Page 73 - K9 News - Issue 14 - December 2020

to leave so that they can charge about in the
arena. In their eyes it is one big sandpit for them
to play in.

Usually once a week the farrier arrives who
must deal with five greedy dogs surrounding him
whilst he is shoeing the horses as they eat the
hooves that have been filed. To them it tastes
like chocolate and is the best treat on the planet

In order for a new Newfie to adapt to the yard
I gently introduce them as a young puppy by
carrying them to each horse over the stable door
so that the horse can nuzzle and smell the new
member of the family. Once the puppy has had
all their vaccinations, I then introduce them to all
aspects of the yard, the fields, the stables and
the menage. We have several gentle horses
that love to groom the Newfies by nuzzling in
their ears and all over their backs. This greeting
is something that horses do to each other as a
sign of affection and it is replicated with all our
dogs. Obviously, we supervise them when they
do this, but it is a beautiful moment when two
animals accept each other in this way. We tend
to find that the younger mares tend to groom the

dogs the most. It is almost as if they treat the
dogs like a foal. When Lola was pregnant with
her two last litters it was as if the horses knew
she was carrying a precious cargo and were
keen to lick and nuzzle her even more

In the village it is quite a common site for the
dogs to go to the local pub escorting our little
Shetland pony Joey, carrying my three-year-old
niece, Florence. Ironically we have tried Joey’s

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K9 NEWS DIGITAL / DECEMBER 2020