Many years ago I bred, showed and judged Cavalier King Charles Spaniels under the affix ‘Chatsmead’.  When our last Cavalier, Woosnam died, we decided not to have another dog, as we both struggled to cope with the grief of losing our beloved ‘family’.

However when we bought MEC it cried out for a dog, and Nigel had always  longed for a Newfoundland – he had see one years ago lay across his masters door way, front legs crossed, as Newfs do , and he’d fell in love with the breed.

We found our first Newfoundland in the Evening Mail !, a black bitch puppy advertised at a whopping £900  – but she was in deepest darkest Wales (yes it turned out to be a puppy farm to our horror) but Ashley very kindly collected our puppy and drove her all the way back to Middleton back in October 2004.  Here she is just 8 weeks old :

Elsa Puppy - 8 weeks old October 2004

Since then she has grown some what, and is a truculent little mare to say the least (can’t think who she might take after!!), Elsa only does what Elsa wants to do when Elsa wants to do it,  Here are some pictures of her growing up – into a really big dog.

Following Elsa came Indie, in the Spring of 2005, now she really is a big dog and weighs in at 13stone, she is the most adorable dog with none of Elsa’s truculence or naughtiness.

Here is Indie in all her glory

She is rather bigger than this now as you can see. Below you can see the terrible twins, sitting for once!

I would like a brown Newf  but for now I am banned ….Watch this space………!
More news and pictures over the next few months

Here’s what the Breed Information says about Newfoundlands

The Newfoundland developed on the island from which it takes its name. It is almost certainly a combination of the ancient, native Indian dogs and the many European breeds, which were carried across the Atlantic by explorers and fishermen from the 15th century onwards. By the end of the 17th century this "cocktail" had stabilised into a large, web-footed, thick coated dog, capable of draught and water work. Its useful qualities were soon recognised well beyond the North American continent, as was its equable temperament, which meant it worked well with other dogs and was easily trained. Imported in considerable numbers throughout Europe, these dogs soon attracted the attention of rich people, who brought them to ornament their estates and entertain (and watch over) their children. 

Many tales have been told of the courage displayed by Newfoundland's in lifesaving exploits and this has attracted the attention of a large number of artists, who have portrayed the dogs in paint, stone, bronze and porcelain over the last two centuries. 

The breed prospered in the United Kingdom, until 1914 and again in 1939, when its numbers were almost fatally depleted by wartime restrictions. Since the 1950's there has been a steady increase in numbers and popularity, while still remaining a relatively uncommon breed, this is not least because a Newfoundland's great size and fondness for playing around in mud and water make it very unsuitable for most homes. 

Update July 2012 - Lola

Kerry & Nigel are pleased to announce the arrival of Lola, a Landseer (black and white) Newfoundland puppy on the occasion of Nigel's 55th birthday.

Whilst most men would have been satisfied with some aftershave or a years subscription to GQ magazine oh no Nigel wanted a black and white Newf !

Helped along by Kyle and his ridiculous search of the internet for said Newfs, along came an unnamed puppy who appeared meek and nervous during our first visit. However as soon as one paw touched the ground at MEC the puppy transformed in to a tazmanian devil and has remained the same ever since.

Toilet training has been interesting with Lola shredding the newspaper and littering the kitchen with 1000's of small pieces of paper, all of which appeared to have been wee'ed on !

Even more interesting was Elsa's insistence that no-one had consulted with her on the arrival said puppy and she therefore placed a formal complaint at my feet and proceeded to treat the said usurper as somewhat of a Scooby snack when no human beings were watching !

Lola is now 13 weeks old and we have established something of a routine although my comments about the toilet training still stand. Watch this space......