Any dog lover's want four-months of Newfoundland?

[Petr]

This is probably a long shot, but would anyone enjoy dog-sitting my Newfoundland while I attempt a thru? And, if you don't think it's a long shot, have you ever spent 10 minutes with a newfie?

My parents are very reluctantly willing to take him; their reluctance is mostly due to the buckets of drool and piles of hair that come along with him. But, if they have to, they will. I'm kind of hoping someone who has had a Newf in the past and misses him/her or someone who is thinking about getting a Newf and wants to do a trial run might actually want to take care of him.

Details: I'm in Detroit and happy to drive a reasonable distance to get him somewhere where he'll be well taken care of. I'm leaving the last week of January and will absolutely, no matter what, be back in the middle of June. I can't pay any meaningful amount, but I will of course provide for expenses such as food or any vet issues. My newf, Moose, is generally well-behaved, but his size makes his few transgressions rather irritating.

Pros:

1. He is totally house-trained.
2. Can hold his bladder/bowel comfortably for about 14 hours
3. Does not chew furniture
4. Great with other dogs, big or tiny
5. If you can put up with what follows below, he really is pretty lovable.

Cons:

1. He WILL jump up and lick the face of any new person he meets. He will do this once and then (probably) never again. If you manage to somehow prevent this from happening, he will wait until you're not paying attention, and then pounce on his unsuspecting prey. Cute if you're comfortable with 140-pound animals jumping at your face and making your shirt all dirty; in other words...not cute. The only success that I've had is with new people who like dogs and aren't squeamish about giving one gentle smack to his muzzle...this confuses him for about 5 seconds, then he sneezes and walks away.

2. Let's say you've gone for a run in the hot summer sun and you come into the house sweaty and aromatic...this might make Moose feel a little libidinous. You've been warned.

3. Drool and hair. More than you can imagine.

Anyway, if anybody out there with mental issues still thinks this sounds like fun, comment below or PM me.

Happy Hiking,

Peter

P.S. It would only be the big dog in the pic...not the little one.

[Lilred]

He's ADORABLE, but sorry.

[Petr]

No apologies necessary. I'm often confused as to why I put up with him. You are right, though: he is adorable.

[Ender]

Looks like a Landseer Newfie... cute dog, wish I could take him but I can't. I'm sure you'll find a great home for him though!

[bigcranky]

Cute dog. I like newfies. We had Aussies, so our experience with dog hair is memorable. Too memorable in fact to make me want to babysit a newfie for six months, but I do sympathize. Good luck.

[Speakeasy]

What a great looking dog. I feel for you - I'm planning a thru hike next March and my biggest logistical issue has been finding a home for my 2 dogs, a rescue Greyhound and an Italian Greyhound. No problem with the Greyhound because we have a pretty significant and supportive adoptive community but the Italian Greyhound has been a challenge. I finally reached out to an IG rescue organization and found a woman willing to foster her for 4 or 5 months. To the tune of $300/month. It's a lot of money but I feel good knowing she's in a loving home and in the company of other crazy Italian Greyhounds

I wish you the best of luck...Too bad we can't take our furry (in your case very furry) friends with us

[Ox97GaMe]

Petr, keep me posted on your search. I cant commit to anything right now, but maybe closer to Christmas, I will be able to help you out. Hopefully, you will find a loving home for newfie by then and it wont be a concern.

The logistics would work out nicely, as you are likely going to be coming through Knoxville to start the trail, and I have family that I go to Mich to visit every summer.

At this time, temporarily pencil me in, but continue looking.

[The Mechanical Man]

This is probably a long shot, but would anyone enjoy dog-sitting my Newfoundland while I attempt a thru? And, if you don't think it's a long shot, have you ever spent 10 minutes with a newfie?

My parents are very reluctantly willing to take him; their reluctance is mostly due to the buckets of drool and piles of hair that come along with him. But, if they have to, they will. I'm kind of hoping someone who has had a Newf in the past and misses him/her or someone who is thinking about getting a Newf and wants to do a trial run might actually want to take care of him.

Details: I'm in Detroit and happy to drive a reasonable distance to get him somewhere where he'll be well taken care of. I'm leaving the last week of January and will absolutely, no matter what, be back in the middle of June. I can't pay any meaningful amount, but I will of course provide for expenses such as food or any vet issues. My newf, Moose, is generally well-behaved, but his size makes his few transgressions rather irritating.

Pros:

1. He is totally house-trained.
2. Can hold his bladder/bowel comfortably for about 14 hours
3. Does not chew furniture
4. Great with other dogs, big or tiny
5. If you can put up with what follows below, he really is pretty lovable.

Cons:

1. He WILL jump up and lick the face of any new person he meets. He will do this once and then (probably) never again. If you manage to somehow prevent this from happening, he will wait until you're not paying attention, and then pounce on his unsuspecting prey. Cute if you're comfortable with 140-pound animals jumping at your face and making your shirt all dirty; in other words...not cute. The only success that I've had is with new people who like dogs and aren't squeamish about giving one gentle smack to his muzzle...this confuses him for about 5 seconds, then he sneezes and walks away.

2. Let's say you've gone for a run in the hot summer sun and you come into the house sweaty and aromatic...this might make Moose feel a little libidinous. You've been warned.

3. Drool and hair. More than you can imagine.

Anyway, if anybody out there with mental issues still thinks this sounds like fun, comment below or PM me.

Happy Hiking,

Peter

P.S. It would only be the big dog in the pic...not the little one.

My wife and I were paying $500.00 dollars a month for daycare for our son, before I retired.


What are you willing to pay a month for quality care, for your "baby"?

[Petr]

My wife and I were paying $500.00 dollars a month for daycare for our son, before I retired.


What are you willing to pay a month for quality care, for your "baby"?

Frankly, not a whole lot, if anything. Believe me, I appreciate the time and effort that taking truly good care of my "baby" is worth, but I already have an option that would cost me nothing, dollar-wise. My motivation in posting was to find a person/people that would be enthusiastic in having a newfie for the the sake of having a newfie, because a) I'm over a 100 grand in debt and currently have zero assets, b) if my parents aren't crazy about having him on their hands than I'd rather not put that upon them, and c) I think someone who selflessly volunteers to take on such a burden would probably take better care of him than someone looking to make a buck.

If you're trying to imply that I'm looking for the cheapest way out, that may be partially true, but I think that the tone of my original post and my response to an earlier reply is evidence enough that I'm not simply trying to save a buck and thrust my responsibility on a random, anonymous Whiteblaze member. Rather, I'm investigating whether or not there might be a reliable person out there who feels they would benefit enough from the pleasures of having a pet that would make the hassle worth it (and in the process do me a huge favor).

[Petr]

Thank you, Ox. I'll touch base with you in a few months and see how things are going. Obviously, I'm not holding you to anything, but your generosity is greatly appreciated.

Peter

Petr, keep me posted on your search. I cant commit to anything right now, but maybe closer to Christmas, I will be able to help you out. Hopefully, you will find a loving home for newfie by then and it wont be a concern.

The logistics would work out nicely, as you are likely going to be coming through Knoxville to start the trail, and I have family that I go to Mich to visit every summer.

At this time, temporarily pencil me in, but continue looking.

[Petr]

Cute dog. I like newfies. We had Aussies, so our experience with dog hair is memorable. Too memorable in fact to make me want to babysit a newfie for six months, but I do sympathize. Good luck.

Thanks. I understand completely. Check out what 3.5 weeks with no sweeping will net you:

[Petr]

Oops...that last pic will probably discourage any more offers of aid.

[The Mechanical Man]

Frankly, not a whole lot, if anything. Believe me, I appreciate the time and effort that taking truly good care of my "baby" is worth, but I already have an option that would cost me nothing, dollar-wise. My motivation in posting was to find a person/people that would be enthusiastic in having a newfie for the the sake of having a newfie, because a) I'm over a 100 grand in debt and currently have zero assets, b) if my parents aren't crazy about having him on their hands than I'd rather not put that upon them, and c) I think someone who selflessly volunteers to take on such a burden would probably take better care of him than someone looking to make a buck.

If you're trying to imply that I'm looking for the cheapest way out, that may be partially true, but I think that the tone of my original post and my response to an earlier reply is evidence enough that I'm not simply trying to save a buck and thrust my responsibility on a random, anonymous Whiteblaze member. Rather, I'm investigating whether or not there might be a reliable person out there who feels they would benefit enough from the pleasures of having a pet that would make the hassle worth it (and in the process do me a huge favor).

You were asking for a dog sitter in your first post, but you really want - need, someone to adopt the dog. That wasn't so hard.



Why didn't you just say that?

[Petr]

You were asking for a dog sitter in your first post, but you really want - need, someone to adopt the dog. That wasn't so hard.



Why didn't you just say that?

Well, no. A dog adoption implies permanence. It seems that the first several replies on this thread understood this. And, as I said less than 5 minutes ago, I am not in a position of need. I have an alternative. Additionally, in my original post I clearly stated that I was not able/willing to pay a fee. If you read this, perhaps you could have saved not only the effort of a clearly unhelpful initial post but an additional useless post as well. Comprehension of the written word is a valuable skill.

[ed bell]

Saying that you are a hundred grand in debt with no assets; that your parents don't want to take care of your extra large dog, but will if given no choice; that you can't pay anything meaningful beyond vet and food cost (up front? extra in case of emergency?); and you are leaving in Jan. for a thru-hike, isn't exactly a good pitch to receive charity.

BTW, you are in a position of need if you want to keep the dog. I hope you find a good solution for both of you.

[The Mechanical Man]

Well, no. A dog adoption implies permanence. It seems that the first several replies on this thread understood this. And, as I said less than 5 minutes ago, I am not in a position of need. I have an alternative. Additionally, in my original post I clearly stated that I was not able/willing to pay a fee. If you read this, perhaps you could have saved not only the effort of a clearly unhelpful initial post but an additional useless post as well. Comprehension of the written word is a valuable skill.

In that case, no thanks, ........but I am still glad I asked, for your dogs sake. Good luck with that.



Stop down at our place during your hike, IF you get to Smith Gap Pa.

[Petr]

I appreciate your points.

In order:

1. I probably shouldn't have mentioned the debt. I was trying to justify the financial side of things which isn't really my main motivation in finding someone to care for my pet. If it matters, it is "good" debt and a debt that I have no doubt that I will be willing and able to pay off. I invested a lot of money in my future, as opposed to buying a house with no income, or ringing up a bunch of credit card debt, or anything similar. Mentioning it was a dramatic response to a random internet taunt and I should know better, but that debt is not indicative of my degree of responsibility.

2. I mentioned my parents' reluctance in an effort to convey the commitment and PITA that taking care of a newfie entails. They were gung-ho about taking care of him when they knew him as my dog, but I recently left him with them for a week (for the first time in 4 years) and they were a bit overwhelmed (and they have a labrador). I was trying to dissuade any kind folks who didn't know what they were signing up for from offering help.

3. I addressed this earlier, but I will again. I don't want to pay someone to watch my dog because I have a *free* alternative and I believe someone who wants to take care of my dog will do a better job. Furthermore, I could requisition the funds needed to pay someone, but I already feel like I'm spending money I haven't earned, because my current income is from loans and grants. And yes, I will provide food money up front and a buffer for possible vet expenses.

4. I'm not sure what you meant about leaving in January. I know that it is unorthodox and perhaps means that my chances of successfully thru-hiking are less than average. I am finishing my training in late January and my chosen profession happens to have all of it's jobs start July 1 (with maybe a week or two of orientation beforehand). I've worked extremely hard to carve out this time to attempt to do this and it is what it is. I don't have any other options that I'm willing to pursue.

5. I am not in a position of need if I want to keep the dog. I've already found a home for my (really really really beloved) pet that I am confident that he'll be well cared for. I'm just sending out a feeler for any situations that are better.

Again, Ed, I read quite a bit on this site and I respect your opinions. I'm simply trying to convey where I'm coming from.

Peter

Saying that you are a hundred grand in debt with no assets; that your parents don't want to take care of your extra large dog, but will if given no choice; that you can't pay anything meaningful beyond vet and food cost (up front? extra in case of emergency?); and you are leaving in Jan. for a thru-hike, isn't exactly a good pitch to receive charity.

BTW, you are in a position of need if you want to keep the dog. I hope you find a good solution for both of you.

[Petr]

In that case, no thanks, ........but I am still glad I asked, for your dogs sake. Good luck with that.



Stop down at our place during your hike, IF you get to Smith Gap Pa.

Frankly, I'm not sure how much of that was conciliatory and how much was sarcastic, but either way I'd always rather meet a real human than argue with one on the internet. Don't be surprised if I look you up around April/May next year.

Peter

[ed bell]

Peter,
Thanks for the clarification. I just want it to work out for you and you answered some loose ends. I didn't mean anything by mentioning your Jan. start other than the fact that you are scheduled to depart. I wish you good luck and that is one cute big dog!

ed

[fancyfeet]

While I can't offer any help, I just want to say that I want to give your dog a great big hug. Looks like a huge, lovable baby.