Graduation. August 11, 2009

Annabelle graduated basic obedience class after 6 grueling weeks of hot dog bribery. She’s smart, I’ll give her that. But she is a stubborn girl, and strong for such a slim pup – pure muscle from all of the running/swimming/madness I suppose.

If you’ll notice the immediate lunging as she notices the plate of graduation cookies.

 

 

 

She did tolerate the graduation cap though. I’m guessing in hopes of earning an extra cookie….

 

 

 

 

 

My Sweet Anabelle. This was six weeks ago. She has made great progress since then. Her favorite game is still “pick up things I’m not supposed to have in my mouth and ignore all commands while I run away from my owner, knowing she isn’t going to be able to catch me”. And I know, I’m not supposed to chase her, but I just don’t want her to think it is okay to chew on rocks, which she seems to like…alot.

I keep thinking that my first two newfie pups were just so well behaved and perfect and that somwehow, someway, something has gone horribly awry with this one. But the truth is, they were all challenges, just in different ways. I was laying in bed the other night and recalled that my boy Murphy wouldn’t come FOREVER! in fact, his favorite game was “Go out to pee, then take off into the woods or neighbors yard, ignoring all commands, forcing my owner to come and get me”. DO you know that we tried everything and in desperation would hold open our puppy shaped treat container that sang “Who let the dogs out?” and this was the only way he would come for about 3 months???

Anyways, it’s easy to forget when u havent raised a pup in a while. What an adventure.

She took the Plunge! June 28, 2009

Annabelle is our third Newfoundland. She is fearless and energetic and a bit TOO courageous at times. I have always wanted to do water rescue training and am hoping to start with her. Looks like she has the love for the water. Check out the video of her jumping off the dock for the first time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqBeEWHsYOw

a night on the town. May 21, 2009

We took the crew out to our little downtown for some leash walking training and socialization.

 

 

 

 

 

Stopped for ice cream – Annabelle’s first!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then for a swim in the Pond!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Perfect night out.

Life is so hard May 18, 2009

Man, with all of the bird chasing and stick chewing I just can’t squeeze enough naps in. Life is so hard…..  – Murphy

Meet the Kids May 16, 2009

This is Murphy. He’s 4 years old and weighs in at 158 pounds.

 

Murphy moves around like Eeyore. He’s big and clumsy and does things on his own time…which is usually very slowly. He is sweet and goofy and won’t go anywhere without a toy in his mouth.

Murphy has some health issues including two patella sublaxations – which basically means his kneecaps don’t track quite right. You’d never know it though as he doesn’t let anything slow him down. He went to the vet more times in the first two years of his life than I can count. He is a bit accident prone and started out getting bit by an older dog as a young puppy. When we brought him home he had a  shaved little head and a drainage tube.  Here he is as a puppy.

He is walking, drooling, barking pure joy.

This is Annabelle (Longships Annabelle of the Ball). She is 7 months old and our newest adventure.  She is a wonderfully healthy newfie pup. She has the energy of a labrador puppy and we can barely keep up.

 If there is something she shouldn’t be doing, then she is most certainly doing it. She is into everything and can’t be trusted alone for one minute. We have a few holes in our sheetrock to prove it. Here is a picture of this morning’s destruction.

 We start obedience classes next week, because I need some serious help with this one. She is so smart and we will be training her to be a therapy dog and for water rescue. It should be an adventure.

This is Kota Bear. She was our first Newfie and an old soul. We miss her desperately. She passed away on December 23, 2008 at 6 years old from Bone Cancer.

 We hope you’ll visit from time to time and keep up with our sweet newfs. You are never the same after owning one. They are the loves of our lives.

-The O’Donnell’s