Meet Big Albert....

"Big Albert" is the anchor in the photo next to Benson, located along the drive to Cape Enrage, NB. Anchors like this one were used by large vessels that were built in the shipyard where Big Albert sits today.

This particular anchor was found in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It measures 11.5' or 3.5 meters high & 7.7' or 2.3 meters across the flukes and weighs 2.5 tons.

In 1917, a great explosion levelled much of the city of Halifax; two ships collided, one of them carrying many explosives.

It's thought that the explosion threw this anchor ashore in the inner harbour, where it was found many years later.

Practice makes perfect....

The Canadian Mastiff Club is holding their Booster at the end of the month, so I need to remember how to stack. It's been awhile...

Weekends on the water...

Meet Benson's dad, Lars...

Yesterday, Lars (Cdn/Am/Int CH Newgates Spectacular Vn Eva), celebrated his 8th year. We just wanted to wish him a very HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY and many more!!!

You're lookin' fabulous Larsy, hope you enjoyed your cake!

He's a daddy's boy....

That's right, Benson has chosen my husband as his favourite person. Guess it doesn't pay to give your dog pedicures, manicures & ear cleanings.

Loose At The Lips....

He may be loose at the lips, but he's great at keeping secrets!

Got Sand?

Benson at 4 months old. I love this photo.

It's All About Comfort In This House

When poor puppy Benson found it difficult to stay cool in the summer, even when the AC was on and I had to wear a sweater inside, he still wasn't cool enough. I went online and purchased a cooling blanket for him.

This is by far the best money I have spent on something for one of my dogs. He loved it and was able to sleep comfortably from that day on.

If you look closely at the above photo, you can see the upside-down heart brindle mark under his armpit. Benson is full of love.

 

I know, I know, he's spoiled, but he's not rotten.

A Family Affair

Back in the summer of 2008, we attended the Mastiff Booster held by the Canadian Mastiff Club. We wanted to show our support, meet other Mastiff fanciers and  get some family photos of our little boy with his mom and dad.

Benson meets his dad Lars for the very first time.

My that's a big tongue you have dad...

This is the whole family, minus Benson's littermates.

On the left is, Benson's mom, the beautiful Miss Tuppence, Int/UKC/Cdn CH Banda's Two Pence Worth, CGN, RN and Benson's dad, the handsome Lars, Int/Am/Cdn CH Newgates Spectacular Vn Eva.

Kisses for his baby boy...

Sunny days...

Exploration time....

This was Benson's teacher, Maude, she didn't put up with much from youngsters. She taught them a healthy dose of respect and manners.

Plane overhead...

My old girl, still young at heart...

By the way, see that beautiful, healthy plum tree in the background with the hot chocolate lily? Get a good look cause later in the year, neither survived when Benson learned to lift his leg. He even pruned that tree in the winter time one year! Little bugger...

The Babysitter

Every once in awhile, if you're lucky, your puppy will decide on their own that it's time for a nap. Some days, I didn't think Benson slept at all. But whenever he would go in his crate, Ernie was right there with him, making sure that he would fall asleep.

Once he heard that sound coming from Benson, similar to sawing logs, he would quietly sneak out to find his spot on the couch. Ernie always kept a close eye on Benson, waiting for him to wake up, cause that meant it was time to play again.

Puppy Power X 2

Having one puppy around to play with is great, but two Mastiff puppies is 2 X the fun. We took Benson and Ernie over to visit our friends who have Benson's sister Rosie & Logan, their blue Great Dane, for the day.

We all thought it would be best to take the wee ones out to the backyard to explore and tire themselves out a little.

Once they seemed to settle down a bit, we headed back indoors, but Benson and Rosie had to make up for lost time.

Benson has always been a bit of a pushover and willing to give in with his littermates. This trait has stayed with him to this very day.

He is a true gentleman and for that, I am thankful.

I think they're done their crazy puppy antics.... for now.

Inseparable

From day one, Ernie, our CorgiX and Benson have been inseparable. They are the best of friends and love to play, play, play.

Hard to imagine that Benson will be more tha 10X the size of Ernie when he's done growing.

One, Two, He's Down For The Count

Nothing like a puppy to keep you on your toes. One minute they can be getting into everything and anything they can. Sometimes they are just happy to lay there and chew on their toys...

Then you turn around and he's doing this...

Shhhh - nothing beats a sleepy, tired puppy Benson.

We called him Pacman

It had been awhile since we had a puppy and forgot just how much work goes into having one around. Getting him outside to relieve himself wasn't really a problem. As a matter of fact, Benson has been the quickest learner on being house trained.

The real problem are those little razor sharp teeth. As you can almost see in this photo, that tiny little bit of white in Benson's (w/ Rosie) mouth -

He used to come at us with his mouth open, always chomping on some part of your body that he could grab, so we dubbed him Pacman. It felt like forever before he learned that anything covered in flesh wasn't a chew toy.

He's one hot dog

The day we went to pick Benson up to bring him home, it was a very hot day in June. Unfortunately the air conditioner in the car we took didn't work, so we drove home as quickly as we could.

Thankfully we have central air and had the house at a comfortable 18 degrees.

It wasn't long before Benson figured out where the cool air was coming from...

He's one smart puppy!