About Newf Friends

Newf Friends Newfoundland Dog Rescue is a volunteer run, foster home based rescue group for Newfoundland Dogs in need in Ontario, Canada.
We place Newfs into carefully screened homes in Ontario and surrounding provinces and states.
Established in 2008.

Follow us on Facebook for daily updates
Also find us on
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/newffriends/
Twitter @NewfFriends

Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for general information about our program and our adoption policies and procedures.



Sunday, November 29, 2009

November 29 - Update

Marley was "officially" adopted yesterday, after living with his new family for the last 3 weeks. He's doing great, and loving having a newf playmate right next door to romp and play with. Congratulations happy boy!


After a difficult week, Isabel and her pups have finally turned a corner. Pups are now gaining weight, Isabel is coping well with the stresses of being in a new environment, having pups, emergency surgery, and more.

Misty is doing great in the loving hands of her foster home. She is out socializing with all sorts of dogs, learning manners quickly, and coming along beautifully. We are accepting applications for her adoption and hope that her perfect forever family will come along soon.

Hudson is also doing well in his foster home. This fun loving boy is the perfect companion -- sweet, playful, charming, handsome.....what more could you ask for?

Ella is ready to be adopted, and we have home visits happening this week with potential homes. Ella had her vaccine boosters and final vet visit on Friday and was given a clean bill of health. Thank you Dr. Kim Facey, Apsley Veterinary Services for your exceptional care of Ella.

Our first print run of 2010 calendars sold out in hours! The second print run is now ready and flying out the door! Details can be seen here.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Hot Off The Presses!

Our 2010 Newf Friends Calendars are ready to go!

These oversized 12x18 calendars are printed on the same high quality, heavy weight, high gloss paper we have used in previous years, have metal spiral binding across the top, and feature loads of full colour images of gorgeous Newfs. These beautiful calendars are the perfect gift for all of the Newf lovers on your shopping list.

All of the dogs featured in our calendar have either gone through our foster program, or belong to friends and supporters of our rescue. 100 % of the proceeds from the sale of our calendar go directly to HART's Newf Friends Fund to help Newfoundland Dogs in need.

Calendars can be picked up in person in Bancroft at West Wind Gallery & Gifts, or ordered online through the HART website www.hartanimalrelief.ca

Also available on the HART site is their All Breed calendar, featuring images of some of the gorgeous dogs who have gone through the HART foster program. 100 % of the proceeds of the sale of that calendar go into HART's general fund to assist all breeds of dogs. What a great gift idea for dog lovers!


Sunday, November 22, 2009

Nov 22 - Update


Hudson is doing extremely well in foster care and is now up for adoption. He is going to make someone a fantastic pet.

Misty is in her new foster home. Updates to come.

Isabel
is safely back from having an emergency c-section and spay. She is doing remarkably well, and is caring for her 7 pups perfectly. All the pups are doing good so far. The emergency vet bills were quite high, and donations towards Isabel's care are greatly appreciated.

UPDATE: Nov 23. Sadly, one of the female pups has passed away. Isabel and the remaining 6 pups are all doing well.







Saturday, November 21, 2009

November 21 -- Update

What a whirlwind the last 48 hours have been.
Hudson, the boy from the kennel is Quebec, is safely in our care, as is Hera, the pregnant husky who came with him from Quebec. His foster mom reports that Hudson is a very nice boy, friendly, social, affectionate, and so very happy to be invited indoors. He will have his doggy spa day and get all spiffed up, then some pictures of the sweetie will be posted.
Hera is also doing very well -- a bit overwhelmed by all of these new experiences (like being indoors) but coping well. She will be moved to her long term foster home tomorrow.
Isabel had her litter of pups last night. 8 of her 9 pups arrived. We have 7 Newf/Berner pups.....5 healthy boys, 2 healthy girls, and 1 pup that did not survive. The ninth pup has not arrived despite all efforts, so x-rays will be taken today to determine if it is stuck, and an emergency c-section performed if needed. Updates will follow.
Yesterday Ella had her follow-up appointment after her amputation surgery last week and got a positive report -- she will receive her booster vaccines next week and be ready to be adopted right away. Applicants will be interviewed on Monday.
Misty will join her new foster home tomorrow, hanging out with Hudson, and more pictures and details will come later this weekend.
Our 2010 Calendars are ready to go...details will be posted this weekend for online ordering.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Updates - Nov 19

It's been a busy week here and we have several Newfs entering our program.

Today we will be picking up Hudson, a male Newf who was one of the 147 dogs surrendered from a kennel in Quebec last week. This was the only Newf on the property -- apparently he was given to them as a "mascot". He will be arriving in foster care today, vetted, assessed and more details will be posted as we have them.

For those not familiar with this horrible situation in QC, here is a link to 3 videos. You can see clips of Hudson there. Our parent organization, HART, will be taking in one of the 30 pregnant female huskies. She will be arriving in foster care along with Hudson today.

Today we will also be picking up Isabel, a 3 yr old female Newf who appears to be pregnant. X-rays will be done this afternoon to determine how many pups, and when she is due. The sire of the litter is a Bernese Mountain Dog apparently. Details to follow.

Misty is doing well and will be moved to her new foster home this weekend, where we will continue with her assessment. We will have more details about her next week.

Ella's recovery is coming along well. We will be calling potential adoptive homes to conduct interviews next week.

Marley's adoption will be going through shortly. He is doing great.

Our 2010 Calendar is being printed today. Orders will be able to be placed online starting this weekend. Here's a preview of the large calendar images....

100 % of the proceeds from the sale of this calendar go to support Newfs in need.

Thank you for all of the recent donations and support that so many of you have sent our way. Those of you who are considering fostering, please consider applying. We are always in need of foster homes throughout the province.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Thank You

Newf Friends and HART would like to extend our sincere THANK YOU to Dr. Kim Facey for the generosity, compassion and exceptional care she has given Ella throughout her treatment. Thanks to Dr. Facey's skilled care, Ella is now well on the road to a long, happy, healthy life.

Dr. Kim Facey
Apsley Veterinary Services
9779 Highway 28
Apsley, ON

We would also like to extend our thanks to Dr. Michael Faessen, Soft Tissue and Orthopaedic Small Animal Surgeon, who performed Ella's amputation.

Dr. Facey is pictured here with Ella, the day of her surgery.

*Please note, Ella is in foster care, not staying at the vet clinic. All inquires should be sent directly to Newf Friends at newf.friends@gmail.com The vet clinic is not handling her adoption and will not be able to answer questions about her adoption.

Ella's Story

Ella's Journey from Back-Yard-Breeder to Forever Family

It isn't where you came from, it's where you're going that counts ~ Ella Fitzgerald

Ella was born on Aug 13, 2009. Her mom was a Newfoundland and her Dad a Great Dane giving Ella the markings of a Merle Dane and the soft coat of a Newf -- with her long eyelashes, and gorgeous colouring she is a beautiful girl. Ella came to us as a breeder surrender at the tender age of 5 weeks, far too young to be separated from her litter. Her litter mates had already been sold and pushed out the door, and Ella remained, unwanted and unloved because she only had 3 legs. Nobody wanted to buy the little dog with the infected stump, and her breeder surrendered her to us saying she was "Glad we'd take her so she didn't have to kill her."

We were told that Ella was born without her leg, but x-rays suggest that it is likely that her mom accidentally bit the leg off when removing the umbilical cord. Ella lived 5 weeks with her breeder without receiving any veterinary care whatsoever. The pain she endured must have been unbearable. Her stump became infected, swollen and as the infection spread through her bone, it made it's way into her tiny body. Left with a raw, oozing stump with a painful open sore on the end, Ella was exposed to e-coli infection from contamination from unhygienic living conditions. This infection spread into her urinary tract, and by the time we rescued her the infection was so severe her urine was thick with pus. At 5 weeks, Ella was only 3 lbs, very underweight, dehydrated, malnourished, and fighting for her life from systemic infections. By denying Ella access to the veterinary care she needed, Ella's "breeder" nearly cost Ella her life.

Upon arrival into our care, saving Ella's life was our first priority. Ella was taken to Dr. Kim Facey, Apsley Veterinary Services, and she was immediately treated for infections and an action plan for her recovery was made. Ella is a fighter, and she responded to treatment immediately and within days was growing stronger. Under Dr. Facey's exceptional care, Ella thrived.

It was obvious that the only chance for a long, healthy, pain free life for Ella was removal of her infected stump. With no salvageable bones in the stump, a prosthetic limb was not an option, so it was decided that amputation at the shoulder would be the best option. Before we could proceed with surgery, Ella needed to be strong enough to survive surgery and the lengthy recovery. For the next 7 weeks Ella was nursed back to health through a combination of antibiotics, daily cleaning regimens of her wounded stump, a healthy diet and lots of love. There were many ups and downs throughout her recovery, which have been chronicled on this site.
Intake
Week 2
Week 3

Ella received extensive veterinary care in those weeks, and even with the very generous discounts granted to us by Dr. Facey, Ella's vet bills mounted. As Ella's story began to be told to the Newf community, via Newf Net, she touched the hearts of many, and the donations for her care started pouring in. The outpouring of support for "wee Ella" as she became known, was astounding, and the generosity and kindness the Newf community has shown Ella has been remarkable.

Beyond her physical needs, Ella's social needs had to be addressed as well. Pups who are separated from their litters at such an early age miss out on the essential social skills that puppies teach each other, including bite inhibition.

To counter that, Ella was socialized with a pack of dogs in her foster home. With 5 other dogs to live with this was her best chance of learning the important "social" rules that other dogs teach each other during their early months. Although nothing can compare to the social benefits of living with litter mates for 12 weeks, we provided Ella the next best thing. She is very well socialized with other dogs, and plays well with her pack. She enjoys sleeping curled up with the other dogs, and seeks out the companionship of each of them.

On her 13 week birthday Ella underwent surgery for amputation of her infected stump. Dr. Facey enlisted the help of Dr. Michael Faessen, Soft Tissue and Orthopaedic Small Animal Surgeon, to perform this delicate surgery. Posts about her recovery can be seen on our site.
Surgery
Post Surgery


Ella came through surgery with flying colours and hasn't looked back. She bounced back from surgery far better than anyone could have expected, and is well on the road to a full recovery.

UPDATE: Ella was adopted on December 8, 2009 to a loving family that will cherish her and give her the life she deserves. She joins a canine pack of 3 -- Denver, a senior shep mix who is also a three legger; Jake a young lab who lost his eyes due to infection thanks to the carelessness of a breeder; Zoe another Newf found wandering homeless and starving, plus a couple cats, and of course two loving parents who think the world of her!



UPDATE! Ella recently celebrated her 6 month birthday. Pictures and an update about wee Ella can be read here!

UPDATE!
Read the latest update from Ella's mom in this post from November 6, 2010.

UPDATE! Check out another great update from April 2012!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Update on Ella -- 2 days after surgery

Thank you everyone for your support and concern for Ella. Her surgery went very well, she was home with us that evening, and has been doing fabulous.

Ella is doing far better than we could have hoped for. She must be feeling so relieved to have that awful stump off of her - -she is so happy, energetic and playful, just like a 13 week old puppy should be.

Her bandage was able to come off today, and her incision looks great. She seems to be healing well.

Her bladder culture came back, she is 100 % free of infection now, which is terrific news!.

Finally, wee Ella has turned a corner.

More details to come.....

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Ella's Surgery


Ella, the Newf/Great Dane mix, pictured here at 12 1/2 weeks

Thank you for all of the emails and letters in support of Ella, and for the generous donations that so many of you have made towards Ella's veterinary care.

Ella's amputation surgery has been rescheduled for Thursday, November 12. She has grown considerably in recent weeks, and her strength, stamina, and naughtiness increases daily! Ella is behaving like a happy, healthy, mischievous 12 week old puppy, and we can only hope that with the removal of the infected bone she will become even stronger, and be ready to live a long, healthy, pain free life.

Updates to follow....