What first attracted you to the breed?

[workingdoglover]

Just like what the title says. What first made you notice the breed. What was the first reason you decided you wanted to live with it.

I first saw one in a book in my school's library and fell in love with the big cuddly look of the dog. After reading more about the temperament I thought this was an awesome dog. Not to mention one of Canada's own.

If I had the room and time and money to add a third dog of this size, the Newfie would be at the top of the list.

 

[roisinbutler]

love at first sight really. Its as simple as that for me. Nothing could sway me and I am snared for life. Their dignity and noble carriage are only the tip of the iceberg, its the warm and loving and intelligent soul that shines in their eyes and the humour, can't forget that. These dogs wear their hearts on their sleeves and those hearts are bigger than they are.
(Oh and I love the water and could never imagine sharing my life with a water phobic dog)

 

[ptrent]

We had been without a dog for awhile, and Vicki decided it was time. I was neither for or against. We had had Boxers and our last dog was a temporary houseguest Border Collie, but she was determined to do endless research and find our "perfect breed" the scientific way.

She surfed the net, talked with dog people, vets, and must have brought home a dozen different books on breed types and read, and re-read every one from cover to cover.(She has an MBA. If you knew her, you'd understand this method is her typical obsessive approach.)

Finally, one day, she announced that the Newfoundland was going to be our breed, and the entire tedious process started over with breeders.

Now I, mind you, did not know a Newfoundland from a Westie. Really; Just never paid attention, so I just said "New-Finland, whatever". After correcting my pronuciation, she then told me of all the breeds, this was the mellow, loveable, family dog that we needed. She then told me how large they were. Well, I kind of flipped, and said, in no uncertain terms, that there would be no 150# dog in our future, and to try again. I pictured my last Boxer- 80 pounds, slap-happy, and a little (o.k., well a lot) on the stupid side- double that weight, flipping over furniture, digging mammoth holes in the yard and generally acting badly. No giant dogs for me!

So Vicki went back to the drawing board. Unhappy that I was so adamantly against Newfs, but realizing that it was an uphill battle, and there had to be something a little smaller, right? She studied and charted and graphed temperment vs. trainability vs. calmness. This was principally because I said "the next dog we get better be nice, smart and nearly comatose".

After another month the new study was back: Newfs won again. This time, though, she had the equivalent of a doctoral thesis written on the virtues of Newfoundlands. I was trapped by the results of her statistical analysis of every breed known to man. I threw in the towel and admitted that I could not fight what was there in black and white. I ignored the situation, knowing it would take another lifetime for her to find a breeder. In January, 2001, she found a breeder in Michigan who was having puppies. May 15, 2001 we were on our way to pick up our puppy.

I kept my feelings to myself for the most part. I was NOT happy about this situation. I just knew that my luck was going to bring me to a breed and a particular dog that I would hate. We were on our way to pay a lot of cash for a mammal about the size of a grown man, that I was sure would act like a drunk crack-head as soon as we got it home. That was then.

In the first 10 days, and now over the past two years, I learned that the Newf is the best breed of dog that God and man ever conspired to create. It is absolutely everything that I always wanted in a family member. I was so wrong- she was so right.

We found Newfs by raw analysis of what we wanted in a family pet. I am now a Newf freak, but at the time, all we wanted was a pet that actually fit in with us. It really could have been any shape or size and Vicki would have gone with it. Now we both appreciate the breed for their beauty as well as personality and vowed that a Newf (or two) are the dogs for us.

Phil

 

[sarnewfie]

How about Bruce Esiason in his underwear, in a commercial on TV with a few big fuzzy newfs.
that is what started the ex and i with newfs.
we loved what they looked like.
after much research of what they were like, and much waiting for our first pup, we got a second a year later, did dual rings, and than my dream of having landseer variety finally started coming true, with emmett my badly marked landseer or possibly I.S.
and than finally my queen, the foundations, emmett and morgan
i have enjoyed the blood sweat and tears, the love and joy and devotion, the trust between a handler in SAR and her dog, the true relationship that every working dog shares with their owner, there is no greater bond than that, it is 100% pure devotion without judgements, without animosity.
i love my babies.
all of them,and will continue to strive to bring happiness to them and the people who own them.

 

[Mizpah]

Jason grew up in Newfoundland with a mom who didn't want a dog. He begged and pleaded for a newfoundland, and she told him "when you get your own house, you can have as many newfoundland dogs as you want" and he said "I WILL! I will have TEN dogs" I was more concerned with an apropriate family pet, good with kids yadda yadda yadda. Now our home can never be without a newfie, the year we waited inbetween loosing Schooner and getting Gideon was the longest year ever.

 

[Saara]

My Annie was a RottweilerNewfX and while she was mostly Rottie (can't mistake that smile ), her personality was mostly Newf although I didn't really know that at the time. The Rottens that I've known have all been big loveable goofs which is what I like in a dog. She was that and she was also very sweet.

After we lost her to osteosarcoma last Thanksgiving, we started talking about what type of dog we would now get. A few things were a given: the bigger the better, must love water, darker color, and likely to enjoy sailing/camping/hiking but also be able to spend the day minding my feet in my office while I work. Nothing too hyper!

We discussed Goldens, but kept coming back to Newfs. I started looking for Newf mixes. However, the more I read about Newfs, the more I thought we should have a purebred.

Since my honey is an engineer, I bought Emmy Bruno's book The Newfoundland, a Newf calendar, and 99 Newfies. I figured a barrage of technical information, Newfporn, and a bunch of heart-warming stories would win him over. It worked!

Now we're talking with breeders and hoping to find a match and soon welcome a Newfie girl to our family. The bonus with this breed is the community! I love all the newf friends that I've "met" online during my quest and my research. Everyone is just as loveable as their Newfs!

 

[newfie-mom-wannabe]

Although we are still without a newf, I first heard a story about them on animal planet. When I started researching them on the net, I came across one picture that did it for me. It was the face...the expression. This newf just looked like he wanted to reach through the computer and give me a big slobbery kiss. Of course I'd already read some on temperment, etc. so that made the picture even more appealing. It will probably still be another year before we bring home a pup, so I have to admire them from afar. We go to a few dog shows a year to see some in person, and after the human baby is born in August we will continue researching breeders. I told my husband that the baby would really like a puppy for his first birthday. I think it'll work.

 

[dreama]

After my Belle ,my beautiful, affectionate, intelligent female rottweiller was PTS due to cancer I vowed thatI would never have another dog. It was just too painful to lose her. But then my DD began an extensive search for the perfect puppy for her 2 toddlers. To make a long story short; after all her research she decided that a Newfoundland was the ONLY dog that had all pros and no cons except ONE THING. You'll never guess; it was their huge size. Well she went ahead and bought a purebred 8 week old pup and her home was pure chaos for about a week.Now I had wanted a Newfie for about 25 years. My oldest son's piano teacher had one and I was impressed with the size, the calm loving nature, and the beauty of him. I can't find the verse but The Lord gave me the desire of my heart and knew that I was ready after grieving for Belle for 3 years and I didn't have to pay a dime for Bear.My DD gave him to me for my Birthday. The Lord is so good.Of course I did buy Xeena soon after from the same breeder. She is the only dog I have ever paid for. My DD has a pug now and it is the perfect dog for her family and I have the perfect dogs for me! roundtuit

 

[Khiori]

My first Newfoundland was when I was four years old. There was never any decision on my part. Newfoundlands just *are*.

 

[N2N Mags Dad]

Pictures. The beautiful profile photos of Newfoundland dogs in encyclopedias or dog books seen when I was little.

The dogs always filled the picture, so no frame of reference existed for size, yet the appealing profile image burned-in my mind.

In the course of 44 years, saw those mysterious newf snapshots here and there. Did a little research last fall and felt the Newf was the right breed, better for us than a berner. Still hadn't seen one. Didn't know anybody who had ever been owned by one. Never even saw one in person til we visited a breeder for a confirmation discussion in November.

There, we were greeted by a gargantuan dog that barked, stood alert, then marched up to me, put its head over a tall fence and licked my chin with all four paws still on the ground. Then, it proceded to mill about with other newfs in the yard, including a lone 14 week pup, like friends at a cocktail party. I was hooked and so was New2Newfs. That day, we ditched our reservation on a Xmas litter, and we brought home Maggie. (Later, we ended up with a Xmas present, too, Lucy)

[ 05-02-2004, 09:54 AM: Message edited by: N2N Mags Dad ]

 

[Elizabeth]

My first Newf experience was in elementary school, during recess a newf named Blueberry walked at least 2 miles to come see all the kids

A few dogs and years later I knew I wanted a large, gentle, good with kids kind of dog.
I thought back to Blueberry. And so my research began. And the rest they say, is history.

E

 

[Annie Milliron]

When we finally decided it was time to add a dog to our family, Russell & I began discussing breeds. I grew up with Cockers and a couple of miniature poodles, and Russell grew up with Labs, shelties, and a few other assorted breeds.

We both decided to get a breed that would be new to both of us... and we wanted a large breed. We narrowed it down to 3: Irish Wolfhounds, English Setters and Newfs. We ruled out the English Setters almost immediatly, because their energy level wouldn't be a good fit with our life style.... I still think they are stunningly gorgeous....

So that left Irish Wolfhounds, and Newfs. I really can't remember how we decided on Newfs, but I think Russell really liked the idea of drafting and water work. I just adored their look, and their sweetness. And after gazing into the eyes of a newf... I was hooked... for life... and am now quite content to "moon" over any newf before my eyes.

Those of you who know me realize that I get positively goofy when watching a newf, whether it be at a water test, draft test, obedience trial, agility trial, in the confirmation ring, a freestyle demo, or just at play.... and it's not unusual to find me with tears of joy running down my face... because for some reason, my heart just sings when I watch newfs doing ANYTHING... even sleeping!!!!

So, I'm definitely a "lifer"

 

[Lori_K]

Shortly after we got our first house, my husband and I wanted to add a dog. I've always loved animals, but apartment living was not conducive to the zoo that I had in mind!

So, we tried to do the "right thing" and went down to a nearby shelter. Found a year old collie mix that seemed to be a nice dog. Took the dog home, and it turned in to Mr. Hyde-- peed on the floor, stole our food, and ended up biting me three times on my hands when I tried to remove stolen items. And this was all during a 3-day weekend. I knew I wasn't trained to deal with a dog like that, so I took him back to the shelter at the first available opportunity.

After that, our dog desires cooled a bit. Rather than make another mistake, we decided to thoroughly investigate dog breeds to find out which was best suited to our lifestyle. My husband actually picked the Newfoundland as first choice. I was a bit skeptical-- I knew which one of us was going to be cleaning up the hair and drool! I preferred the "wolf" like dogs a little more, and was considering the Belgian Turvuren. A little later, we attended a large dog show, and talked to the breeders and handlers for both dog breeds. We spoke with a wonderful woman (whose name escapes me, even though I remember her Newf's name!), and visited with her male black Newf, Chester, who was nearly 200 pounds! But a sweeter dog I've never known. We were hooked. Then we bought a couple Newf books, and started researching breeders through the NCA listings. We were looking for a puppy, but in my search I talked to a breeder who had a 3 year old male who just finished his championship. Congo had a beautiful temperament, but due to some mild hip displaysia he couldn't be used in her breeding program. We drove out there, and spent the afternoon with her and the dog, and took Congo home for a 2-week trial period. And he stayed with us until he died from cancer at 9 1/2 years of age.

While we had Congo, I swore to my husband that after he was gone we weren't going to have any more large, long haired dogs. I was tired of constant grooming and cleaning up. But when Congo died, he left such a void in our lives that we never realized. It was a long time before we wanted a dog again-- not because of the hair & cleanup, because of the pain. We attended the Nationals in NY last year, and it was bittersweet, but rekindled the Newf fever. So, now we have TWO large, long-haired Newf mixes. Go figure.