Andrew - Karazan Music Of The Night

A Note To Andrew (An Ode To Jack) Sometimes I look for traits in you Of a great big dog you never knew....... A dog that loved me all his days And understood in special ways. But that's not fair to you, Andrew; You're not a substitute; but yourself! You've eased the loss, soothed the pain And tugged my laughter home again. Yet, "Puppy", at times I almost start When your eyes recall him to my heart You'll never lack for love, it's clear Because of him, you're twice as dear. Forever. For always.

Remembering Sergeant Gander

(Veterans Affairs - Canada) Sergeant Gander was a Newfoundland dog, and was raised by the Hayden family on the airport base in Gander, Newfoundland. He was a friendly dog who loved playing with children. He pulled them on their sleds and kids watched him drool—Newfoundland dogs drool a lot!—He enjoyed living on the base but spent too much time on the runways, trying to catch the planes as they came in to land.

One day, because he was growing to be so large, the Hayden family decided to give the playful dog to the Royal Rifles of Canada Regiment. He quickly became a good friend and mascot for the soldiers of the regiment.

Taking care of Gander was a pleasant duty. During wartime the friendship of a dog reminded many of the men of pets and family at home. Gander was a mascot, but he was also seen as a fellow soldier with a job to perform. He would bark and nip at the legs of the enemy, scaring them away. One night in December 1941, Gander showed his true courage. In 1941, the Royal Rifles of Canada Regiment was sent to Hong Kong to defend the land from an enemy invasion. The men didn’t want to leave Gander behind, so they gave him the rank of “Sergeant” and he boarded the troopship with his fellow soldiers.

During his time as their mascot, Gander proved his value more than once. There are at least three documented instances of Gander protecting the troops. The first was when a wave of attackers landed on the beach and Gander rushed at them barking and charging at their legs. The second instance occurred at night. There was a group of injured Canadians laying on the road and as a group of Japanese soldiers advanced towards them, Gander flew at them, causing them to change direction.

He was a smart dog—he knew what a grenade was and how it could hurt people. That night, Gander saw a grenade tossed near a group of wounded Canadian soldiers. He ran to it, took it, and rushed away with it. The grenade exploded and Gander was killed. But he had saved the lives of the seven soldiers! Those men never forgot Sergeant Gander.

Satchie - Happy Birthday In Heaven

Happy Birthday in Heaven "I wish you were here today even for just a little while so I could say Happy Birthday 'Satchie' and see your beautiful smile. The only gifts today will be the gifts you left behind; The laughter, joy and happiness... precious memories...the best kind. Today I'll do my very best to try and find a happy place... struggling to hide my heavy heart and the tears on my face. I'll sit quietly and look at your picture thinking of you with love; hoping you're doing ok in Heaven up above. May the angels hold you close and sing you a happy song... and I'll be sending wishes to you today and all year long." Bless you Satchie, my compass star.

Larry The Newfoundland Dog - Saving Lives In A Different Way

(By Devin Rokyta, College of Veterinary Medicine - Washington State University) Larry is the typical Newfoundland dog – big, cuddly, and friendly.

He is a social butterfly and is always up for a tasty treat, napping, or swimming. He also loves his frequent visits to Washington State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital, where, whether he knows it or not, he is saving the lives of other dogs as a volunteer blood donor. “Everybody at the veterinary hospital knows his name and wants to give him attention,” said Sarah Huston, who is Larry’s owner, best friend, and a licensed veterinary technician at the hospital. “I don’t know if he knows he is the life-saver he is, but he knows he is doing good stuff when he goes to the hospital.” Since the donor program began more than three decades ago, the veterinary hospital’s blood bank has made it possible to perform thousands of transfusions and save the lives of countless dogs and cats. “Last week, we probably would have had two patients die without using blood,” said Dr. Jane Wardrop, director of the blood bank and the veterinary hospital’s Clinical Pathology department. “It would be very sad to not be able to supply these animals with what they need. This program saves lives. It really does.” Wardrop typically works with a team of four veterinary students and a donor base of 20 dogs and a handful of cats. The students are trained to manage donors and handle collections and processing. Each hopeful volunteer must go through a litany of tests to ensure it is healthy and that it has the proper temperament. Dogs must be 1-6 years old, weigh at least 60 pounds and be able to lie still on a table for 10 minutes while blood is being collected. Cats, which are sedated during collections, must be 1-6 years old and weigh at least 10 pounds. Pet owners are asked to commit to the program for at least two years. Dog volunteers typically make donations every two months, while cats can donate every three months. “We want dogs that are happy to come here, that look forward to it, that wag their tail when they go in that transfusion room,” Wardrop said. “They get a lot of praise and belly rubs – stuff you wouldn’t do with a person giving blood.” In addition to knowing their pet is saving the lives of other dogs and cats, pet owners also get a handful of perks, including free Purina dog or cat food thanks to the program’s longstanding partnership with Nestlé Purina PetCare. “Purina has been gracious enough to provide their food for donors in our program, and we can’t thank them enough for their partnership and help with this program,” Wardrop said. Avi Shaprut, veterinary communications manager at Nestlé Purina PetCare, said Purina is proud to have the opportunity to provide high-quality food to donors. “These owners have committed their pets to serving a higher purpose in providing lifesaving blood to help other pets survive during times of dire need,” Shaprut said. “Our Pro Plan diets provide protein and nutrients to help these heroes thrive and be able to donate again at a suitable time. As such, this now longstanding partnership with this impactful program just makes sense.” The food is just a small thank you to the blood donors and their owners who make such a difference. “A lot of our critical care and emergency patients,” Huston said, “they wouldn’t go home to their families without these life-saving donations that our blood donors provide.”

Meet The Newfoundland Pony

(Hallie Cotnam · CBC News) "A small farm in Perth, Ont., is taking big steps to rescue a historically significant pony breed with the birth of two new foals. Newfoundland ponies descended from original stock brought to the island by British settlers to pull wagons and haul firewood, timber and kelp. They're distinct from other breeds in that their coat is especially thick and their front legs are closely set. 'They … have survival traits that have evolved from living on such a rugged, harsh island,' said Korrine Affleck, co-owner of Willow Creek Stables. 'They've got very small, short, furry ears that protect them against frostbite and black flies.'

Affleck and her partner Wayne Jordan were pleased to announce the birth last week of a colt named Touton, or officially, Touton of Jellybean Row. 'Touton is essentially a fried dough pancake … usually served with molasses and sometimes with 'scrunchions,' said Affleck, describing a Newfoundland specialty that was the inspiration behind the pony's name. Scrunchions are bite-size pieces of fried pork fat. Touton joins Georgie, a filly born on the farm just last month and named after artist Clifford George, himself a devoted supporter of the Newfoundland pony breed. The Willow Creek Stables herd now numbers 15, one of the largest in Canada.

'The latter part of the 20th century has not been kind to our Newfoundland pony,' said Affleck. Tractors, snowmobiles and ATVs rendered them obsolete. Changes to open grazing laws in the 1970s meant they could no longer forage at will. Instead, pony owners had to buy hay and ship it in from Nova Scotia. From an estimated population of about 12,000 in 1970, 'the ponies dropped to fewer than 100 by 1980,' Affleck told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning, describing how the unwanted ponies were sold to meat processing plants in Quebec, then shipped to Belgium and France for human consumption. According to Affleck, there are now just a few hundred Newfoundland ponies found in pockets across Canada. The breed is listed as 'critically endangered' by several groups including Rare Breeds Canada, The Livestock Conservancy and Equus Survival Trust. In 1997, the government of Newfoundland and Labrador recognized the pony as an official heritage animal and they're now protected. But there are now so few remaining that the entire breed is in jeopardy, according to Affleck, who's also chair of the re-homing committee for the Newfoundland Pony Society, dedicated to protecting the species. 'They are critically, critically endangered. People think about endangered species and they think of tigers. But we've got 3,000 tigers worldwide. These Newfoundland ponies, there are only a few hundred remaining and only a couple hundred of breeding age.'

Newfoundland ponies are 'very docile, intelligent and willing,' said Affleck. 'They are much more like dogs. They're very curious. As soon as a person comes to the farm, they've got to come over and meet you and sniff you and basically demand attention just like a dog would.' Affleck and Jordan offer free COVID-19-friendly barn visits in a bid to build awareness about the breed. They do accept donations, but their real hope is that people 'fall in love with them and maybe step in [and] offer a home to a pony.'

In an interesting twist, Affleck's abiding affection for the pony breed led to romance of the two-legged variety. She had been tracking down the progeny of a Newfoundland pony she had acquired, and got in touch with an owner. 'I called Wayne out of the blue one day at his work. I asked him if I could come and take a DNA sample of his pony, which is essentially a hair sample, and he agreed. And the rest is history.'"

Henry The 8th . . . Month

Rover - The Canine Keeper Of Cotswold Cottage

ROVER – THE CANINE KEEPER OF COTSWOLD COTTAGE (By Lauren Brady – The Henry Ford)

"When Cotswold Cottage and its surrounding buildings were brought to Greenfield Village, Henry Ford aimed to recreate every detail of one of his and Clara’s favorite regions of England. Henry purchased the cottage, barn, and a nearby blacksmith shop for Greenfield Village in 1929 and the structures were shipped in 1930. Along with the disassembled structures came English stonemasons, who were tasked with reconstructing each building stone by stone. Henry promoted one of his own employees, Gus Munchow, to take charge of recreating the gardens and grounds around them. The earliest interpretation of Cotswold Cottage intended to present it as a home for English sheepherders. To fully bring this story to life, Henry had a group of sheep imported from the Cotswold region of England to take up residence on the grounds. Plans for the Cotswold setting were nearly perfect, except for one very large missing detail. When the English stonemasons recalled a black Newfoundland sheep dog roaming the original site, Henry inquired if the dog might consider a move to Michigan. The stonemasons suggested the dog “undoubtedly adored the King” and probably “did not like boats.” Instead, it was decided to find a substitute puppy that could be raised at the cottage to act as sheepherder and guardsman like his English predecessor. Henry’s secretary began researching the best genetic strains of Newfoundland dogs and located a litter from a lineage of aristocratic, award-winning dogs nearby in Canada. Rover, deemed their best dog, was sent by train to Dearborn. Rover was trained by Gus Munchow, manager of the gardens and grounds, and was given a home in the Cotswold barn—although some accounts recall he often made himself comfortable inside the cottage. Weighing more than 130 pounds by his first birthday, Rover quickly grew into a smart and dedicated companion to both the sheep and Gus. Dedicated in all seasons, day and night, Rover happily attended to chores with Gus. He delivered feeding buckets to the sheep, carried extra tools, and was responsible for holding the clock on their night rounds. One of several canine citizens of Greenfield Village at the time, Rover’s neighbors included two Dalmatian coach dogs and a Scottish Terrier named McTavish that enjoyed the company of the schoolchildren who learned in the Giddings Family Home next door. Enthusiastic in his pursuit to keep any of the other Village dogs from approaching the grounds he guarded, Rover had the stature and size to insist upon them keeping their distance—and they happily obeyed. Rover received visits from many distinguished guests, including Princess Takamatsu of Japan and President Herbert Hoover, but his favorite visitors were the Edison Institute schoolchildren. He always offered his paw for a shake, welcomed pats on the head, and even became a popular subject of their art and writing exercises as evidenced in many issues of The Herald, the school’s publication. Even Henry Ford was an admirer of Rover. Gus recalled in his oral history: “That dog would only take orders from myself and Mr. Ford. Mr. Ford used to come through that gate, and the dog would run up to him, and he would play with him for a minute or two.” Henry realized Rover’s deep bond to Gus when his beloved master fell ill in July 1934. Gus had suffered from appendicitis and was rushed to Henry Ford Hospital, where he stayed for more than a week. When Henry came to visit Rover, he found him lying in the middle of the road, unwilling to move. He seemed to be waiting for Gus to return and was refusing to eat. Realizing Rover must be distressed by Gus’s absence, he requested the dog receive a special bath and be driven in his personal car to the hospital. The scene of the giant dog visiting the hospital caught the attention of the Detroit News, which wrote a feature article on the visit: “There was a great deal of difficulty in getting the large dog into the hospital, and once inside the door, he had to be dragged along. But when he approached the room where Gus lay and heard the sound of his master’s voice, he ran joyfully to the bed, jumped upon it, and threw everybody and everything into confusion.” The article was happy to report that following the reunion, Rover quickly regained both his appetite and the 15 pounds he had lost from worry.

When Gus returned to work, Rover always had one eye on his sheep and one eye on his master, making sure neither wandered too far out of sight. Rover continued serving Gus and Cotswold Cottage for many years. He was indeed “a very good and faithful pal” whose spirit will live on forever as part of Greenfield Village. His grave marker can still be seen today behind the cottage."