Ben

One of our other double act - the purple princes, Andy and I both have very fond memories of Ben as he was the last pup to leave. What a raucous couple of weeks we had when we just had the two of them. Fight, sleep, fight, sleep, fight, sleep, fight, sleep - oh, yeah, lets eat, right lets fight.....and on it went. It was hard seeing all the pups leave for their new homes but it was particularly hard with ben as we all grew so attached to him with having him that bit longer

Ben however did not give us a second glance and trotted off with the Clarkes - he knew they were his family!

And he has certainly settled in well

And grown up a lot! Ben also has his own Facebook page

Gorgeous Boy!

And to think, this time last year Andy and I were bottle feeding them..........

Betty

Betty was our first arrival - OMG such a traumatic weekend and little Betty's appearance was a huge relief, we were finally underway!

And here she is, our very first Hebersghyll Puppy - bless!

And her she is at one year old enjoying herself on a beach in Northumberland

Wow! She looks absolutely fantastic x

Elwood

Awww Elwood! How cute you are at one week old!

Who would have thought by the time you were one you would have your own Facebook page and drive a TVR!!!

Elwood is a very lucky boy and  lives by the sea. Jess cannot wait to go and visit! (Neither can I, I am looking forward to a spin in Elwoods TVR)

Remember the story of Elwood's name - we had called him Elwood - he and Jake, numbers 3 & 4 had blue collars and we nicknamed the blues brothers by Andy and myself. That then became Jake and Elwood. When Ian and Cath chose their puppy we told them that we called him Elwood. They went home and tried to decide what to call him. That night Ian was on the internet and this page appeared in front of him.........

Spooky!!!

Nemo

Well here he is, our little green collar boy from a year ago

And here he is now. This was taken just two weeks ago when we enjoyed a day out at Devils Bridge with Rufus and Elwood

Nemo is a fabulous dog and we are really pleased with him. He seems to be one of the biggest of the litter - athough we haven't seen Ben or Jake for a few months. Despite his size he is a big softie. He cries when he is tired or when he wants attention and he seems to want attention most of the time! Very much like his Mum, he can be very demanding and cannot get enough of cuddles, stroking or being scratched under his chin.

The three boys had a great time at Devils Bridge, getting to know one another again. Although Rufus and Elwood did seem to want to get to know Nemo a little too well at times! I think they must have smelt Jess on him, even though we left her at home. Either that or we have bred a bunch of sex pests!!

Rufus, Nemo, Elwood

And of course, a day out with Newfies would not be complete if they did not get wet! Rufus at the back in the water, then Nemo ,and Elwood on land.

Happy Birthday Hebersghyll Pups!

Well we are finally back with a telephone and wi fi connection. (BT to the rescue. Athough I currently cannot reply to e mail on the Hebersgyll email address - so sorry I will reply ASAP if you have sent me a message) What better day to restart the blog than on the first birthday of our pups - so Betty, Lily, Jake, Elwood, Ben, Rufus and Nemo - Happy First Birthday!!!!

And where would I find a better photograph than this one of the wonderful Elwood celebrating his birthday!!

I intend to post a blog about each of the pups so we can se how the are all geting on - any year old photographs would be welcome!

Normal service should resume next week!

Apologies to our followers our phone line and wi fi has been out of order for a month now. Luckily BT have come to our rescue and we should be back on line next week so I can update the blog with photos of our dogs and progress on the barn. It is almost the 1st birthday of the hebersghyll pups so any owners reading this please send me your 1 year photo so I can put it on the blog
Bye for now
J

Molly - A Tribute

This week we were very sad to lose our beloved Molly. At almost 13 Molly had enjoyed a long life and we were both extremely proud of her.

Molly was Andy's dog long before I came along. I have known her since she was 5. I will never forget the moment I first met Moll. Andy and I had been out for drinks with a group of friends and a few of us went back to Andy's place for a few more. We were greeted at the door by this beautiful brown bear. Andy hadn't even mentioned to me that he had a dog and suddenly this enormous Newfoundland was in front of me. I had never even seen a Newfoundland before and I immediately fell in love with Molly.

Molly was Andy's companion in the years when he was single and always there for him. She was the most chilled dog I have ever met, with the most gentle temperament I have ever come across in a dog. Literally unflappable, Molly would never, ever retaliate if another dog barked at her or tried to bite her. She was rock solid and completely trustworthy in any situation. She had an amazing calming influence on every one who met her - human or canine. She did like to chase cats and sheep though in her younger days and if you turned your back would jump the fence to get into the field after the sheep.

Very well known in the village of Esholt, Molly would quite often take herself off for a walk round if Andy left her outside too long. We always said she though she owned the village!

Lots of people who knew Molly have very fond memories of her - stealing burgers from children at our annual BBQ (well they hold them at just the right height), barking at me incessesantly until I finally gave her a pigs ear, her amazing "talking" trick, and her love of fireworks. Molly was the only dog I ever met who absolutely loved fireworks. Whenever she heard them she would charge about barking and we would often take her outside so she could watch them and bark her head off at them in delight. If we ever let fireworks off whilst Molly was in the vicinity, it would take two people to hold her back - she loved to chase them if she had the chance. It really was something to see her.

She could be quite a monkey at times, particularly where food was concerned. Andy and I once invited friends round for a bonfire with a pie and peas supper. We went out bought all the pies and left them on the centre island whilst we went outside to light the fire. When we came back in Molly was laid on the floor totally full of 20 odd pies!!! She knew she was in trouble but she was so pogged she couldn't even get up.

Jess joined our little family three years ago and at first Molly was not impressed. She always had an aversion to puppies, I always thought it was more that she was aware of her size and din't want to hurt them, rather than a genuine dislike.

Jess adored Molly from the moment they first met and they very soon became great friends.......

Whether Molly liked it or not!!

Actually when Jess joined the family, it was at a time in Molly's life when we were starting to see the first signs of her ageing. Stiffness in her back legs and a general slowing down. Jess's arrival on the scene worked wonders for Molly and really gave her a boost, we really do attribute the new arrival to giving Molly a new lease of life - despite Jess driving her mad wanting to play all the time, it was really good for Molly having Jess around.

Another of Molly's great friends in life was Puppy, Andy's daughter's Lhasa Apso. Puppy came to stay with Andy and Molly when they were living at the barn and Molly really adopted her. As a result Puppy is a small dog with a big dog attitude, she actually thinks she is a Newfie. She is the most laid back small dog you could ever wish to meet - trained by Molly.

This is the last photograph I ever took of Molly - just a couple of weeks ago in the back garden here at the barn, chilling with her little mate, Puppy.

Nemo adored his Aunty Moll. He was really sweet with her. He has a real gentle nature, despite his size and he never tormented Molly - I suppose he has his Mum to play with to vent all his playfullness on. Molly would occassionally get carried away with Jess and Nemo's high spirits and try to join in with their play, Nemo would just lie down, roll over and let Molly get him. When Molly was ill in the night, I got up to get her a drink and sat with her for an hour or so, Nemo came to join us and curled up at the side of Molly, licking her every now and again. When I went to bed he stayed with her and when I got up in the morning he was still laid with her,just like he did when he was much smaller

(He is s bit bigger than this now)

Andy and I have been touched by all the lovely cards, flowers and messages we have received since Molly passed away. You always think that your own dogs are special, but to have had it confirmed by so many people has meant a great deal to both of us. Molly really was the best dog in the world.

And these lovely words from my Aunty Kath & Uncle Adrian

"Those we love don't go away, they walk beside us every day

Unseen, unheard but always near,

Still loved, still missed and very dear"

I love to think that Molly is still here watching over us.

We love you Molly and will never forget you xx

Nemo swims - at last

Yes, much to Andy's relief, Nemo has finally started to swim. No more splish splashing around, he actually swam with his Mum today and even seemed to enjoy it.

Andy, myself, Jess and Nemo had all gone for a long walk in the woods. We had left Moll at home, she can't manage long walks anymore, but Jess and Nemo need a good old bounce around to wear them out. The dogs both had a great time charging about with various sticks in their mouths

Nemo with his new, best stick

We finally made it down to the river and Jess' favourite swim spot where there is a deep pool. Jess was straight in the water and Nemo had no hesitation in following her as usual. But, today, instead of just splashing around in the shallows, Nemo actually went into the deep end and joined his Mum for a good, old swim!!

I think Jess has her head under the water in this photo

Aren't we clever dogs!?!

An exhausted Nemo after his swim

But Jess just wants to go back in

So off they go again......

I will ask Andy to post a video of Nemo actually swimming when he gets chance but it may be some time, there are a few jobs need doing around here first

Oh and the answers to who is who......hmmm lets see if I can remember

1. Rufus

2. Nemo

3.Elwood

4. Rufus

5. Nemo

Escape to Bangladesh

And so I escaped the devastation at the barn for the pleasant countryside of Bangladesh. A week in a 5 star hotel, no dust, no holes in the walls, a lovely clean room, a lovely bath. Aaah total bliss.

I have to say, I never thought I would ever be particularly happy to visit Bangladesh. It is an extremely poor country and it takes a lot of getting used to. Countries like India and Bangladesh are such a major culture shock to us spoilt westerners, no matter how many times I visit, it is still shocking to see how people exist in the countries - it makes you realise just how lucky we all are.

I took a few shots of Bangladesh from the car

It is actually a very interesting place and quite beautiful - in some areas

The rickshaws are everywhere and so colourful, I find them really charming but I would not want to travel in one - the roads are horrendous and you come across all kinds of obstacles along the way

Like cows for instance

This is the main street in Dhaka - the capital city.

So, despite the wonderful hotel room, I was so looking forward to getting home after a long hot week in various garment factories around Dhaka. And then I arrived home to this....

Where did the kitchen go?

 Hmmm, words escape me

Our computer desk come kitchen work top

And all Andy can say is, " I am really pleased with that ceiling"

And Nemo couldn't care less

So I am off to Poland tomorrow.......

Lily - her Mothers Daughter

Lily looks so much like her Mum, some of the photographs I have seen of her are just uncanny. So I was extremely pleased with these particular photographs below. Lily obviously loves water just as much as Jess does, and I think you will all have to say what fantatstic photographs these are of her. Andy and I love to see our pups growing up and photographs like these make us both so proud.

Rae and Neil have joined their local Newfie water rescue training group and Lily quite clearly loves every minute. I know she has passed her retrieve from the water and she is now progressing onto the boat.

Neil looking on, the proud Dad!

Wow, fantastic photo - and well done Lily

And this little chap is the rather beautiful Jabari, the latest addition to the Evans family. And what a gorgeous boy he is! Andy is very jealous, having always wanted a Landseer.

Who is who?

 We have received some photos of a couple of the pups over the last few days and when Andy showed them to me I asked him when he took them, thinking they were of Nemo! It is amazing how alike they all look! So here is a test, who is who in the 5 pictures below? - lets hope you all recognise your own pup ha ha

1

2

3

4

5

I will let you know the answers on a later blog and also if Andy gets it right!!