Splash and I were at the Yerba Buena Ice Rink this weekend. We live there during hockey season but hadn’t been there in a few months. When you think about it – what’s not to love at an ice rink for a Newfoundland: soft rubberized floors (to protect the skates but perfect for napping on) and cool temperatures; but I digress…As always, Splash was the perfect girl: relaxed, quiet, and willing to roll over for a belly rub whenever someone stopped to say hello. And as always, someone (yes, usually a mom) said, “Oh I wish we could have a big dog but we live in a small house….”
It’s clear that these people are equating the size of the dog with the amount of space that the dog will need in their home. Sometimes it’s really hard to convince them that in this instance size really doesn’t matter. The issue is less how big the dog is and more how much space the dog takes up in your home.
Let me explain. Anyone who was ever had a big drooly working breed (Great Danes, Mastiffs, Newfies, etc.) knows that once these dogs mature, after a decent walk or even better a romp at a dog park (hint, hint, the Pet Camp Savannah or play areas are perfect for this) their favorite activity is curling up for a nap. Then they need another nice walk or play session and another nap soon follows. Sure when they curl up they take up some space (Splash my petite 110 pound Newfie is comfortably curled up under my desk as I type)– but really that’s all the indoor space these dogs need.
Contrast that to a smaller, but more “active” breed – say a Jack Russell for example, or even a medium sized sporting breed – like a Labrador Retriever. Yes, of course these dogs are smaller than the Dane, Mastiff or Newfie. So maybe, and often just maybe, their dog beds are smaller – but the dogs have so much more indoor vigor that they hardly ever stop running around the place. They are up, they’re down, they want to run about, chase a ball. Sure it’s a smaller dog body – but it’s moving about so much that it actually occupies more of your small space.
In fact, the only time a big drooly working breed will occupy more of your space than one of these smaller more active breeds – is when you let it curl up next to you in bed. But sharing that space is sooo worth it.
Thanks for reading!