About 911 Newfs
911 Newfoundlands
The creation and meaning of the name: Aukai - 911 Dragon Rider's Saphira
Aukai Newfoundlands - Cherrie A. Brown: We are so grateful to Cherrie for entrusting us with this Newf hatchling (Saphira). She is truly a beautiful and amazing girl and we are thrilled to include her in our castle.
911: Before "retiring" we were both firefighters. Mike worked in wildland firefighting and I worked in structural, wildland and CFR, as well as 911 dispatching. We were both trained and certified as EMTs. More importantly, it is a tribute to 9/11, when so many of our fellow firefighters, emergency medical providers, police officers, their friends and families, and numerous other "heros" fell in "battle" - we will never forget. Therefore, we have dedicated our kennel name to all the "heros" of 9/11.
Dragon Rider's Saphira: Saphira is a character (blue dragon) in the Eragon series by Christopher Paolini. It is a wonderful story of dragons, dragon riders, good and evil - full of excitement and adventure.
Our first Newfoundland came to us by way of an animal shelter, back in 1988; he was just nine months old. Although he was in a "kill" shelter, it was his wonderful temperament that spared his life. The animal control officers told us he was found as a stray and no one called or came in to claim him. Their policy, at that time, was a 72 hour hold for an owner to claim, then one week for adoption, and then euthanize. Because of his sweet temperament, they just could not euthanize him. Every day, for over three months, they hoped for the right family to come through the doors.
We were looking at a Rodeshian Ridgeback, which happened to be in the next kennel. He was fearful and although we tried to coerce him to the front of the kennel, he would not move. However, in the next kennel, was this big, black, furry dog who was happy to see us, tail wagging, looking at us with his beautiful dark brown eyes. It was like he was saying, "take me, take me." He continued tugging at our hearts, successfully completing his mission in just a few short minutes. To this day, we can not tell you who was more thrilled - us, him or the animal control officers! When we told them which dog we were interested in, they all smiled, a couple of them clapped and all expressed a huge sigh of relief.
Lukas came home with us and instantly warmed our hearts and souls. He was a phenomenal companion and my best friend. There are so many stories we could tell, but this page simply could not hold them all, nor could we ever express our true feelings in words. Lukas went to Rainbow Bridge in 2000 and while we were heart-broken, we knew he was in a good place, waiting for us the Bridge. We still miss him to this very day and will never forget him. We knew Newfoundlands would remain a very important part of our lives.
We are active in the Newfoundland Breed; members of the Newfoundland Club of America, Southeastern Newfoundland Club, Heart of America Newfoundland Club, High Country Newfoundland Club, Newfoundland Club of Florida, Old West Newfoundland Club and Newfoundland Club of Northern California. We are proactive in the safety, welfare and maintaining the standards of this magnificent breed. Involved in Newfoundland Rescue, we have fostered many of these "Gentle Giants" while they were waiting to find their "forever" homes, we assist in screening applications, perform home checks and assist in transportation when needed. Our Newfoundlands have given so much of themselves to us and our lives; this is our way of giving back.
Thank you for visiting 911 Newfoundlands. We hope you enjoy our website and the information it contains. While it is impossible to have all available information for the Newfoundland breed on our site, we certainly make every effort to have as much as we possibly can - information which will be beneficial to everyone interested in Newfoundlands. Check back often, as we are continually updating and adding more content. Thank you for stopping in.
Newfoundly yours,
911 Newfoundlands
Many people ask us about the weather here in Texas and how our Newfs tolerate it. Simple answer - no matter where you live, Newfs are not "outdoor" dogs. They are family dogs and do best with people, not left outside or "tossed" in the back yard. Our dogs are inside our home, they have the space needed for them and they are outside when they need to be let out, to allow them to play, and to be exercised. We exercise our dogs regularly - Newfs need a lot of exercise! When they are inside, the climate control is mainly for their benefit - if I need a sweater, I'll glady put one on. Our friends and family know to bring a sweater when visiting ;)
Winters are different and while a Newf can tolerate the colder temperatures (most of them are pretty content), they still require shelter. Our dogs are outside much more during the winter months, but we again keep the climate adjusted for them when inside - yes, a heavier sweater may be required for the humans! LOL. I've come to the conclusion that we spend far more on A/C in the summer months than we will ever spend on heating in the winter months!