At the beginning of October 2010 a 4 year old female Landseer Newfoundland came into our rescue from Quebec. Her name was Mimi and she was approximately 50 lbs overweight, unspayed, skin issues, poor coat and infections in both ears. She was to be a long term foster as she needed to safely lose the weight before she could be spayed and adopted. She had a gorgeous personality so her foster parents were not concerned that she'd be with them for at least 6 months. They started her on a high quality, grain free diet and a regular exercise regime, slowly increasing her endurance and fitness level. Her starting weight was 167 lbs and it began to come off at a rate of 1-2 lbs/week. Below are her 'before' pictures taken in October 2010.





Fast forward to August 2011, 10 months later. Mimi is a completely different dog, almost unrecognizable from when she came to Newf Friends. Over the course of the Winter and Spring Mimi shed almost 50 lbs through regular daily exercise and a carefully monitored diet. She ate only her high quality dog food (Acana Pacifica to be exact) and received no treats except vegetables. She loves cucumbers, cabbage, celery and peppers!

A healthy 120 lbs!

Look at the shine on her coat!

Mimi loves to fetch her big ball

At the beginning she could not walk more than 5 minutes without stopping for a rest. She can now trot at a brisk pace for over an hour. She runs and plays with the other dogs and has learned to fetch her big ball. Her coat is glossy and full and her skin is in great shape. She is the picture of a healthy Newfoundland dog! She had lost the weight by the end of May but went into heat so her surgery was postponed a few months to give her hormones and blood vessels  time to get back to normal.

Here's Mimi playing with her brother ~ look at her go!!



Mimi was finally spayed on August 18th. She sailed through her laser spay surgery and woke up perky and not at all drowsy. Her vet (Kingsdale Animal Hospital) was amazed given her size and age (now 5). He attributed her speedy recovery to her great health and fitness level.

Throughout Mimi's transformation her foster parents knew they had a special girl on their hands and they decided they could not let her go. They adopted her! She has been a wonderful foster sister to many other Newfs and all breed dogs in need, always gentle, always kind. Losing the weight has added years to her life so she can continue to give back to other dogs in need for years to come.

Rescue dogs aren't always perfect but with time, patience, love and effort they can be the best dog you've ever owned. Please consider adopting a Newf in need.