Happy Birthday to Me!

I'm not exactly sure what a birthday is, but I have to say, I like it. Rarf has been making a big fuss over me all day. I had liver for breakfast, and we went to Petco and PetQuarters and got all kinds of treats.

Speaking of PetQuarters, we met a dog there who, well . . . I don't know. He was like me, kind of, but bigger, with white on him. Rarf called him a "landseer." His name was Buzz and I felt kinda funny around him. But his owners pulled him away so I didn't have a chance to really sniff him all over.

Anyway, here I am after getting brushed for my birthday, and then with my birthday present: the biggest tennis ball I have ever seen!!!

Me 'n Rosie

Have I told you about my buddy Rosie? At least, I REALLY REALLY want to be her buddy, but she has a really sharp beak and doesn't play by dog rules. She's also kind of spooky, because she flys. In the air. Really. And she talks to me. I don't mean normal dog talk like Shadow and Maggie---I mean she TALKS, just like Rarf. She tells me to sit, go lay down, and be quiet. When she's really perturbed she yells "No!" and bites my nose. Hard! I do think that we could be friends some day---I keep trying. I know she must really love me because she throws food on the floor for me. I'd love to let her ride around on my head, but I'm afraid she'd peck my eyes out!

Dark walks

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Hello to Amici, Desert Pups, and all you other wild and crazy dog bloggers!
I don't know what's going on, but Rarf always makes me go for walks when it's still dark in the morning now (when I'm still trying to get my beauty sleep!), and after it's dark at night. When it's light out, she's not home. And we don't go to the track any more, or the quarry: we seem to stay on sidewalks and streets with no fields for me to tear around. I don't get it. She doesn't seem too happy about it either. And I haven't been swimming much lately either.
On the other hand, she has been playing soccer and stick in the yard with me at lunchtime---and I have to say that I skunk her every time.
By the way, I got weighed at the vet this week and at 10 months old I am 97 svelte newfie pounds!

Rarf's new project

Rarf and Joe (that's what she calls him) have been driving to that hayfield a lot---where Chocolate, the brown, chubby lab lives---and they always take me with them. It's kind of frustrating, because every time I run across the road to see Chocolate, Rarf drags me back and then ties me up. Now and then she takes me to swim in the pond filled with cattails, but other than that, she doesn't let me have much fun. She and Joe spend a lot of time carrying stuff around and banging stuff together and won't let me help. They have a blog about it called Sunnywood, but it's nowhere near as good as my blog.

I love raspberries :)

"Pick your own" is the best! We have the best raspberry patch in our yard. However, Rarf says dogs don't like fruit. Let's puzzle this out: I'm a dog; I like fruit. I love Rarf, but between you and me, she's not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Teenagers . . .

I don't know how to say this, but . . . there is a teenaged human in our house, and he does not like me. Even more amazing, none of his friends like me, either. I'm a NEWFIE, for goodness sake: what's not to like? I am (just ask me) pretty much the sweetest, funnest, beautifulest dog in the world. But all they see when they look at me is hair and drool. They all run away yelling "ewww!" when I try to play with them. They call themselves TEENAGERS??? They're senior citizens with pimples, if you ask me. It's no wonder the world is a mess, when the up and coming generation has such superficial standards. If they would only get to know me . . .

I am being tortured!!!

I have been trying for days to tell our neighbors that I'm being tortured. I admit that my puppy fur is falling out, and it looks, well, a tad scruffy. But does Rarf really think she's going to get all of the mats out of my fur??? Have you seen some of these "dematting tools"? They have nasty, big pointed teeth! Are these anything you would use on someone you love? Oh sure, Rarf keeps saying that this is just to make me feel better. But seriously, is this necessary? I'm not a show dog: I'm a run-in-the-woods-swim-in-the-river dog. If I could talk, I'd tell Rarf that the big black dogs who worked loyally by their owners' sides in Newfoundland were probably full of mats---and completely happy. Would someone please bring her to her senses?

Vay-kay

You know, vacation! Here I am, just chillin.

My people took me to a big family reunion in Canada, eh? They were afraid that there would be problems taking me across the border, but the border patrol agents only seemed to care whether there were three liters of wine in the car or four: they didn't even look at me (imagine!). We spent a night in the Ottawa pub district and about every two seconds someone on the street asked Rarf, "What kind of dog is that?" In Canada! I mean, I thought Newfies were like their national dog or something. Then we spent three days at a lake. I actually got tired of going in the water---really! That whole fetch thing gets old. And Rarf was trying to get me to pull kayaks to shore. NOT!

What's so funny?

I heard Rarf yelling for me today, but I couldn't understand why she couldn't find me. Where else would any self-respecting Newf sleep, but in the bathtub? When she finally found me, she started laughing. What's so funny? She sleeps in that awful stuffy room upstairs---which one of us is foolish, I ask you?

This gate gets smaller and smaller

There is a plywood gate at the entrance to the kitchen. (It used to be to keep me in, but lately it's being used to keep me out.) The gate seemed HUGE when I was a puppy. But now that I'm almost five months old, I'll be able to clear this in no time!

Trip to Unity

My people took me for a long car ride today. We went to Unity College, and I slept and played under some trees while they took classes. Then we drove to a big field where we're going to live some day. There were wild animal droppings everywhere, which was cool and kind of scary. We heard a sound like someone throwing big rocks, and suddenly there HUGE horses pulling a wagon! I got to play with two dogs, and we all rode in the wagon while the horses pulled us around (ha! Which are the more intelligent animals?) In the photo I'm helping Rarf plant some trees.

Devil dog

Been busy lately! Last weekend I spent a lot of time out in the yard with Rarf. She was digging up plants, and I kept trying to get her attention. Just when I was starting to have fun, she'd run at me yelling, "get out of the burdocks," or "don't eat rocks!" The stream valley was all flooded, and I thought she'd be happy that I was trying to swim, but she screamed something about "beaver fever," and muttered something about "full of the devil" as she dragged me out. She needs to relax some, I think.

She brought Rosie outside---Rosie can fly, so she must be supernatural or something---and Rosie let me sniff her without biting my nose, for once. The best part of the whole day was . . . marrow bones to gnaw!!!

Suppertime

"It's supp supp supper, the very best time of day!" (to quote Snoopy, one of my personal heros). I actually get to eat supper three times a day, which is fun, because the older dogs I live with only eat twice and they get SO jealous. I don't mess around, either: I dive my head right into my bowl, so the food just surrounds my mouth. Rarf is always wiping off my ears and my neck after I'm done. Is that obsessive or what?

Spring means water!

We went down the railroad tracks to the stream today. No more ice, just LOTS of water! At first I was stuck on a double leash with my cranky stepbrother, Shadow. Then Rarf released us. The water was cold and fast and loud: I stuck my face right in it. And on the way home I found a mud hole and a burdock bush!

Why don't people like mud?

Winter has been great but spring is even better! The melting snow has created the loveliest mud hole under the trampoline in the back yard. When Rarf let me back in the house today, for some reason she said "Oh, CIARA," in a voice that made me feel terrible, and said something about a towel. I figured I'd just get into the bathtub and make it easier. There was still some water in the bottom! With the mud I had on my head and legs, it was almost a new mud hole! Rarf used that voice again when she found me. I tried to to get back in before she finished washing away the mud, but she wouldn't let me. Sometimes I just don't understand her.