Hello from Portland/Newberg, Oregon

LeahO

LeahO

New member
Hi! I wanted to take a minute while the chub was sleeping to introduce us. Ben is about 5 months old although I'm still working on getting his birthday since I don't have papers. He likes the feel of crispy cold grass under his feet and when his family lays down so he can maul them.

Ben is our first Newfy and we take him about as seriously as having a child. He's been pretty high maintenance with his skin problem, but generally he leaves with his tail high in the air with whatever weekly toy he selects from various pet stores. He loves the beach and gets along great with other dogs, but especially golden retriever puppies.

Ben doesn't know it, but we just bought our first house where he'll have his own little house outside if he ever wants it. Mostly we will have nice white carpets for him to crisan with mud and drool & a gift certificate to Sears for throw rugs. We'll actually be in Newberg, but I'm happy we are close enough to get involved with the Pacific Northwest Newfy Club.

Ben's been eating lots of raw food, which costs about $11/day. I wonder sometimes if it's possible to overfeed a Newfoundland puppy. Since the vet put him on various foods and antibiotics, I think he hasn't been absorbing nutrients for a while (judging by the hundred dollar kibble that came out completely undigested). I feel like we might be playing catch up with raw food, but I hope I don't overdo it... I don't think I've ever fed him to the point where he can't eat anymore of it & natural kibble is always handy.

I'm a wordy person.

I hope to get Ben involved with water sports and I hope he'll come out fishing with me in the future (don't worry, I'll watch the hooks).

I love this forum and all of your help I am so, so very thankful for!

LeahO
 
YorkvilleNewfie

YorkvilleNewfie

New member
Hello from the western suburbs of Chicago! Ben sounds like a sweetie pie and you sound like a proud, diligent Newfie mama! Welcome!

Oh, I like that you call Ben Chub...I call my 5 month old son Chub-Chub.
 
hdnewfies

hdnewfies

New member
Welcome from Central Oregon, we turned in our papers to join the PNNC and went to the Newf Parade with the group in Dec in Sisters Oregon. It was a blast and really nice people, I wish we lived closer to Portland minus the rain to do stuff with the club on a regular basis. Good luck with the food questions, we seem to have 4 newfs that thrive on their kibble without issues. "knock on wood"
 
Cascadians

Cascadians

New member
Hi and welcome from Oregon City! We're active in the Club and love it! There's some incredibly snooty snotty ppl in the PacNW newf world but more that are warm and friendly and you'll be able to tell the difference quickly at your first few meetings, LOL Just ignore the snoots and have fun.

We feed Orka, our 14 month old male Newf, a raw meaty bones diet. He gets a lot of variety. Best resources: Willamette Valley Meats, Doug the Meat Man, Albertson's for near-date bin (discounts), Costo, Sudan Farms, Yakima Mary for rabbit, and 2 on-line co-ops for saving lots of money and coordinating mass orders. You will be able to procure an incredible variety of good animal parts, the 'ancestral' diet.

No allergies or food-related skin problems on this diet for us. It is expensive and takes thought and prep but the reward is a robust thriving healthy pup!

We'd love to meet your Ben for a playdate! Just have to wait until the beagle around the corner is no longer in heat. At the moment Orka is a crazed hormonal teenage maniac.

White carpets? BBWWAHAHAHAHahahahahhah! *sits on fingers*
 
LeahO

LeahO

New member
:yawn: I know - the white carpets and perfect lawn made my initial reaction "We can't buy this house because it'll never hold up under the pressure" until Cody clarified that the reason I wouldn't buy a house is because it was too nice. What's worse is that they're the brand new inch and a half long shag with booties by the door. Jeez. That's just not my world.

That's great that there are snoots in the club! They probably have great stories and an attitude completely different than mine. Perhaps I'll start telling them about how I'm considering having Ben's nipples pierced for show or how I'd really like to see more Newfies in clown gear downtown because it's cute. This can be fun!

Thank you SO MUCH for the local resources! Do you feed Okra as much as he wants? The only thing that stops me is the thought that I should probably wait an hour for the load of meat I just put in him to move out of his stomach before giving those pleading eyes more. He's sleeping A LOT since we put him on raw food and has great poop - formed & digested! I think he's growing - I'll consult the door frame for our weekly progress today.

Thinking about getting him a Great Pyrenees or an English Mastiff as a buddy after we move and settle into the soon to be brown carpets.

That boy still wakes me up in the wee hours itching - I really feel like it's his tactic to move me into consciousness because he stops once I'm up.
:icon_cof:

LeahO
 
Cascadians

Cascadians

New member
Well, Orka is sort of fussy about his food so his schedule isn't written in stone. When he was young he ate 4/x a day, raw meaty bones, human grade beef steaks, lamb, chicken, turkey, buffalo, duck, salmon, etc etc and veggie mash, fruits & veggies finely chopped then frozen, then mixed with a couple spoons oil, sometimes put raw egg on top of that. Only gave soft easy bones at first. His jaw and teeth are so strong now he pulverizes bones very easily. He hates rabbit and refuses to eat it but the kittens love it. Yakima Mary's rabbit is superb.

Columbia River Natural Foods has raw meat chubs that are good to start with because you can buy just one to see what Ben is willing to eat. Then you won't make a mistake of buying 80 pounds of a super good deal only to find your Newf backs out of the crate at the mere sight and smell of it, LOL

Back to feeding as much as he wants -- no. Because when he was a puppy he was ravenous and at times looked and felt a little chubby which is a big no-no, bad for dog's health, growth, bones, although everybody who felt him said he was within normal limits. But he would have eaten a LOT more and asked for more continuously. Just had to always do the rib test. Had to be careful because if he ate something with bones at nighttime, he would throw up a lot of bile and froth early morning. He does not do that anymore but I still don't give him much bone after 6/p.

Also, when he eats he will, if allowed, eat a lot at once before his tummy sends the signal of fullness to his brain. However, he is self-monitoring his intake well now, often skipping breakfast or dinner. His muscles are big and he's extraordinarily strong and energetic and playful. He gets a lot of exercise, although not as much as if he were on a farm with a lake and other dogs to play with. His appetite is also influenced now by the kittens; he is worried they will get portions of his choice food so is competitive a bit and watches his food prep up close and personal to be sure he is #1.

Re itching: the fleas here are terrible. We use Frontline Plus, have to, only thing that's worked. Fleas thrive thru floods, freezes, drought, whatever. Lots of dogs, anytime you take Ben anywhere fleas will hop on him.

The snoots: several folks here on NCA Board of Directors or high in org; many ppl will only look at you if you've owned Newfs at least 30 years with many titles and championships; they are best friends and co-own dogs with Prez of Canadian Newf orgs, co-own and breed with Pouch Cove (Josh's kennel), etc -- way up there, not interested in pipsqueak newbies, LOL But I just go right up to them and ask them why they're such snots :) Learning the ropes, find it all very interesting.

BTW they say they have to be snots because not anybody should own a Newf and "you have to prove yourself worthy before we talk to you." Well OK then! :D
 
sendchocolate

sendchocolate

New member
LeahO said:
:yawn: I know - the white carpets and perfect lawn made my initial reaction "We can't buy this house because it'll never hold up under the pressure" until Cody clarified that the reason I wouldn't buy a house is because it was too nice. What's worse is that they're the brand new inch and a half long shag with booties by the door. Jeez. That's just not my world.

That's great that there are snoots in the club! They probably have great stories and an attitude completely different than mine. Perhaps I'll start telling them about how I'm considering having Ben's nipples pierced for show or how I'd really like to see more Newfies in clown gear downtown because it's cute. This can be fun!

LeahO
Click to expand...
Hi, Leah, from Southern California. I have already seen some of your posts, but this last one just made me laugh. I think we would get along quite well, based upon the tweaking of the snoots. Love it! :icon_bb:

As for white carpet...is there by chance hardwood floors under it? Rip that stuff out, won't be long before you will be cursing it, I bet.
 
Cascadians

Cascadians

New member
Carpet is good for traction. I'm glad our house is mostly carpeted. Orka's bones and joints are in good shape as he races around. No slipping. We put Orvis mats on tile.

Dyson animal vacuum does wonders for getting out dried sand / mud / debris.
 
sendchocolate

sendchocolate

New member
Cascadians said:
BTW they say they have to be snots because not anybody should own a Newf and "you have to prove yourself worthy before we talk to you." Well OK then! :D
Click to expand...
:shocker: Are you serious? I kind of felt that from the SoCal club, too, but I am not shy, and will talk to anyone. I have reached the age that I don't give a fig what people think of me. I don't prove myself to anyone, I am a good person, a loyal friend. Living in SoCal, it is easy to be judged for the amount of money you have, car you drive, home you own... I just don't go there. DO NOT make snap judgments, you'll regret it. And I won't be friends with/associate myself with anyone who cubbyholes others that way. Including whether or not someone is "serious" about their breed. Sure, you don't have to take me seriously when it comes to my dog, but I won't be treated badly just because I just now decided to bring a newf into my life. I have wanted to ever since I could remember, but we just didn't have the facilities...yet.

It's a shame more aren't welcoming like NN is... there is so much knowledge out there, and honestly, when I learn something, I pay it forward. How else are people expected to learn, if not from one another?
Leska, their loss! You are awesome! :new_smilie_colors1:
 
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Cascadians

Cascadians

New member
This year when I went to the Rose City show with Orka, sat, just by chance, with a whole row of ppl who had gotten their Newfs from far away. Other continents! Me included :) Every single one had tried locally and been met by Icy Snoootsville. They gave up too soon, but I understand how they feel. In fact there's folks emailing me saying they won't join the local Newf Club because of the rampant snooooootiness. One just has to look beyond it and find ppl who are good.

There IS a very nice knowledgeable accessible breeder here.

I've got feelers out for a possible puppy / yearling playmate for Orka, just in case the perfect Newf appears. No pressure, thankfully, because we've decided Orka does not have to have a live-in playmate. But communicating with some of these breeders is a monumental challenge. Just have to keep going, have faith that somehow the Lord will be able to get through somehow if it is meant to be.

Wanted to give a heads up to LeahO so when she encounters the snoootiness she knows it isn't her, it's just the PacNW trend of a certain high-up subset.

I know one of them, seeing me and Orka, just aggravates her to no end. She doesn't think the differently abled should be seen in public. I still talk to her, even though it must send her blood pressure thru the roof. But she's out there as a rep of the breed, so she has to suffer my presence ;)
 
Annetteb

Annetteb

New member
Kona and I :kgo_057: you from just north of you in Washington state.

Have fun with the puppy days ... they grow so fast!
 
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