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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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.



Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Chloe


Chloe
#4105

I've been adopted! Yay me!

Helloooooo Newfie people! I'm Chloe! I'm told I'm a sweet and gorgeous little Landseer bundle of love. I guess I am, I'm not sure but I know that I love when every single person that meets me coos and ooohs and aaaahhhs and gives me snuggles. It's awesome!

I love toys!
Born on December 13, 2012, I am just a baby, weighing a mere 30 lbs but I will grow into a big, lovely adult and will probably weigh around 120 lbs. I'm looking for an active family that will have time to help me in grow into a hallmark friendly Newf (I'm actually already well on my way!). I'm hoping that my new family will enroll me in at least one level of obedience and introduce me to loads of new dogs, people, places and things so that I grow into a well mannered and well socialized big girl.

Here I am working on my mouth wrestling and tackling skills with one of the older dogs at my foster home. He's so patient with me! I sure hope my new family has a nice dog for me to learn from and play with. I LOVE playing!



Here I am with a 5 year old Landseer girl - I'll be just like her when I'm older!

I'm a little sleepy here....

At my foster home, there are loads of other dogs, ranging in size from tiny to giant, so there is always someone for me to romp and have fun with. I love to play and wrestle and am learning to go outside when I need to go potty. There are also cats around and so far I'm curious about them but am respectful when they tell me to beat it.

Here I am meeting everyone. I wasn't scared at all - everyone was super nice to me and wanted to play. Yayayaa!


I came to the Newf rescue folks on February 29th, 2012 when my family realized that puppies are busy and a whole lotta work (ever see how much a 30 lb pup can pee when learning to be housetrained. Tee hee heee!) They loved me so much and did a terrific job crate training me but after lots of discussion they realized I'd have a better life with another family. They contacted the Newfie folks because they know they'll find me a super duper awesome family. Yahoo!



Here I am with a spunky Beagle cross at my foster home. I'm 10 weeks, she's 10 months and we weigh the same! (she needs a home too actually if you're looking for a smaller fun girl, check out her bio)




I'm a lot sleepy here!



I am being fostered in the Guelph ON area and my awesome new family will have to pick me up in person. An adoption donation of $500 applies and I will be adopted with a strictly enforced non-breeding spay contract.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

The Dangers of Tea Tree Oil


Yesterday a friend and fellow Newf owner went through a horrible ordeal with her 1 .5 year old Newf Rigsby when he ingested a very small amount of undiluted tea tree oil. She has given us permission to share her story.

Riggs had what she suspected was a hotspot which he had been licking, causing inflammation. Having used tea tree oil in the past to treat a hotspot on her other Newf, she applied it to Riggs to help soothe and heal the spot and to avoid licking. She writes, "Within about 6 hours of using the tea tree oil on Rigsby, I was woken up to him crying, unable to stand or walk. Literally paralyzed on his back end. If he attempted to walk, his back end would go out on him and he would whine in pain......I rushed him to the vet this AM and had to carry him to the car, he was examined in the car and carried in via stretcher to the vets office. Our vet was convinced this was a structural issue and manipulated the heck out of his joints, xrays were clear."

Unsure of what was happening to her Newf the owner posted a message to her friends telling them what was happening. Hearing of Riggs' condition a friend suggested that Tea Tree Oil Toxicity may be the culprit. Riggs' owner states, " I pressed my vet to treat him for it just in case. Within two hours of IV fluid, and antibiotics and steroids (mostly for the skin lesion) he began sitting on his own at the hospital. Almost 24hrs post the tea tree oil application, he finally stood and started walking on his own for the first time. The vet had already made arrangements to send him to the emergency hospital for the night. He literally rebounded in front of his eyes, and has been acting as though nothing happened since. He's never seen this reaction in such a large dog from such a small amount of oil ever.
"

Like many herbal remedies, Tea Tree Oil is poisonous to pets. Please never use any natural remedies on your pet without first consulting your veterinarian.

From the Pet Poison Helpline:
Tea Tree Oil

Poisonous to: cats, dogs

Level of toxicity: Generally moderate to severe, life-threatening

Common signs to watch for:

  • Low body temperature
  • Weakness
  • Walking drunk
  • Inability to walk,
  • Tremors
  • Coma
  • Increased liver enzymes
  • Death

Tea tree oil, also known as melaleuca oil, is an essential oil produced from the Australian tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) plant. Tea tree oil is known for its antifungal and antibacterial properties, and possibly for its antipruritic, anti-inflammatory, and antiparasitic effects. Tea tree oil is often found in varying concentrations and should never be used on pets. As little as 7 drops of 100% oil has resulted in severe poisoning, and applications of 10-20 mls of 100% oil have resulted in poisoning and death in both dogs and cats. Clinical signs include a low body temperature, weakness, walking drunk, inability to walk, tremors, coma, increased liver enzymes, and even death.

If your dog or cat were exposed to tea tree oil, call your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline immediately for life-saving treatment advice.

Poison type: Herbals

Alternate names: Melaleuca, essential oils

Edited to add:
Please note, there are many pet care products that contain very small amounts of tea tree oil and are safe to use (like shampoos, grooming sprays). We are not suggesting that your pet is in danger from using these products specifically developed for pets. The danger is in using straight tea tree oil, or not diluting it sufficiently.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Update: February 25, 2012

Here's the latest news from Newf Friends....

15 month old Astrid underwent TPLO surgery 8 days ago and is doing very well with her recovery so far. Check out her bio to learn more about this precious girl.
Donations for her surgical costs and veterinary needs during her extended recovery period will be greatly appreciated.

Sweet 4 year old gal Katie will be spayed shortly and ready to join a great family. Check out her bio to learn more about her.

Remember Valerie? This silly girl joined an adoptive family last year and over the last few months they have been working hard to overcome issues between her and one of their other dogs. Unfortunately, it is just not working out and the decision has been made to find Valerie a new home. This playful girl has so much love to give, please help us find her a great home! Read about her here.

Sweet boy Tycho has been waiting far too long for a home - please help us find a home for this boy! This sensitive Newf just needs someone to love him. Do you have room in your heart for this gentle giant? Please consider opening your home to this loving boy. He needs a family. Read his bio here.

Goofy boy Marvin is doing great in foster care. His eye has healed nicely and his manners have improved vastly! If you're looking for a playful, goofy, active Newf, Marvin's your boy! He did have a home visit scheduled, but the potential adoptive family changed their mind before the visit was done. Marvin's bio can be read here.

After months in foster care and rehab, gorgeous gal River is ready to find a great home! We did have an approved home ready for her but they backed out at the very last minute. So we are once again accepting applications for this awesome girl. You can read about River on her bio page. She is a total love bug!

Handsome boy Inti has been adopted! Way to go Inti!

If you or someone you know is looking for a new canine family member that isn't a Newf, be sure to visit HART, our parent all breed rescue group's PetFinder listings. They've got wonderful dogs of all shapes and sizes, coats and ages who are waiting for great families to adopt them.

Hotel space for NewfStock 2012 is filling up quickly! Check out our NewfStock Blog for accommodation details and get your room booked right away!


Monday, February 13, 2012

Adopter Update - Beatrice (now Boots!)

Boots in the foreground with her Newf sister Sandora & Diesel behind

Thought you might like an update on Boots (was Beatrice). She is amazing, Sandora and Boots get along like they have been together forever. She loves her long walks ( 2 or 3 hours) and the creek in the park. She wasn't too sure about the water at first but once Sandora & Diesel dove in she went too. She is getting more playful everyday and she has learned the sit and down commands. They greet me at the door every evening and have to have their hugs and belly rubs. Feeding time is good too, she sits and waits until I tell her its ok.

Boots joining in with Sandora & Diesel
Chase time!!

Well, that's it for now, will keep you updated on her progress. By the way, you will see Boots, Sandora & myself at Newfstock this year.

Sincerely, Joanne

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Update: February 9, 2012

Here's what we've been up to since our last update:

New arrival Astrid, an adorable 14 month old pup, has been assessed by our Orthopedic Specialist and will be undergoing surgery to repair a torn cruciate ligament. Donations for her surgical costs and veterinary needs during her extended recovery period will be greatly appreciated. Check out her bio to learn more about this precious girl.

Sweet 4 year old gal Katie will be spayed shortly and ready to join a great family. Check out her bio to learn more about her.

Remember Valerie? This silly girl joined an adoptive family last year and over the last few months they have been working hard to overcome issues between her and one of their other dogs. Unfortunately, it is just not working out and the decision has been made to find Valerie a new home. This playful girl has so much love to give, please help us find her a great home! Read about her here.

Sweet boy Tycho has been waiting far too long for a home - please help us find a home for this boy! This sensitive Newf just needs someone to love him. Do you have room in your heart for this gentle giant? Please consider opening your home to this loving boy. He needs a family. Read his bio here.

Goofy boy Marvin is recovering well from surgery and making steady progress with his manners in foster care. If you're looking for a playful, goofy, active Newf, Marvin's your boy! His bio can be read here.

River has an adoption pending, she'll be moving south later this month to join a fantastic family! Thank you to everyone who helped us save River! GO TEAM RIVER!!!!

Handsome boy Inti will be joining his new family very soon! Way to go Inti!

Sweet girl Beatrice was adopted! Lucky girl!

Rosie and Tyson were adopted! TOGETHER! Congratulations all around!

Beautiful gal Maggie was adopted! Congratulations Maggie.

Did you know that Back-Yard-Breeders are a huge threat to the Newfoundland Dog breed? Over 3/4 of the Newfs in need of rescue were bred by BYB. Follow along on our FaceBook page as we post daily tips to help people identify BYB!

If you or someone you know is looking for a new canine family member that isn't a Newf, be sure to visit HART, our parent all breed rescue group's PetFinder listings. They've got wonderful dogs of all shapes and sizes, coats and ages who are waiting for great families to adopt them.
HART is also in need of foster homes across Ontario! HART rescues a large number of dogs and the need is great for foster families -- they can only save the lives of those dogs they have a foster space for, and their foster homes fill up quickly. If fostering Newfs isn't for you, then consider fostering for HART's all breed program where many smaller dogs are in need of loving foster homes. You can download the application here.

Hotel space for NewfStock 2012 is filling up quickly! Check out our NewfStock Blog for accommodation details and get your room booked right away!


Sunday, February 5, 2012

Astrid


Astrid
3688
June 3, 2012: I was adopted by a great family!  Yay me!


Hello everyone, my name is Astrid but my friends call me Aster. I'm a totally adorable 18 month old pup who is looking for a great family to spend my life with!

I'm a sweet girl and I have lots and lots of love to give, so pucker up - I looooove to give kisses! I'm super affectionate and love to be hugged, petted and have my belly rubbed. My foster mom says I'm a typical 'velcro Newf", whatever that means!

Pucker up, I love kisses!
I was born November 27, 2010 so I'm just a pup and apparently there's a thing or two I need to learn still. I'm bouncy and full of puppy energy and sometimes I have a hard time containing my enthusiasm and I jump and spring with joy! What fun! My foster mom says I need some work on "manners" and to brush up on some basic commands, and she's been helping me with this and I'm doing great! I've learned SO Much since I arrived here!   I know some commands, my leash manners are pretty good, and I am learning to stay calm, even when I am super-duper excited, but sometimes I can't help myself! I will be a great pup for a family with previous Newf experience.

Come on, throw the toy for me!
I love play bowing!

I looooooove to play with other dogs! So, much, FUN! I get along with all dogs, and I'm a good girl around cats too. Yay me! I'm very playful and love to wrestle, but I also know that I need to be careful around the older and fragile dogs. I like to curl up and snuggle with them after I'm done playing. I'd be so very happy if whoever adopts me has one or two other gentle and goofy dogs for me to play with.  I need to have playmates in my life!


There's horses and chickens at my foster home too and I like to quietly sit and watch them and I never bark at them. There was this one time a chicken accidentally wandered into my play yard and I thought it was a toy and I was playing with it.   Apparently I'm not supposed to carry chickens around though (who knew?) and as soon as my foster dad told me to drop it, I did.  Don't worry, the chicken is ok because I was gentle when I was playing with her.  I'm such a good girl!

Playing is fun - look at me and my BFF having a great time playing!

I like playing with short dogs! Check me out playing with my foster brother before my surgery......



I like playing with tall dogs too! Look at me, what a good girl I am!



My family had to give me up because I tore my cruciate ligament in my left knee. Woops. My family could not afford to help me get better, so they found people who could - the Newf Friends folks. My foster mom took me to see a special orthopedic surgeon and he operated on my knee on February 17, 2012 and I am healing well. I was on crate rest for a long time after that and I was SO BORED, but I was a good girl (well, except when I was being a monkey doodle and hopping around like a Mexican jumping bean....) I had my 8 week post-op x-rays on April 5 and everything looks good. Phew! I am still doing exercises to help make my knee strong, but I am now starting to ease back into regular exercise.  YAY!  


My vet also said I have very mild (grade 1) dysplasia in my left hip, but that I didn't need to worry about that, so I'm not worrying! It sure doesn't slow me down at all! My right knee was sore and swollen when I arrived in foster care, but it is all healed up and doing great too. Hooray!


 
I am spayed, my vaccines are up to date and I'm a happy, healthy girl. My foster mom tells me my new family should get health insurance for me and I think that is a fantastic idea, not just for me, but for all Newfs!

 Check me out running on the trails at my foster home!  I'm such a good girl, I come when I'm called and I am very well behaved!  Yay me!

I'm looking for a family who lives in a bungalow, or ranch style home with just a few stairs. Flooring should be non-slip so I don't wipe out and hurt my knee! My foster mom says whoever adopts me needs to be active and like to get out and do fun things. She also says you'll need some time to work on some training and socialization with me. That sounds like fun! I'm probably a little too, ummm, enthusiastic, for a home with toddlers since I can be a bit of a goof sometimes.

 Yep, I'm a goof!
Since my x-rays look good, I can join an adoptive home anytime now. My new family will have to keep doing exercises with me to build my knee up.  It's fun and I love to give kisses while my knee is being stretched! 

If you think you'd like me to join your family just complete an adoption application and email it back to the Newf Friends people and they'll give you a call.


I'm being fostered in the Bancroft, ON area and my adoptive family will have to pick me up in person. An adoption donation of $500 applies.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Adopter update: Bear January 2012

Here's a recent update from Bear's family!

Hi All
Bear continues to gain strength and can now go for a 40 minute quick pace walk. He also loves running. He really likes to grab hold of the leash in his mouth and pull me along. Friends who saw him when we first got him recently saw him out for a walk and couldn't believe the progress he has made.
He is our big snuggle Bear. With his Gotcha Day closely approaching I thought I would send out some pics of him having fun in the snow. He LOVES the snow.
Darcy, Ray & Kieffer