Fanny  also called Puschi
born 16.02.91
 

Fanny comes from that far up north that I am sure, Santa Claus is a neighbor of her family. A swedish pen pal of mine, Lena, bred Newfoundland dogs for quite a few years. Once and again she offered me a pup for fair money.  Again and again I said no. Until she became really mean one day and sent me photos of the latest litter. And when I saw those cute little faces, I became weak.  I have wanted to visit Sweden for a long time anyway...
So in April 1991 I flew to North Sweden, 80 kilometers south of the polar circle. In my baggage I brought a carrier for cats.
Lena lived in a  large forest, in a real, typical, swedish house. One could hear the silence, fell the vastness.

Fanny is just like the country, very quiet, very calm. Never angry, never exuberant. I have never heard Fanny bark, unless she wants out in the garden or a dog biscuit.
She would have become a wonderful mother, even when she only was four months old, she carried kittens expertly through the house, groomed them and watched for their well being. Just like a puppet mother!

Unfortunately she had practically from the beginning on bodily problems. It started at the age of just a few months with pancreas insufficiency, which could be cured by an animal naturopathic doctor. Then she had a rapture on the ligaments in her left knee which needed surgery. Besides that, she had arthritis in both of her knees when she was only two years old.
Then we had a odyssey through various vet practices to find the cause for her constant skin problems. Her ears have been inflamed for a long time, nobody could really help. Much money and many failed tests later, I just began to put Prurivet (a liquid which contains cortisone and is "good for everything") in her ears and on all eczemas. That finally helped. The ears healed, the eczemas disappeared. Unfortunately there are new on always different spots.
In between the skin trouble, Fanny had a very severe pyometra.
A test for allergies was negative. Also a test for Morbus Cushing. Now we try it with the good old homeopathy again.
Last year we discovered several mammal tumors, which got removed immediately of course.

Since she comes from that far north, her coat is not suitable for our moderate temperatures. She feels comfortable, when it's about -10°Celsius. If it's warmer, she feels very uncomfortable. Everything colder was very convenient for her. Our animals live in the house with us - so Fanny felt constantly uncomfortable.
Also the air couldn't come all the way to the skin through this thick coat. Not even a knife comb could get through it! So I bought a haircutting machine and shear Fanny every six to eight weeks.
For "Newfie People" is the view of a sheared Newf always very suspect, if not even really unpleasant, but Fanny obviously feels much better when the coat is gone and she can "breath through".
I am secretly convinced that most Newfoundlands would love to get rid of their coat at least during summer... 

What else is to tell about Fanny? Well, she snores like a sawmill. And even if other dogs growl directly in her face, she still wags friendly and won't become mad. She sets great store by taking a bath every day, even if it's just her feet during winter.
And it goes without saying that a dog like her is entitled to her own spot on the sofa....