Things to be done differently - Nurhan:

Nurhan:

There are some things that given another chance I would have done differently with Karma, given a second chance.

Karma was always deeply suspicious of hoovers... retrospectively thinking about it, this might have had something to do with me... The logic went like this... " I have to hoover the whole house because of Karma... surely it would be quicker just to hoover Karma..." And thus a phobia was born!

Here's Kin, and the hoover is running... One pig's ear, and he's hoover trained (hopefully for life).

Grooming was also another issue with Karma, he didn't like it, so only essential grooming was performed. This meant that he smelled more than he had to and his coat could have been better. I'm not likely to take Kin to dog shows, (for various reasons) but with a grooming table, I don't have to lean over him. I'm getting him used to the table and being groomed... he gets lots of treats so is quite happy.

Table comes from Hund1(.no); the folk who run it also have Newfie's. This table can be set at three heights, is the largest table (in area) that can be bought as 'standard', and already Kin doesn't have much room on there!

Another thing that I'm trying to do, is have much more contact with Kin, than Karma. Karma would always come, it was just the time lag... did I have enough time to go on a World cruise, or just stop for a pizza! Kin I'm much more focused that he's focused on me... this can be quite a problem when Ingvild is with us!

Karma didn't like being picked up... Kin gets picked up a lot! As Karma got older, I got a ramp for him to get in and out of the car without me having to pick him up. He never really liked the ramp either...

So not only does Kin get picked up, but I've already introduced him to the ramp... lots of treats used with both picking him up and the ramp... So far, all good!

Today we were in town for Kin to meet and greet folk. Which he did. We met a woman who'd lost her Lab in September... Kin gave her some Newfie therapy. She petted Kin for an inordinate amount of time, mainly as she missed her dog... I know how this is... I still deeply miss Karma:

Karma was very good at 'liberating' balls, floats, sticks,... (despite having come top on a life saving swimming course, I had to swim out and rescue him twice, once in reeds and once when he'd become tangled in slack line coming up from a lobster pot... you can also add a third time when I had to rescue him from moving water, but I managed this by hanging out over a tree...

And no this is Voss, the river Karma got swept away in was Figio's elve when in flood, picture is to illustrate that I have some experience with moving water... )

Anyway, the float that he's holding above, came home in Karma's jaws with his tail held high. I added a Monkey's fist to it, and Karma loved that toy...

And now Kin has inherited it! I'm happy to say that he loves it too.

I don't miss Karma any less, but Kin takes up more and more of my thoughts. Life moves on. Karma taught me many things and Kin is also teaching me things.