An Officer, A Gentleman, and a Newfoundland (Father's Day Reprise)

(As told by Satchel & Andrew)

We wanted to bring you the story of our Grandpa and his first Newfie. Grandpa served for several years in the U.S. Air Force in Italy and the Persian Gulf during World War II. He was a highly decorated Lieutenant and spent much of his time in dangerous reconnaissance work. One of his last assignments came in leading a supply platoon into Russia during the winter of 1944. After successfully getting the supplies into the hands of Russian troops, Grandpa was approached by a young Russian soldier. The soldier had a Newfie puppy and he was being shipped out and could not take the Newfie with him. He pleaded with Grandpa to take the Newfie so that it would have a good home and not face a very uncertain future. Grandpa agreed and the brief encounter between two soldiers was enough for handshakes, hugs, and best wishes to be exchanged.

Only a few weeks later, Grandpa received his orders to return home after years away from Grandma and his family. He had named the puppy "Franny" and was very concerned about how he would get Franny back home with him. After considerable thought, he decided to see if the pilot of the Air Force plane would take some money and store Franny underneath the pilot's seat. The pilot agreed, and Grandpa put Franny in a cardboard box with holes in it so she could breath. He gave her a sleeping pill so that no one else would know of the precious cargo. Well, all went well, and Franny made her way with Grandpa back to Chicago and then on to San Francisco, where she lived until 1958 with two daughters who loved her dearly. Grandpa had brought back a Persian rug he kept in his office overseas. He put it in his basement office at home when he got back, and he and Franny spent many fond hours there curled up on the rug.

Not long after finally getting home, Grandpa wrote a poem to Franny, entitled, "Lines To A Curled Up Franny": "Little Franny, lax and lazy With a mind extremely hazy In regard to human cares Far removed from worldly affairs. There you lie your tail around you With no Charlotte to hound you With no taxes to be met With no spending to regret. There you snuggle on the Persian; Bothered not by reconversion; Void of grief and sacrifice; Dreaming dreams of cats and mice." (Lt. Samuel D. Sayad) (March 30 1913 - July 29 1986)

The Most Wanted Dog Breed In Swindon Revealed By Those Who Sell Them

(By Ben Gardner, Yahoo News, June 10, 2024)

"The most sought-after dog breed in Swindon has been revealed by a dog-selling website. There are 360 different dog breeds in the world, according to The Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), the world’s largest dog organisation. Dog breed popularity come and go with fashions, meaning that the demand for breeds changes all the time. According to puppies.co.uk, the most searched-for breed in Swindon is Newfoundlands, or Newfies with approximately 10,000 monthly searches. The website said: 'Newfies are renowned for their intelligence, sweet disposition and gentle nature.” Charity Newfound Friends UK trains the breed in sea rescue, as well as to be therapy dogs. It describes Newfoundlands as “the calmest, most intuitive animals you will ever meet.” The American Kennel Club says: “Newfs are born swimmers, complete with partially webbed feet, and strong enough to save a grown man from drowning. Their prowess as rescuers is the stuff of legend: What the Saint Bernard is to the Alps, the Newfoundland is to the icy waters of the North Atlantic.' However, Newfoundlands are not cheap to keep. In fact, research by Sambla suggests they are the second most expensive dog to keep over their lifetime at £28,332. The Newfoundland, originating in what’s now modern-day Canada, can weigh anywhere between 55-80 kg, which explains the over £1,200 you will have to spend on food each year. A Newfoundland also costs just shy of £500 a year to be professionally groomed. After Newfoundlands were Golden Retrievers, considered by many to be the perfect family dog with 7,200 searches. In the third spot are German Shepherds at 5,500 searches, followed by 5,400 searches for Toy Poodles and 4,600 searches for Cockapoos. Meanwhile the most expensive dog according to Sambla is the Tibetan Mastiff costing a staggering £31,530 on average across their 13-year lifespan. Tibetan Mastiffs are an overall affectionate family dog breed, but one of the most expensive to buy as a puppy, costing an average of £2,333. Their food costs are also particularly pricey, costing on average £1,079 per annum. Meanwhile, the most affordable dog breeds are terriers. The Patterdale Terrier from England came out top as the most affordable dog breed to own costing £5,763 over its 13-year lifespan. This pet has an £893 average buying cost and the average food bill costs £99 per annum which works out to just £8.25 a month."

Newfoundland Fowl Feather Friends Sven and Olaf Are An Inseparable Pair and Protagonists of Book Series

(By Madison Walters, Tulsapeople.com, May 31, 2024) "Looking to add a little light into her family’s lives during the pandemic, Jessie Vallier adopted a Newfoundland puppy named Sven and a flock of ducks around the same time. Tragedy struck the small Broken Arrow farm one morning when it was discovered a coyote had attacked the flock, leaving a single survivor. A few days after the event, Vallier noticed the duck, fittingly named Olaf, had begun shadowing the puppy. It wasn’t long after that she found the two lounging in a kiddie pool together, and the pair has been inseparable since. Vallier and her family were surprised by the odd pairing’s unlikely friendship. 'It’s so funny to see this little duck do everything with this huge dog,' she says, adding 'it would make (us) forget for a second what was happening in the world.'

Not thinking anything would come from it, Vallier began posting videos of the pair on Instagram and was blown away by the response. 'We had the sweetest messages from people all over the world, saying their friendship was helping them get through the dark days,' she says. Fans began to leave comments saying the dog and duck’s friendship would make for a great book, and finally after a year of seeing these comments, Vallier decided to try her hand at writing a children’s book about the friends (with Sven going by “Biss” and Olaf by “Olee”). She enlisted illustrator Krystal Kramer, who lives in Mississippi, to create art for the project. The result was a book series titled “The Adventures of Biss and Olee,” of which the sequel “The Adventures of Biss and Olee: Work on the Farm” will tentatively release at the end of summer. The books can be purchased on Amazon and via publisher Bookbaby Bookshop at store.bookbaby.com. You can keep up with the duo on Instagram @adventuresofbissandolee."