The BigFoot Club

Of all the times we have talked jokingly about our Newfs sleeping through it or helping someone rob the house, I met someone whose Newf may have done just that.

Remembering that adventure is where you find it, the visits to the shop in Joplin where I have the van’s oil changed have often been . . . adventurous.  Like last year when the van got stuck on the rack with the dogs in it, two days before we were supposed to leave for a trip.  And like the fish in the aquarium, where I witnessed what I would describe as empathy between a couple of goldfish buddies.  A miniature lobster creature had eaten the fins off one, and it would lose its balance and float upside down in the water.  The buddy would come from underneath and upright his bowl-mate.  He also cleaned the scum from the one who couldn’t swim.  Fascinating!  And humbling.  The guy at the counter said that its fins were growing back.

Today, the adventure continued.  The dogs went inside with me this time, and since I had left leashes at home and at work, pickings were thin.  That is, Parker had to wear a bright pink collar that had been Banker’s, and Jade had to wear a nylon show collar.  There was one leash left in the van and a coupler.  This meant that the dogs had to lie down cooperatively, and they did, but not for long.  People kept meandering over and petting them.  Both dogs were enjoying the attention and being very good.  A customer sat down near us and watched them, then began visiting.  The guy who changed my oil last fall called to another technician who was petting the Newfs and asked if he was trying to get a date for the prom.  Then he came over to visit for a moment.  Next a lady came over wearing white capris slacks and yellow high heels.  I couldn’t keep from noticing that she wasn’t well-dressed for this occasion, but she kept petting, walking a few steps away, then going back for more.  We visited, and the more we talked, the more I found that she knew about dogs.  She had boxers.  Plus, she had a friend who got a Newfoundland, and that Newfoundland was less than a year old.  The lady marveled at how well-behaved that Newfoundland was.  It was nearly closing time, so I left my contact information and we walked out.

In the parking lot, a lady was sitting in the passenger seat of a car parked next to us on the passenger side, wearing a neck brace.  It was a bit of a squeeze to get the Newfs loaded into the van at that proximity.  The driver, her husband, began visiting with me about the dogs and talking about their dog, one that they had treasured.  She had been dropped along a road, a small black bundle of fuzz with reddened “highlights”, like a Coke float as the lady described.  This female puppy grew to be a Newfoundland or a Newfoundland mix, based on their description.  It “only reached about 115 lbs.” though.  I explained that my two were a little large.  They talked about how wonderful her personality was, then they told about their home being burglarized while she was there!  The husband still had an expression of disbelief, along with humor.

Just this morning, the Fedex driver stopped at work, a very nice lady bearing Milkbones, and Parker didn’t even wake up when she slid the cookie past his nose.

Of course, the evidence for a burglar would be incriminating and unavoidable, as a burglar couldn’t leave without some hair and slime.  It wouldn’t require an Abby Sciuto to prosecute based on that crime scene!