exercise....a nasty word?

[Martin Thomas]

Like Luce I've embarked on an exercise regime and it's had a very beneficial effect. Mine was primarily due to getting a new dog (Newfoundland) so I simply 'had' to get out walking. I've gone from a few yards to a few miles in 4 months and lost 20kg in the process. I still have bad days but during my last consultation with Dr David Jayne and Dr Sivasothy at Addenbrooke's, Cambridge, UK both were highly complimentary and said they believed it had made a huge difference to my recovery. They also suggested they have evidence that physical fitness can contribute to supressing the disease. Certaily losing weight has helped as I need less energy. I have a severe stenosis of the right manin bronchus so anything that means I need less oxygen makes life easier.

However, I am aware that for many WG sufferers it must seem like an almost impossible task. I know I did but somehow I managed to get started - little and often to begin with then began to stretch out the exercise to where I'm at today. Motivation is clearly different for all of us but when you're desperate then it's amazing what you'll tollerate!

[capabayan]

However, I am aware that for many WG sufferers it must seem like an almost impossible task. I know I did but somehow I managed to get started - little and often to begin with then began to stretch out the exercise to where I'm at today. Motivation is clearly different for all of us but when you're desperate then it's amazing what you'll tollerate!

So true Martin!! For me, the motivation is the hardest part of all... and yet I feel like such a heel always saying "no I don't feel like exercising today." But it's too true sometimes!! And then a day stretches into a week... or a month... and it's so hard to get back into a routine with the walking. Argh.

[Martin Thomas]

I guess mine has had a double benefit as my dog is a re-home and she has a better quality of life too now.

[Gary]

I had an MI about 3 years ago and went through cardio rehab and have been walking ever sice then. I started out slow but I am up to walking about an hour a day and 2 to 3 hours on the weekends. But my feet hurt like heck and for me I have to push through the pain.

[Doug]

I guess mine has had a double benefit as my dog is a re-home and she has a better quality of life too now.

You also get the hosannahs of people like me who strongly support this means of dealing with the over-populations of cats and dogs in pounds: It's a triple win! If you have a digital camera, you'll have to post photos of your dog. Newfies are such beautiful animals!

[Martin Thomas]

You also get the hosannahs of people like me who strongly support this means of dealing with the over-populations of cats and dogs in pounds: It's a triple win! If you have a digital camera, you'll have to post photos of your dog. Newfies are such beautiful animals!

Thanks Doug. She's my 5th newf out of 4 rehomes. Pics as requested in my album here.

[Sangye]

Boy, is she cute. I didn't know they were water dogs. I thought they were just bred for their good looks.

[Doug]

Ruby-doo? Is that your dog's name? Anyway, Sangye might find it interesting to know that Newfies are the only dogs with webbed feet! Beautiful, can swim, do save lifes, have great dispositions. (May eat like a horse, but wouldn't run one down and eat it! Ha!) Seems to me their coats have some water-resisting quality, too, but it's been some time since I learned a bit about them. Anyway, with a pretty face like that, what's not to love? Eh?! (Sorry, Canadians say they don't say that, but I say they are unaware they do. On the other hand, Many Americans say it, too!)

[Sangye]

Labradors have webbed feet, too. My dog Lotus is part pointer and part black lab, and she has partly webbed feet! Guess she has trouble with commitment.

[Martin Thomas]

They were originally used by the Newfoundland fisherman for hauling trawls and ropes where they also developed an instinctive ability to save life. Almost every boat in the fishing fleet would have had a newfie as part of the crew and even Nelson had one aboard the Trafalgar. They were also used on land to haul logs on sleds out of the Canadian Forests hence developing their evolutionary strength as draft workers.

They do indeed have webbed feet and an articulated shoulder joint (their front legs can be held at almost 90 degrees to their shoulders) which means they swim with a breast stroke style but with alternate paws.

The coat is a two layer system with a soft, under-fur which remains dry (and hence the dog remains more buoyant) due to the outer layer. They're very slow developers often not reaching maturity until 3 years of age and young dogs like mine don't have undercoat so tend to swim more submerged.

They also have the ability to scent underwater (probably many other breeds can do too) and are used in body searches by some rescue organisations. The most spectacular performances are by the Italian helicopter dogs who are used to jump from quite substantial heights (meaning the chopper can hover higher above the 'victim') and have been known to plunge as far as 40 feet! There's video here and here although some of the facts aren't quite accurate and it's not the best but it will give you some idea of what they can do.

Pound for pound they're supposedly stronger at pulling than elephants and 3 dogs wearing special harnesses apparently pulled a 30 ton fishing boat from rest in France some years ago.

They're other attribute is as a nursery dog and they were regularly used in Victorian times to look after young children. Remember Nanna in Peter Pan? Well, J M Barrie, the author had a newfie himself although nowadays the dog is often misprepresented and portrayed as a St Bernard.

Mine is quite a small girl weighing under 50 kg / 110lbs but the larger males regularly make 70 - 100 kg / 150 - 225 lbs.

Amazing dogs. Cute too... but I am biased!