Newfoundlands Are Supposed to Like Water!!

This morning brought another day of pouring rain and with it, bizarre behavior from my Newfoundland puppy. Perhaps the weather doesn't agree with her now that she has made it through her first hot, dry Walla Walla summer. Usually the climate here is decidedly non-maritime; it's nowhere near the blustery cold she was bred for which explains her penchant for flopping down right on top of the AC vents whenever they're blowing out icy cold air. She butts in on anyone having a shower, seeming to get her head drenched on purpose. She'll find any water main no matter how covered with grass or weeds. Loves the water hose! You'd think she was a real bona fide Newfie.... until the rain. For the last two days the air has been warm and humid. It's been raining virtually non-stop and today when I tried to take her out for her post-breakfast poo she had other ideas.

I was standing in the yard getting soaked looking back at a Newfie, feet so firmly planted on the porch you'd think she was stuck in hardened concrete. She wears a very serious expression most of the time, but the look she shot me this morning told me I was crazy if I actually thought she'd go get wet out there!!! She reluctantly got off the porch, made a 6 foot loop and then promptly ran back up the ramp and glowered at me again. So we repeated those steps, making a bigger loop each time until she finally peed.

She's got a water proof coat! She loves to get her head wet in the shower! She put her feet in her water dish until we elevated it to stop her attemps to make her own pond in our kitchen.

So what is going on with this kid?

We came back inside; I toweled her off, wiped up the muddy floor, and started a load of dog towels. We go through them very fast. We need towels for drying her feet off, wiping up her "drool fangs," wiping up the puddles left on the floor after she gulps mouthfuls of water from her dish and lets half of it spill out of her jowls as she runs off, and lately, drying up her piddle problem. We need towels for wiping off the slime she leaves on the furniture. It all adds up to an extra load of wash now and then. It's no big deal, she more than makes up for the little bit of extra work.

Speaking of towels, her latest game is to run around with full sized towels. She stuffs her mouth full of one corner and runs off trailing the rest behind her, sometimes getting flustered or tripping because she doesn't realize she's standing on it. I like to toss the towel end over her back so she looks like she's biting a cape that she's wearing when she runs by. It's really very cute and almost impossible to get a picture of so you'll just have to take my word for it.

A long time ago when I stayed with a friend who had backyard pool in Scottsdale I got to witness a most amazing dog - a very sweet blonde Lab. She'd ask politely to go for swim by bringing you a towel.

If only Katy would view going out in the rain as a fun "swim" she could bring her own towel to the door.