Hobie Cat. I Mean Dog.

As of midnight tonight, on this glorious day six years ago, a sweet little Newfoundland puppy was born in Quebec.

Let's back up. It was 2005. The Canadian and I had met that summer while working in Maine. We were head over heels for each other by July. At the end of the summer I spent a weekend (aka one month) here in Canada with him. As soon as I left and arrived back in the South we immediately made plans for me to come back to Canada in January. Duration TBA. 

At this point, TC was also house hunting and had bought a house by October. If that wasn't enough, he also decided it was high time to get a Newfoundland puppy. The dog he had been dreaming of for years. 

He was gracious enough to include me in this puppy discussion, as I was in the process of getting ready to move up to Canada for an undetermined amount of time. Frankly, I didn't really know anything about Newfs. Gold retrievers? Sold. Saint Bernard's? Drooly, but might be cool. Newfs? Whatever.

Anyway, we he eventually went with his gut and we started researching Newf breeders. Since we planned on driving from Florida to New Brunswick over Christmas break it seemed logical to pick up our new puppy along the way. We emailed breeders across the Eastern seaboard for weeks looking for a female pup that would be ready for a new home during that particular week. As luck would have it there was a female landseer (the black and white Newfs) pup that was going to be ready that particular week in Quebec. Without a second thought we put a down payment on her, named her Hobie (after the sailboat) and re-routed our trip to bypass Montreal.

We started our Christmas trip in Atlanta and then moved on down to Florida to celebrate New Years with some friends. From there we journeyed up to Tennessee for a night and then went on to drive straight through to Quebec. After about 20 hours in the car we reached the Canadian border. The customs officers weren't in a particularly chipper mood and declined my access to Canada. For a plethora of stupid, irrelevant, wrong reasons they turned us around back into the USA. We spent the night in a New York hotel, scared to death about what the next day would hold. Fortunately, I was allowed into the country the next day at a different port of entry. Thanks to our 'customs angel' we were on our way to pick up our puppy and keep heading east to New Brunswick. 

Finally, we reached the breeders house where we met our sweet girl for the first time after weeks of emails and photographs. We spent the rest of the night trying to out-run a snow storm and drive 12 hours back home.

Hobie was a lazy dog from the beginning. At one point I actually took her to the vet because she was so lazy. She wasn't following me around or engaging in any of the annoying puppy behaviors that all the books and articles described. The vet reassured me that there was nothing wrong with her, she was just a Newf pup and that is what they do. It takes a lot of energy to gain 100 pounds of weight in a year, apparently. Doesn't leave too much time for hooligan antics. 

She wasn't perfect, don't you worry. She chewed the coffee table. She howled if put in her crate. She peed on anyone that walked through the door out of excitement. But she never nipped, never jumped, and you could mess with her as much as you wanted. 

She could walk 10 miles but she wouldn't sprint 10 feet. Her ball was fun for about a month. A stick was fun for a while. But toys weren't really her thing. She liked walks, but not with a leash.

Toady, she is a small Newf, weighing in right around 110 pounds. She drools when there is something good in the kitchen but mostly she keeps her slobber in her jowls...just don't let her rub her face against your leg. She needs to be brushed more often than she is and she needs baths more often than she gets them. She sheds like a crazy person and her black and white coat keeps me from being able to successfully wear either color without showing signs of dog hair. However, never has there ever been a more laid-back, loyal and loving dog. 

Don't get me wrong, I am not one of those people that wants a Newf forever. I recognize that their life span is super short (6-10) and that their joints fail quickly because all that weight is a lot to bear.  But she has been wonderful company to The Canadian during the years of my absence (in Canada) and for that she deserves a medal. She is nothing, if not loyal to Her Canadian. She loves nothing more than him.

Which makes me think, I really need a good photo of the two of them together. Maybe that would be a good project for the weekend....

Oh Maple. You're my good girl too. You're the exact opposite of Hobie but I love you thiiiiis much anyway. 

So cheers to The Hobie Dog! Six great years and many more to come!

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Grateful....Today I am grateful for my wonderful husband.

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Monday Wokrout: Body Flow

Tuesday Workout: Cardio -  45 minutes Class - Body Flow 

Wednesday Workout: Cardio - 35 minutes Circuit - 60 jump ropes, 20 bicep curls w 20lb bar, 12 push-ups with feet on ball, 20 squats w 20lb bar, 360 plank with feet on bench, 20 oblique twists - x 4