Hi there,

Well, I know it’s been a little while since my last post. But I have been busy trying to keep cool in the summer heat and just loosing as much fur as I possible can while tracking in dirt without end into the house. Needless to say I’ve been keeping mom very busy with cleaning up after me–but that’s what she’s here for, right?

I thought it would be fun to jump back into the game here with a few questions that mom and dad have gotten over the years about my awesomeness. The questions range from totally silly things that you kinda shake your head at — to really educated questions that make you know that a lot of people still seem to enjoy the Discovery Channel!

  1. Is that a Bernese Mountain Dog/St. Bernard?
    This may seem like a really silly question to anyone who is familiar with Newfies or other dog breeds. But a lot of people just don’t know much about the hundreds of dog breeds out there. So when they see a big dog, they just throw out the name of something else huge and hope for the best. So mom and dad have to do a bit of educating when this question comes up — but at least the people are interested. And mom and dad don’t know every breed in the world either.
  2. She’s pretty small for a Newfie, right?
    This one always surprises us a bit since most people don’t know much about Newfies. And most people also think that I am HUGE. Like cow huge. But, I am actually rather dainty for a Newfie and not nearly as tall as my sister (who also has a lot more Landseer in her like my daddy.) I weigh only about 55 kilos (120 lbs). But my sister weighs about 65 kilos (143 lbs) and my daddy 75 kilos (165lbs)!
  3. How much does she eat??
    There is one guy we know who actually asks mom and dad this question every time we see him on the street…which is thankfully not so often since they keep having to repeat the answer. I really don’t eat all that much food daily (around 2.5 lbs or 1 kilo), which is a combination of dry food kibble and canned food…plus whatever people food I can con mom into letting me have.
  4. Is that a bear?
    Usually this question is asked by small children — or as a joke. But I guess I do look quite a bit like a bear since I’m so furry, black and big. Mom and dad are actually extra careful with me during hunting season when we walk out around any deer blinds because you just never know when someone might assume I am a bear and accidentally shoot me. Farmers around here also don’t like dogs prancing around in their fields so sometimes they just might mistake a dog for a bear on purpose — and no one wants to push their luck!
  5. Oh, a Newfoundland! Those are the dogs with the swimming skin between their toes, right?
    A couple of years ago, a show came out here in Germany that talked about the super amazing water rescue dogs that they use in Italy. You’ve probably seen some of them as well, jumping out of helicopters into the water below. And one of the strongest, most powerful dogs to use for this are Newfies. So if you go to certain parts of Italy during the summer, you may actually see a Newf lifeguard on the beach (I’d love to shake paws with one of those dogs and interview him!)

    But yes, we do have webbing between our toes which allows us to swim better because the webbing is sort of like us putting on doggy flippers. Extremely practical. And that’s why they used my ancestors in Newfoundland to do crazy stuff like pulling in tugboats in the fog. I do not really have enough motivation to try something like that out — but it sure sounds cool!

  6. Woah – that dog is as big as a VW bus!
    Okay, not a question. But probably one of the funniest comments I’ve ever heard someone make about my size. And also rather offensive since I am clearly not even remotely as large as a VW bus. I am larger than the wheels on a VW bus put together athough. Really, I’d probably say Newfies are closer in size to a classic Beetle — or the old Mini Cooper.

What kind of silly questions have you ever had asked about your pets? Or yourself?

Never ending kisses,