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Percy has a great time with stuffed animals. I get them from a second-hand store lady who saves them out for me (lots are actually still new, and the others I throw in the wash before giving them to the dog). I do have to sort out the ones that have wierd stuffing; the ones with battery-type innards I either heave or find a way to make them safe but that's not too hard to do. Some he likes more than others, and none last very long, but oh well. He wears out pretty much any type bone we get him in short order and he destroys most real toys we buy at the pet store in less than half a day. But the thrift stuffed animals are an endless source of entertainment for him. And us. Sometimes it looks like the Coliseum in here by the end of the night.

I found the pics of Drake with his summer 'do. Maybe a trip to the groomer for a good trim would be enough to keep the hot spots down to a minimum. There's a nice lady right close by who does great work. This shocked me: before we took him on our trip, we took him over there for a shampoo and trim. I figured it would be $80-$100 but she said he was in such nice condition and so well behaved she only charged $30! Definitely worth the time it saved in post-bath cleanup. I'd been meaning to wipe down the entire kitchen anyway, but, rilly. Percy is a champ at worming out of the towels and tearing through the house, shaking himself out as he goes.

Thanks for the help. I know I have a lot to learn about taking proper care of a Newf. He's such a love, and he had a pretty hard time before he came to us. Any additional thoughts would be appreciated.

First we had to really think about if the Newfy we rescued was a realistic fit for our lifestyle and our home. My husband takes the big baby to work with him, so he's never alone in the house. We don't have a fancy place with expensive floors, so that wasn't a big concern -- but that's the type of thing I think people need to think about. It doesn't take very long, after those two come through the door every night, for the mud, fur, slobber and grit to get around.

We didn't change much when we brought Percy home, other than moving some plants out of tail-swiping zones and kerosene lamps WAY out of the way. But we did A LOT of thinking beforehand about whether or not we were willing to have drool and hair on all our stuff, and if we'd be able to give the dog the time, care and attention he really needs to be a happy healthy Newfy. We also found an old minivan for taking the big fella on the road with us. Other than that, it was just common sense stuff like other people have mentioned -- lots of grooming tools and big water/food dishes, slobber towels in handy places, jumbo toys and plenty of stuffed animals.

Probably the biggest thing -- I think the question involved in one's home and in one's life -- is for us people to do whatever we need to do to stay on an even keel. Mr. Percy gets freaked out when we get freaked out. When peace and happiness reign, he's his own magnificent self.