Newfie lovers gather for third annual celebration
(Photo by MARY MALONE)Some of the approximately 60 people who attended the 3rd annual Newfapalooza on July 20 pose with their Newfoundlands, who enjoyed a day of food and fun by the river in Selle Valley.
SANDPOINT — Newfoundlands are known for their calm and docile nature, which makes them the perfect breed for a gathering of “Newfie” lovers with their gentle giants.
“It’s just a big gathering for all of us to reach out and have a Newfie community,” said Angelina Henry, who started the local “Newfapalooza” event with Rosemary O’Bryan two years ago. “It’s an opportunity for us to get to know people in the Newfie world, so if we need any help, or we know of someone who has dealt with stuff with their dog, it is an opportunity to reach out to them and just have contacts all over the place.
Henry said she had just got her first Newfoundland when she put out a call via social media to “Newfie” lovers and that she would like to meet them and their dogs.
O’Bryan was the first to respond four years ago and they quickly became friends. Over the next couple years, they met more people in the “Newfie” world, and decided it would be fun to get together, and the first “Newfapalooza” was arranged.
With her family’s place by the river in Selle Valley, Henry said it was the perfect spot for the dogs and their humans to hang out, enjoy some company and food — including cupcakes decorated with Newfoundland faces of icing. If the event continues to grow, however, Henry said they may have to find a new spot. There were about 15 dogs the first year, then 24 dogs and 35 people last year. For the third annual event this year on July 20, more than 60 people signed up for the event, bringing their pups from Idaho — including southern Idaho — as well as Montana and Washington.
“It just started spreading and people got hearing about, and we started meeting more and more people,” Henry said.
In addition, for last year’s event, Pawpular Companions Pet Supplies in Liberty Lake donated gift bags for everyone, with tennis balls, treats, bandanas and more. This year, O’Bryan reached out to Carter Country Farm & Feed in Sandpoint, and they donated bins of gift bags with various items as well.
“So kudos to Carter Country — it was awesome,” Henry said.
Henry said they have a guest speaker each year, and Kathy Petrina from Happy Paws spoke this year about grooming, as Petrina is a groomer who raises Akitas. Like Newfoundlands, Henry said Akitas are double-coated dogs.
“So we thought she was ideal to talk to us about coat maintenance for these kind animals, grooming techniques and other things that can help us take better care of our dogs coats and stuff like that,” Henry said.
The nearest Newfoundland Club of America is in Seattle, Henry said, so the local event, while it is not necessarily a club, is sort of a support group for people and their pups.
Newfoundlands were originally bred by fishermen in Canada as working dogs to haul in fishing nets. The first “Newfie” that was popularized came over on the Lewis and Clark expedition, as he made the entire expedition to the West Coast and back East with Lewis and Clark.
“There is a lot of really cool history — the Italian Coast Guard uses Newfoundlands as water rescue — so they are just an incredible breed,” Henry said. “They are fantastic family dogs.”
Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.