takes to give him a thorough shampoo and blow dry. Drying’s a breeze with our Challengair 2000 Animal Dryer by Double K Industries. It’s never let us down over the past twelve years and it’s still going strong. The animals are relaxed, the panting has gone, the calm has returned to the Sunday.

Now I’m hot, it’s my time to relax, time to crack open that beer!!