Soon to be new shop dogs...

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Dec 3, 1999
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Well, this thread is supposed to be about joy and excitement, but it would be incomplete without a bit of sadness to start off. :(




If you DON'T want the typical "Nick Wheeler novel post", here is the jist of this entire thread---

**** Long story short, we're finding Shadow a new FOREVER home, and Angi, Erin, and I are getting two Newfoundland puppies***** (please skip ahead to photos and video)




If you think I'm simply giving up on Shadow, or you give a crap at all about the details of all this.... please read on. :o :) :foot:

Many of you know the whole story about Shadow and how he ended up here, and how he stayed here. I LOVE HIM TO PIECES. He follows me around the shop (quite fitting for his name)... he is sweet, amazingly beautiful, and he has carved a spot in my heart he will hold forever.

Unfortunately, whether I love him with my heart or not... he is simply not a good fit for me, Angi, and Erin AS A FAMILY. And us for him. There is no doubt he is loved here, and taken very good care of. But simply by the nature of his breed (turns out he IS a Malamute) he is EXTREMELY high energy and VERY predatory. Now a young family with a very large fenced area and either another Alaskan dog or similar sized dog... but NO SMALL ANIMALS (CATS!!! lap dogs, racoons, squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, etc) would be THE PERFECT HOME for him.

Unfortunately, even with me taking him on A LOT of walks (3 to 7 miles several times a week)... He is still not getting enough exercise and has been getting more and more anxious. HE NEEDS TO RUN.

It was with a very heavy heart, that we came to the decision AS A FAMILY to find him a new home where he can be the dog that he truly is. At first I wouldn't even consider letting him go, but I realized how selfish I was being... I was putting my heart and emotions ahead of HIS well being. In my BRAIN, I knew from the first week he was here that he was probably not the right fit for us... but I thought with a lot of work I could make it work and provide THE BEST HOME for him. But I was wrong. I was never intentionally trying to hurt him, but in retrospect, I have been trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

I am sort of an odd man out, in that I wear my heart on my sleeve (got that from mom) and I don't give a shit what anyone thinks of that (got that from dad!)...... It's just who I am. Me and Angi fought with, and cried over the decision to surrender Shadow for the last 4 months. It was not easy, and it was not a split second decision. But at the end of the day, it is what's best for SHADOW.

We have teamed up with Washington Malamute rescue to find him a forever home where he will be loved like he is here, but with the setting that HE NEEDS. There's more to it, but this has already gotten longer that I wanted.



------------------------------------------


So moving forward... I have wanted a Newfoundland since I was 15 (I'm 33 now)... and in amazingly coincidental form, so has Angi. A Newfie IS THE RIGHT FIT for us as a family. They are ginormous, but they are truly gentle giants. They are a working breed that likes to do draft work, and swimming/water rescue is in their genes. They can go on one of our 12 mile day hikes and be happy as a clam... or they can lay on the couch and be just as happy. They do not have an ounce of predatory blood... they are known as THE BEST DOG FOR KIDS, PERIOD. (the nana dog in Peter Pan was a landseer newfie ;) :) ).

We figured we would have to wait at least a couple years because a.) they are fairly rare---there's only a small handful breeders in the Northwest and one litter every 2 years is average, b.) they are very expensive because of said rarity, c.) we are in the process of buying the new house/shop which is not something to take lightly.

And then the other day we heard about a family with a litter of puppies almost ready to be sold. Angi and I decided NOT to go look at them because we figured we'd fall in love but not be able to get one.

Then I told Angi the other day I had called and set up an appointment to meet the owners, the mom and dad, and the puppies. :eek: :foot: :D

Turns out we DID fall in love (in about 10 seconds). The crazy twist here, is that they are in THE SAME town that we are moving to. Sometimes things just sort of fall into place, even if the timing isn't perfect. We really hit it off with the owners... they are near the same age as Angi and I, and we have a ton in common. It was like we'd known one another for years. Jayson is a millwright with a very strong background in metal work, and is VERY VERY METICULOUS about everything he builds with his hands (Hmmm... ;) :)). He was very interested in my knife work and we could have spent days just discussing working with steel.

We couldn't decide on a puppy, so we agreed to bring Erin back with us and try to choose. Turns out, she was no help either. ;) :D... I jokingly asked if they were offering a quantity discount to which Jayson said, "Absolutely! We will work something out for you guys."

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooo..... We are getting 2 Newfoundland puppies!!!!!!!!! :thumbup: :D :thumbup: :cool: :thumbup: :D

Are we ever so slightly freaked out about the idea of having 300 pounds of combined weight in 2 dogs in two years??? Um, hell yes. But does the positive excitement completely over rule all??? HELLZ YEA!!!

(so I know there's a good chance YOU are thinking, WTF?!?!?, he just decided to let his other dog go and now he's all giddy about new ones??? IF so, then read the novel above so that you get that crap idea out of your brain) ;)

HERE THEY IS... ;) :D :D :D

Angi holding Bentley on the first visit. 8 weeks and already about 20 pounds!!! :eek: :D
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Here is the second boy... he's the biggest in the litter. Shannon has been calling him Chunk... but we will find a more flattering name ;) :D
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Here's Angi holding Bentley on the second visit. I think he gained two pounds in 1 day. :eek: :D
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This pretty little thing with the awesome eyes is Erin, and she's hanging onto Bentley. :)
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Here's Angi holding "Chunk" on the second visit.
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They are absolute cuddle-bugs...
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Once we struck an agreement on the whole deal... we put a collar on the boys to set them apart (they're currently the largest of the littler...but these guys grow fast and we're not going to take them until we start moving into the new house...hopefully in a week or two).

They are two pees in a pod!!! :D
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Here are some of their siblings hanging out in their owner's yard :)
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This is momma... she is a 148 pound version of the babies. Many of the giant breeds (Newfies, Great Pyrenese, Mastiffs, St. Bernards) have this magical quality in that they look nearly the same as adults as they did as pups.
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Here is Papa... he is a bronze, or chocolate, Newf. To be brutally honest, Angi and I do not care for the long muzzle, streamlined head like he has... we prefer the classic short muzzle, big blocky head like Momma has... but Papa has the classic personality and so does Momma and THAT IS WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO US!!! But as gravy, the two big boys look like they take after Momma in the looks department.

That's Bentley loving on dad ;) :) BTW- Dad is only 1-1/2, so he's still quite lanky... but already about 140 pounds. They don't usually fully fill out until near 3... so he could easily end up in the 160-170# range! :eek:
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Momma's not fat, she's big boned! ;) :D She can't sit still without having someone pull up for a drink. ;) :D
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Wrestling is a lot of work.
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Getting so tuckered out...
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I had a "Newfy" too...named him Mozart (Moz for short). Best dog I ever owned. I had him for 13 years, that's a good pull for a dog that hit the scales at 191 pounds at one time. He could stand and put a front paw on each of my shoulders and stare me straight in the face. Enjoy them, their size comes mostly from their heart being so big for you.:)
 
And this is worth many thousands of words! :D Please don't mind the screaming in the background... the neighbor's young daughter had a spill but she was okay. :)

You get to see most of the whole gang in this little video. :) (also don't mind the dork running the camera!!! :foot: :o :D)

[video=youtube;9cQhhxsp9iI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cQhhxsp9iI[/video]
 
Nick i'm a dog guy big time and I have to say it takes a very big man with a hell of a heart to make the decision you did with Shadow. Not many people get it. Most people think of them as property. Someone who truly sees them as family will always do the right thing for them not what makes us feel better. I just spent over $1500 on my boxer getting cancer removed and will spend the same again if I have to. Good on you brother! And congrats on the new pups.


~Matthew Lomas
 
Thanks JMW and Matthew!!!

I have already had some of my family accuse me of wanting to "just get rid of Shadow." to which my gut response is to deck them in the face. Angi and I absolutely love him to pieces, but we simply are not the best home for him.

Once we move into the new house, there will be Ragdoll kitties in the house, so Shadow would NEVER be able to come inside. Ragdolls are crazy beautiful, sweet, laid-back cats, but have absolutely zero street smarts. Shadow would kill the cats within 30 seconds of getting in the house. He is the sweetest boy with people, but his predatory instincts are VERY VERY STRONG, and he instantly goes after anything small and furry. (he even scooped up a little black pekingese once but I got it away from him before he could bite down).

He needs to be in a home where he's free to go inside. He's in the shop with me all day, but he doesn't have the freedom that he deserves.

It REALLY REALLY hit home when we were watching Discovery Channel and they were rescuing Tigers from people who had them locked up in little cages. The owners would say, "But I just love them so much" To which the animal rescue people would say it doesn't matter how much you love them, you're making their life hell by trying to force them to be something they're not.

Shadow is a runner... and he NEEDS TO RUN. Even though I lift and am in pretty good shape, I am NOT built for running (same for Angi with her knees) and we just cannot physically run with him for more than short sprints.

I was a bit worried about sharing all this on the forum, because I had documented his accidental arrival here with everyone, and wasn't sure if folks would understand.

We are confident in finding him the best possible forever home because he is sweet, loving, and crazy beautiful. We took him on a short 2.5 mile walk last night and had several people stop us to say how beautiful he is. :)

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NEVER goes in past his belly, but he loves tromping around in the creek.
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Always helping out... head stuck under my arm pit.
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Fresh from a bath last week.
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Nick,

Glad to see you care about man's best friend as much as I do. I have two Boxers and two Shihtzu (both rescues). Very few understand the true bond that develops with our dogs.

Robert
 
Thanks Robert :)

You are so correct. My sister has been pushing me to find Shadow a new home ever since we realized 3 months into his being here that we just were not going to find his original home. I had grown so attached to him by that point, it was like asking me to cut off a couple of my fingers. I just flat-out, did not want to even consider it. Even though my brain was telling me it wasn't quite right after things like him getting in the house and nearly killing one of the house cats... my heart was saying, "No way in hell!"

I feel it's fair to say that coming to that decision was the hardest on me because I am literally with him 6-14 hours per day, every day, out in the shop.

Angi is the voice of reason, and she finally got me to see that because he is such a sweet, lovable, beautiful boy, that there IS ANOTHER FAMILY out there that will love him like we do, but be able to provide a much better home.

My mind was put to ease when I spoke with the rescue organization and found out just how thoroughly they screen applicants and that Angi and I get final say in whether or not a qualifying family gets to take him. They also send a volunteer to the applicants home to make sure that everything they put on their application is TRUE... like having a fenced yard.


Oh, and just in case anybody is reading this and thinking, "Man, who is he trying to convince... us, or himself?" Then yea... even though it's what's best for Shay-Dog... it's still hard for me to swallow it all.
 
Nick
It takes a real man to do what you did. It warms my heart to see someone react that way. You are a good man, In every aspect. Kudos to you Mr. Wheeler.
 
Nick - I have a Mal-cross & a sibe-cross and I totally know where you're coming from with Shadow -- they're incredible dogs, but not for families with small children or animals - and they need the range to roam. Giving one up is tough, but confining them to a small fenced yard with no "job" is even worse on the dog. your understanding of this fact says good things about you as a person.
OTOH, I'm also jealous of the newfie pups -- Love those guys!
newfies & great pyr's are incredible with children and other animals -- and death on coyotes or other predators.
best of luck to you and the new family in the upcoming future -- sounds like you have the beginnings of some decent friends there, too.
 
Congrats, Nick. My boss and his wife, more the wife I guess, breedes Neuf's and bulldogs. I don't envy the food bill or the clean up detail but I have to admit I'd love to have a Neuf too. Absolutely no room for one where I am right now though.
 
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