It’s been a quite a long time since I’ve been amongst 14 Newfies all in one place.
If I had to guess it was probably our last dog show back in 2011.
So on Saturday when we arrived at Huntington Beach in Bay Village, Ohio and there was Newfies walking around everywhere, I was in heaven.
The meet up started at 12:00 p.m. and amazingly we arrived on time.
There was a little bit of confusion at first because they was no obvious pet-friendly beach signs like there was last year when Leroy and I visited the beach.
Instead, we were greeted with signs that said: “No pets on the beach.”
Panic immediately set in and I frantically began to search for that “pet-friendly” sign.
I asked a lady working at the concession stand and she told me that the beach was not pet-friendly but we could jump in the car and head down the road a bit and we might be able to find a pet-friendly area.
I texted Bee and Josh and told them we had a problem.
I was beyond mortified because I felt like I had just ruined Newfapalooza.
As I tried to get my thoughts together I paced back and forth and then I stopped second guessing myself.
I double-checked the Huntington Beach website and it clearly said that the beach was pet-friendly after Labor Day so I walked down to the handicapped access area, saw dogs in the water and said, “We’re good. ”
And we all headed down.
The site with all the Newfies in the water was a little piece of heaven and I was so glad that we had a decent turnout.
There was a great breeze coming off the lake, slobber and dog hair was flying everywhere and faces were beaming with smiles.
There were 4 browns, 1 beautiful Landseer, and 9 blacks. A brown and white girl showed up later on during the day.
There were people with Newfs and some without. Some people drove hours to be there and others were from right around the corner.
I had brought my daughter with me so that she could help me get Leroy in and out of the car and my parents showed up to get their Newfie fix in.
For his first big outing in almost 1/2 a year, Leroy did well.
He had met Ralphie and Boss and a few other Newfies up in the picnic area so he was exhausted by the time we actually made it down to the beach.
My daughter and I immediately set up a place for him to lay down and get a drink of water and that’s pretty much where he stayed for most of the time.
He didn’t go swimming but he did make his way down to the water’s edge for a group picture.
By that time he was needing help getting up. The sand was hard for him to walk on and he was using a lot of muscles that he hadn’t used in a long time.
He was the oldest Newf there, the second oldest being 8, and I think he did really good.
He got back into the car using the ramp no problem and when we got home I gave him of our Pet Releaf CBD/Hemp oil because I knew he was going to sore.
I thought he was going to be out for days when we got back home but after a short snooze, he was back to himself and wanting to go for a walk later that evening.
It was a beautiful day all around and special thanks to Josh and Bee for organizing this event and for everyone who took time out of their day to stop by. I really hope that we can do it again in the near future!
p.s. I saw a park ranger when we were leaving and just for my own sanity, I asked him if the beach was pet-friendly and he said YES. 🙂
BMD Guide
Thursday 20th of September 2018
That's a lot of dogs on the beach! My Bernese Mountain Dog isn't too big of a fan of the water, but I'm happy to see that you guys are having a good time. :)
All Things Collie
Monday 17th of September 2018
We have the Gathering of Collies at Sunnybank (plus dog shows) so I know what you mean about that feeling when you are surrounded by a beloved breed! Only other fans of your breed can truly understand what it's like to live with them!
barb puzey
Monday 17th of September 2018
Wish we could have been there to enjoy the newfs and the beautiful day !! So glad to see that Leroy got to go and is okay. All the dogs looked so happy !! Wonderful pictures. Thank You so much for sharing your day !!
Jodi Stone
Monday 17th of September 2018
I'm glad he got some time down by the lake. I bet that made YOUR heart happy.
My Golden Life
Monday 17th of September 2018
Sounds like a wonderful day! I'm so glad Leroy was able to enjoy himself, and recover so quickly!