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.

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Twitter @NewfFriends

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



Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Fleas!

FLEAS!!! I bet the very thought of them makes you itch. Their presence will certainly make your pet itch, but did you know that left untreated, a flea infestation can cause major medical issues for your pet? Fleas are not something to be taken lightly. They are nasty, dangerous parasites, capable of robbing your pet of his health and well-being, even his life.

What is a flea anyway? A flea is a flat, tiny (about 2mm long), wingless, dark or reddish brown, blood sucking insect. They move from place to place and from animal to animal by jumping. A flea can jump up to 20 cm vertically and 41 cm horizontally. Who needs wings with this kind of bounce? If you find a flea on your pet, it is likely that this pesky creature is not alone and that she and her gang have plans for the future. These little blood sucking vampires are getting ready to wreak havoc and make your pet miserable or worse.

Here's what's happening deep within your pet's fuzzy coat once he has encountered fleas. After each meal of your pet's blood, the female flea lays 4 to 8 eggs. She can lay 25 eggs a day and up to 800 in her miserable life. The eggs are round, light brown and sticky, they cling to the hair shaft on your pet. Once hatched the small larvae go to work eating organic debris left on your pet by other fleas. The larvae are extremely hearty and do not die easily. The larvae spin cocoons, which can remain dormant for several months or until conditions arise which are favourable for their survival as adult, blood sucking fleas. Once they emerge from their dormant state, they go to work on your pet again and the cycle continues.


Besides flea bites and actually finding fleas on your pet, you can tell if your pet is infested with fleas by checking for flea eggs and flea dirt. Flea eggs, as described above, will stick to the hair shafts on your pet and can be detected by combing with a flea comb. In addition, fleas leave behind flea dirt (fecal matter) on your pet. Flea dirt looks like a red/brown dirt deep withing your pet's fur. You can be certain that it is flea dirt by removing it with a comb and putting it on a white cloth and dampening it. Once dampened, and smudged, the dirt will look red in colour, like blood, which is what it is.


When a flea begins to feast on your family pet, it releases saliva to stop blood from coagulating. This saliva contains chemicals that cause an irritant reaction and extreme itching ensues. Flea bites are identified by small, red, slightly-raised bumps with a single puncture point at the center. They are often in clusters or lines, and THEY ARE ITCHY. They can remain itchy and inflamed for up to several weeks causing your pet to scratch himself raw. Aside from the physical discomfort and the emotional distress of being itchy all the time, fleas can harm your pet physically. Some animals are allergic to the saliva left behind by the flea. This can cause flea bite dermatitis which is an itchy, painful rash. Hair loss and skin infections result. Like any itch, the more the pet scratches, the more infected things become. In short order, your pet is a mess. Oozing, painful hot spots cover his body and ravage his mind..

Skin problems are only part of the story. Count "Flea"cula and his band of mini vampires are capable of so much more. A heavy flea infestation can cause parasitic anemia. This is especially dangerous in young animals and animals whose immune systems are already compromised. Anemia can cause heart murmurs, lethargy, depression, weight loss. Severe flea infestations in puppies and kittens can cause anemia to the point of death!

What else can happen? Well, how about tapeworm? The tapeworm cycle begins with the flea larvae eating fecal matter that contains tapeworm eggs. The eggs hatch inside the flea and become cysticercoids. Your pet may then swallow a flea that contains these cysticercoids while chewing or biting at his skin. Once swallowed, the flea follows the digestive tract and passes into the animal's intestine where the flea is broken down and the cysticercoids develop into an adult tapeworm. The tapeworm attaches itself to the lining of the intestine and feeds off the nutrients.As the tapeworm matures the tail segments fall away. Each of these is mobile and contains the eggs of the tapeworm. The egg packets are passed in the feces of the dog. The eggs are then ingested by the flea larvae and the cycle renews itself....People can also become infected with tapeworm if they accidentally ingest an infected flea.YUCK!


Your pet deserves protection from this mini menace. Fleas can torture your pet physically and emotionally, what's more, they can be deadly. Check your pets regularly for fleas, flea eggs and flea dirt. If you suspect your pet has fleas, consult a veterinarian immediately. In short, FLEAS SUCK!

~Article submitted by Newf Friends volunteer Anne McNamara

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

It's raining Newfs!

We have several dogs in need of veterinary care and surgery coming into our program. Don't forget to vote for us daily to help us win the $10,000 Grant, which will help offset the cost of vet care for many Newfs. It only takes a minute to vote. Your support is greatly appreciated.

We have several Newfs available for adoption, and 2 more CKC registered landseers arriving this week.

Through our parent all breed rescue group, HART, we also just took in 3 Newf/Berner/Saint mixes that are 12 weeks old and full of beans. Read all about them in our "Available Dogs" section.

Anna is still searching for her perfect family, one where she will get lots of love and attention. This sweet girl will make a great addition to the right family. Check out her bio to the right under available dogs.

Satchmo the little stinker is also looking for his new family. What a sweet, gentle boy he is, a total love bug.

Samson, the big lug has just arrived. How cute is he! This handsome boy is as sweet as can be and is going to make one lucky family very happy! Read all about him under Available Dogs, to the right.

Another recent arrival is Mackenzie. This sweet and gentle girl is responding well to treatment and is already feeling much better than a few days ago. Here she is out for a run with her pal. Mackenzie is on the right.


For those of you who missed it, be sure to read our NewfStock wrap-up, highlighting all of the fun we had at our big fundraiser.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Update - September 23, 2010

It's been a busy few weeks!

For those of you who missed it, be sure to read our NewfStock wrap-up, highlighting all of the fun we had at our big fundraiser event.

Volunteers are working on getting caught up on emails and phone calls. If you have submitted an adoption application recently, we hope to be in touch with you next week.

We have several dogs that have entered the program, and our foster homes are filling up quickly.


Anna is still searching for her perfect family, one where she will get lots of love and attention. This sweet girl will make a great addition to the right family. Check out her bio to the right under available dogs.

Satchmo the little stinker is also looking for his new family. What a sweet, gentle boy he is, a total love bug.


Samson, the big lug has just arrived. How cute is he! This handsome boy is as sweet as can be and is going to make one lucky family very happy! Read all about him under Available Dogs, to the right.


Another new arrival is Mackenzie. This sweet and gentle girl arrived late last night and is looking for some stability, some love and some TLC. You can read about her story in our available dogs section.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Mackenzie's Journey to Good Health



Sweet Mackenzie entered our program on September 22, 2010. An owner surrender, she was in rough shape when she arrived and has undergone extensive veterinary care to be restored to good health.

Having just turned 4, this pretty Newf has been through a tremendous amount in her life. Bred by a BYB breeder (not all CKC registered dogs are from reputable kennels!) she was sold to another unscrupulous breeder who used her as breeding stock repeatedly starting at a very young age. By the time she was purchased by her second family a year ago, she had already whelped 4 litters. She was only 3 years old.

Her last litter before being sold she was bred with a Great Dane. Many of you may remember the puppy Ella who came into our care in 2009, turns out she was one of the pups from that litter. Mackenzie is Ella's mom. The same woman who denied veterinary care to Ella and left her untreated with a horrible, rotting stump of a leg, also repeatedly bred Mackenzie and left her serious health conditions untreated as well, including cherry eye. When Ella was surrendered to us we tried to get Mackenzie as well, but the breeder refused to hand her over, and instead sold her to another family.

Mackenzie lived with her second family for the last year before they determined that they were not able to meet her needs and they opted to surrender her to us. Lucky for Mac, her days of being used as a brood bitch at the hands of a greedy BYB are over, and she has now been spayed.

Mackenzie is a small Newf, weighing 85 lbs. Being repeatedly bred at such a young age would have most certainly impacted her growth and development in the critical first 2 years of her life. She is an energetic girl who has not received adequate exercise in her life, and was lacking lean muscle mass. In the time she has been in the care of a Newf Friends foster she has already grown stronger, put on muscle and her fitness has improved greatly.


Health wise, there are several things we have addressed for Mackenzie. Like so many dogs living with greedy BYBs, she was denied the vet care and attention she so deserved. Suffering from cherry eye since she was 8 months old, her owner who repeatedly bred her to collect money, refused to pay to have corrective surgery done. She has lived with this condition for over 3 years.

Upon intake Mackenzie's eye had much green discharge and was very swollen. She was treated for a severe infection in her eye, and her eye has now been surgically corrected. Due to chronic inflammation and infections, the damage to her eye is extensive. In consultation with an ophthalmologist, it is expected that Mac may require two surgeries to correct the eye and save the tear duct. Mac had surgery on her eye on January 13 and we will know soon if the surgery was a success or if additional surgery will be needed.

Here she is recovering from surgery.


Mackenzie displayed stiffness and discomfort in her back end and x-rays have confirmed that she has bilateral hip dysplasia. Grade 4 HD in her left hip and grade 3-4 in her right. She is not a candidate for hip replacement. Her vet reports that her dysplasia is likely inherited, but can't rule out the possibility of traumatic injuries exacerbating her problems (such as being bred so young and mounted aggressively by a large Great Dane when she was still a growing puppy.) Mac gets along just fine though, and happily runs through the woods every day.



Using a regimen of specific exercises geared towards developing the muscles in her back end, it is expected that Mac will be able to maintain an excellent quality of life. Mac also has a stiff shoulder, but with a daily doses of Metacam (an nsaid) she is able to run and play happily. She has already shown great improvement in her mobility in foster care, and thoroughly enjoys her daily romps in the woods and swimming.


Her surrendering family reported that she has seasonal allergies resulting in hair loss. Upon examination at intake, volunteers discovered that rather than allergies, Mac had extensive flea-bite dermatitis, many lesions and crusty sores from chewing herself, large sections of hair loss also from chewing, significant evidence of flea bites all over her thighs and belly, and she was crawling with fleas. In obvious discomfort this poor girl was chewing herself raw. We treated her with the most effective flea meds available to bring her immediate relief and repeated treatment several times to get the infestation under control. Her skin infection from the flea bite dermatitis was so severe that she had a fever, had become anemic, and due to the anemia, had developed a heart murmur.

Once the fleas were gone, and antibiotics given to combat the infections, Mac improved greatly. Her coat has come in beautifully, she is no longer chewing herself, and she is blossoming into a lovely girl. After several weeks of treatment she was no longer anemic and was finally healthy enough for us to vaccinate her. On top of all of the other negligence in her health care, she was also not vaccinated.

It's important to note that many dogs react badly to flea bites, and just one flea bite can cause a severe allergic reaction which can lead to itchy skin, scabs and sores, dandruff and hair loss. Even if you can't see fleas (you will only see them if the infestation is bad) they can be present. Simple flea treatment will resolve the issue and bring your dog great relief from incredible discomfort caused by flea bite dermatitis. If you have a dog with these symptoms, please do not let your pet suffer, talk to your vet about flea treatment. Fleas can quickly reproduce and a serious infestation can develop resulting in life threatening infections.

Click the images to see in larger size. Above you can see hair loss along her chest from scratching flea bites. You will also see red areas covered in flea bites on her inner thighs, and again hair loss from licking.

Here you see hair loss around her thighs and vulva from chewing and licking. Her vulva is enlarged, from the irritation of licking herself and scratching.

Below shows the side view of her chest, showing the hair loss; the bottom picture shows hair loss along her legs as well.

If you see similar symptoms on your own dog, please go to the vet for flea treatment.

Below is Mackenzie after several hours of grooming, a bath and blow dry. She's all fluffed up and looking good!

Mackenzie has now been restored to good health. She enjoys an excellent quality of life, and is ready to finally find a loving home where she can have fun, get out and enjoy life and make up for all of the time she spent living in pain and misery with her previous owners.


Donations for Mackenzie's health needs can be made to our parent group, HART (see link to the right), with a note that the donation should be directed to the Newf Friends Fund for Mackenzie. Thank you for your support.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Bancroft Times Ad - September 15

Click image to see in larger size.

Also, please remember that Newf Friends is in the running to win a $10,000 grant from Pepsi - but we have to get into the top 3 of voting in the $10K category. Please try to vote for us as much as you can this month.

http://www.refresheverything. ca/newfrescue

All you have to do is sign up on the website and click vote for Newf Friends. You can vote once a day. Please bookmark the page and vote daily!

Although NewfStock was a huge success, one or two dogs with high medical needs will exhaust all of those funds, so we need to continue on with fund-raising. This grant will make a tremendous difference for a number of dogs. Thanks for your support!

Also be sure to check back in a week or so, we will have our new merchandise page up and running! The holidays are just around the corner, be sure to check out our online store for gifts for the Newf lovers in your life.

Monday, September 20, 2010

NewfStock wrap-up!


What a weekend! NewfStock 2010 was a HUGE success! Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us -- the day brought in over $20,000 and generated much revenue for area businesses as well.


All of the activities on each of the three days were well attended - and the main event on Saturday was extraordinary. There were about 100 Newfs in attendance, plus 50 or more dogs of other breeds, and several hundred people. Millennium Park was bursting at the seams with Gentle Giants, and the Newf community really did us proud by showing what phenomenal dogs these are. Our phone has been ringing off the hook today congratulating us on a successful event, and everyone is commenting on how WONDERFUL Newfies are, how gentle and sweet natured they are and of course, how much they drool!


Bancroft was a flurry of activity with Newf lovers out and about shopping and taking in the area sights on the days leading up to and following the main event. Starting on Wednesday we were hearing reports of sightings of large groups of Newfs cruising around town turning heads and creating a real bustle. Bancroft welcomed them with friendly smiles and there were lots of pats on the head and belly rubs for all of the Newfs in attendance.

A few highlights of the day included awards for the following categories:
Oldest Newf Award: Hannibal's Christmas Belle, 12 years, 9 months old.
Person who brought in the most pledges: Sandy Mulheren of New Jersey with over $2000 in pledges. Thank you Sandy and Vanessa, you two are great!
Anne McNamara of Sudbury was a very close second with her pledge collections, thanks a million for all you do Anne, and your awesome hubby Paul!
Thank you to everyone who collected and donated pledges, every dollar helps and will make a difference in the life of a Newf in need.
Pictured here is Vanessa walking Nanook and Sandy walking Pooka at the end of the parade.


Person who traveled the farthest to attend: Christine Hutton from England. Thanks Chris for bringing raffle items from the Newf Rescue division across the pond. Other people who travelled a great distance were EmmieLou and her Husband Ron from Florida; I heard there was someone who flew in from Alaska; 'Nessa and Sandy from New Jersey; Sylvia and Mary from Connecticut; Kim and Yvan came in from Quebec; and of course Chumley and his peeps from Pennsylvania.


The live auction of original pieces of Newf themed art was a big hit. Successful bidders left the event with stunning one of a kind pieces of art. Thank you once again to all of the artists who donated pieces for the auction: Elizabeth Quandt, Susan Davies, Barb Dickson, Barbara Westfall, Annamarie Johnson, Cindy Williams, Jim Rodgers, Sandra Nicholson, Melody Hill, Bruce Warden, Rita Lo, Nancy Gasser. Thanks also to Mac and Mo McKinnon for donating a beautiful stained glass piece for auction as well as Fetch & Throws for donating a custom throw for auction.


HART's amazing All Breed Dog Show was also a big hit, and their huge Growlers for a Grand raffle was a great success. The winners of the draw were:
Ruth Anne McIlmayl Pickering, On 1st prize $1000.00
D King L'Amable, On 2nd prize $300.00
Francis Melly Oshawa, On 3rd prize $200.00
Congratulations winners!



The list of people to thank is tremendous:

Thank you to HART, our parent organization, for all you do.

Thanks to all of the participants who collected pledges, our donors and sponsors, and supporters who came out and made this day what it was.

Newf Head cake donated by volunteers from SOS Newf Rescue in Quebec.


Thank you to all of the volunteers who worked so hard to pull this event together. This event took months of planning and preparation, countless hours of volunteer time, and a lot of hard work. Our core group of Newf Friends volunteers and their spouses, friends and family helped out at our event, donated raffle items, raised funds, and worked so hard to make this event a great day. Thank you Kaila, Allison, Jen, Anne, Paul, Celine, Susan, Erica, Sharon, Patti, Jim R., Jillian, Ben, Sandy, Jeff, Tina, Peter, Mac, Moe, Kim, Yvan, Zeljka, Bruce, Bryson, Joanna, Wayne, Raph, Scott, Steve, Jim D, Louise, Glenn, Mike and HART's hardworking group Beryl & Herbie, Dorothy, Linda, Dave, Brenda,Lianna, Ayden, Kyla, Anna,Velma,Marilyn, Wanda, Marlaina,Deb L.,Deb T.,Deb M.,Lynn, Moryah, Raven,Heather,Ben & Elfie, John, Judy, Carol B, Kim C., Joan C, Dave N., Susan, Cindy.

Demos and seminars were offered by the following volunteers:

Sylvia Delson and Mary Bylone who came up from Connecticut and offered Pampered Pooch Nail Clipping and Ears

Jillian Pinder and Maayan Kasimov - from Toronto - Reiki and Craniosacral Therapy Booth

Paul McGee from Sudbury, our Auctioneer

Joan Fisher and Judi Walton - from Ottawa - grooming demo and carting demo

Much thanks to Henry Christiansen, Ross Jackson, Drew Hosick, Steven Griffin, and the Bancroft Photography Club for doing our photo shoots. Photos from the shoot will be featured in the 2012 calendar and will be available online for purchase in coming weeks.
A big round of applause to the musicians Donna Leclair and Friends as well as Mike Leveck and Tara Band for donating their time to provide entertainment throughout the day, keeping everyone's toes tapping. All of the music was fantastic and a perfect backdrop for the day.


Our MCs Jim Eadie and Steve Scally both did a fabulous job of running the day and keeping everyone entertained. Thanks to both of you!

Thanks to everyone who helped out at HART's main booth, including:
Meryl Hall - face painting

Sparky the pig

Jenn Bishop ,"Inner Wolf Canine Services" Bancroft

And the Vendors:

Heather King, "The Mutt Hut" from Wilberforce
Anna Simard/Artist, Apsley Hand Wrought Silver Jewellery and "Doggie Bling"
Levi Caya/Artist, Apsley "Wood Spirit Carver"
Greg Wood/Artist, Apsley "Petroglyphs Carved in Stone"
Chris Gillick, "A Cut Above"/Maple Leaf, baked HART's "pupcake"


Thanks also to the Town of Bancroft for the use of beautiful Millennium Park; area camp grounds where many of the attendees stayed; and of course to the Sword Motor Inn for welcoming close to 100 Newfs with open arms.


So many people and businesses donated goods for the raffle. Thank you, each of you. Some of the businesses that helped out:

Grand Design - handled online registration, online pledges and more

Pinderama Design - creation of our banner/promotional material; donated toys

Three Pound Universe - posters and calendar layout

Ferghus & Company - donating all of the free gifts for every rescue dog that comes to NewfStock!

Jeannie's Pooch Parlor - in Greenville, Ohio has donated DVDs on how to groom your Newfoundland. These were available for purchase at the event, and will be part of our online sale pages. We will also be giving a copy to Newf adopters as part of their adoption package thanks to Jeannie's generosity.

Big Bang Direct Impact in Markham for coming through for us at the last minute with an important print job. Thank you!

West Wind Gallery & Gifts, Bancroft, ON - for their donation of raffle items and prizes.

The Leprechaun - Sudbury, Ontario - for their donation of raffle items and prizes

March Road Pet Food & Grooming 1112 March Rd. Kanata ON K2W 1B9 for their generous prize donations.

Canadian Tire - Sudbury, ON - for their donation of paper products and more

Global Pet Foods - 600 Grandview Street South, Oshawa, ON L1H 8P4 (905) 245-0247 for their donation of raffle items



It takes a team to run a rescue, and Newf Friends has a phenomenal team. Well done everyone! You should be proud.

Thank you to each of you.
~ Sandra


Photo Albums of the weekend are being posted online by various attendees. Here are links to public albums with loads of pictures to see.

Friday Swim Date, by Vanessa

Main Event, by Vanessa
Sunday Hike and Swim, by Vanessa


Friday Swim, by Wayne A
Main Event, by Wayne A
Sunday Hike, by Wayne A
Sunday Swim, by Wayne A
NewfStock, by Beth