Honey and Pumpkin, Two Sweet Newfys
Like most of the residents of Virginia’s Eastern Shore, my daughter has dogs that love the water . Although most water loving dogs in our area are either labs, ( yellow, chocolate or black) or the famous Chesapeake Bay retrievers, my daughter has two Newfoundlands, a sweet, sweet breed. Reddish brown rather than the traditional Newfy black, her dogs are an endless source of amusement for anyone who sees them playing together, the gentle giant and the feisty ball of Newfy puppy fluff. Pumpkin, who will be two years old next month, is nearly the size of a small pony. HoneyBelle, Honey for short, now five months old, is less than a quarter of Pumpkin’s size. But when they wrestle, as they love to do, Pumpkin is so sweet and patient with her, the smart money is on Honey to win. Aside from taking them to the vet where their official weights are duly noted in their records, my daughter’s favorite way of measuring them is with frogs. Which takes a bit of explanation, obviously.
Out in the yard, beneath a large Bradford pear tree, side by side, sit two yard ornaments, large smiling frogs, standing comically on their hind legs, front legs akimbo, fingers widely splayed ( can you call them fingers ?). When Pumpkin was a small pup, just 10 weeks old, she loved smelling around those silly frogs. One thing led to another and the idea to have her sit beside the frogs and have her picture taken posing with them was born. In the first picture taken, the frogs towered over Pumpkin. And then every month or so for about the first year, as Pumpkin continued to have her picture taken with the frogs, bit by bit she came abreast and then finally towered over them.
Measuring with Frogs
And now it’s Honey’s turn to be measured with frogs, usually with Pumpkin by her side, my husband and I the official leash holders. Already she is getting close the high water mark but the towering time is months off. As for future measuring — Honey won’t mind, she loves smelling around that tree and those silly frogs, just like Pumpkin.