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( pronounced "Boh din" )
Bowdoin was born on 2nd of May 2009 in Flatrock, Newfoundland, at Aqua Kennels also known as "The Newfie Spa".
He was first taken out of the whelping box at 3 weeks of age, but did not come home to Holyrood (where he now lives) until he was 9 weeks old. He was only 13.8 lbs at nine weeks of age and he grew very rapidly from then on. We were told that he would be able to go under the coffee table one day and the next morning he would not be able to fit underneath it at all ! Although we did not believe this was possible we found that this was indeed very true, and happened with chairs, and even the diningroom table ! Today ( 1st March 2011 ) he is 144lbs and probably very near his full weight and size.
His menu is varied and constantly changing as he gets bored with the same food if served the same thing two days in a row. So he eats: raw meat mixed with cooked rice and some vegetables....chicken, beef, lamb. He also has dog kibble with yoghurt, garlic and baked seaweed ( the stuff used for wrapping sushi ). He loves cooked capelin ( small local fish from the ocean ), cooked seal meat, cooked moose meat, and cooked rabbit, and the occasional taste of pork and bacon......did i say bacon ? guess who is headed this way ! :-) he also enjoys special treats like cookies, and cheese, and icecream.
So you can see he eats well, at an approximate cost of about $300/month to me !
Let's get to the photos...........
These photos (above) were the very first time he was out of the whelping box.....26th of May 2009.....oh how cute was he then !
Here he is with his siblings at four weeks of age ( June 3rd ) exploring the back patio of his breeder's home. the larger puppy is 6 weeks old. Note the difference in size between four and six weeks of age !
Here is he on June 20th, ( six weeks old ) the day we actually got to choose which dog was ours. Everyone wants to hold him.....but he still stays with the breeder for several more weeks.
Coming Home ! Here he is with his breeders, Monica Dominguez and her husband Herman. They are forcing a smile as they part with a beautiful baby Newf. Lovely photo, but a difficult day for them ! Thanks Monica and Herman for all you have done !!
Our puppy in the crate heading home at nine weeks of age.
From the moment he got home he started exploring everything..... the garden, bugs, sticks.....
the strawberry patch and picnic tables.......with little naps in between of course.
and more naps......and of course the food dishes. :-)
Then it was time to go visiting......
Lots of fun.....and sleeps....and more fun and exploring.......
Then came the water.....and towels.....and more water, didn't matter if it was a lake, puddle, ocean or even in a bucket !
Also at ten weeks of age came the tourists ! Lots of tourists.....and this has not stopped !
Seniors love him......
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Horses love him...the R.N.C. ( Royal Newfoundland Constabulary - our Provincial Police force ) love him.....
Did I say that LOTS of tourists wanted to see him and take photos ?
Then of course, what dog does not enjoy car drives, and pretending to drive.......and walks in the country ?
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Within a few days Bowdoin was being snatched by photographers for inclusion in wedding photos of people we didn't even know and never got the names of !
Bowdoin soon learnt all sorts of other nice things.....like the joy of eating ice-cream, which to this day is still one of his favourites. After eating his, he eagerly waits in anticipation to finish off any that we may have left in our dishes !
Bowdoin even went to Church ! Every Year the Anglican Cathedral in St John's has a "Blessing of the Animals service" to comemorate St Francis of Assisi. All offerings go to various animal charities who work in the City.
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This was taken in September 2012, on one of our many walks.
As Bowdoin is still alive and growing, this page is too. I am constantly adding more images and stories to his "biography". Keep coming back to see more. My main problem is trying to work out which photos of the thousands that are taken every month of Bowdoin to use on this page!