Meet Whinnie

I knew that a young female Newfy was coming to live with me in and effort to prepare her for adoption to a permanent home.  I had no idea what she would be like but I knew that she was a Newfy and that was enough.  I was certain that most behavior problems and training would not be too much to deal with.  She jumped out of the vehicle that brought her and as we expected wanted to inspect her new surroundings.  We brought her into the garage and introduced each of our other dogs one at a time.  She was friendly and eager to play but kept a keen eye on the Gary with whom she had stayed for a few days.  With all the excitement Whinnie lost track of Gary and he left for home.  I thought she had settled in quite nicely but after realizing the Gary was no longer there she became most anxious and upset.  She barked and paced at the fence where he had parked.  She was not interested in treats or any attempt to console her.  She searched for Gary for hours.  We finally coaxed her into the house and tried to make feel at home.

 

Whinnies first night was quite restless so I spent most of the night awake with her trying to make her feel welcome.  The next day found her exploring the house and yard with our three other dogs.  Two of them are also rescues.  Early in the day I found Whinnie coming in and out of the dog door in my office.  I wasn’t sure what she wanted so I would take her back out thinking she would visit with the other dogs or my niece who came by to meet her.  She kept coming in to my office to lie under my desk.  I didn’t think too much about it until I left to go to the post office.  I was gone only a few minutes when I got a frantic call from my mother who told me that Whinnie was really upset.  She was again running along the fence barking and trying to jump over.  I came back to find a very distraught Newfy.  She was so glad to see me that it took thirty minutes to calm her down.  After 2 months I could not leave without her getting very upset.  I began taking her with me in the back seat of my pickup.  Everybody in town now knows the big black dog in the big black truck.

Whinnie has settled in very well and displays all of the traits that we love in a Newfy.  I can now leave her for a few hours but she waits for me in my office under the desk.  My other rescue is an Australian Shepherd named Heidi who has some separation anxiety issues of her own.  Most often they are together playing, eating or sleeping.  Both love to play in the snow and we seldom find one without the other.  When I go out of town both dogs go with me and are great travelers.  I have rarely seen four female dogs get along so well.

I soon felt that the process of finding a permanent home for Whinnie would be extremely stressful for her.  More so the longer she is with me.  She is so bonded to me that she rarely lets me out of her sight even moving with me from one room to another.  This is partially why I decided to adopt her myself.  Of course she has stolen my heart and I don’t think I could part with her anyway.  As my business is on the property with my home I can be with Whinnie and Heidi almost all of the time.  We have a routine of going to the shop in the morning and up to the house in the evening.

Whinnie is constantly exposed to new people and experiences and is thriving.  A number of my mothers friend come by just to visit the big black dog.  She makes everyone feel like she loves them more than anything in the world.   She is great with kids of all ages and is very gentile with everyone. She likes almost all women but still anxious around men.  Loud voices are especially disconcerting. 

While the first part of her life seems to have been most difficult she still posses a gentle spirit and is a wonderful loving companion and family member.  She has grown almost full inch and gained about 7 pounds and moves as well as any dog I have ever seen.  We are most fortunate to have had Whinnie come into our lives.  We hope that we are somehow making up for the lack of attention in her early life.  Whinnie gives back so much more in return.