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



Friday, January 31, 2014

Tank Update - Jan 31, 2014

A great update on Tank!!

From his rehab vet: "Tank is progressing well with his rehab – he has gained 3 cm and 2 cm of thigh muscle on his left and right hind legs respectively (we’ve been working more on his left as that leg was smaller in regard to muscle mass initially – so the legs are becoming more equal). This is good progress, and I expect it to continue!"

Here's a video of Tank working hard in the hydrotherapy tank. Fabulous!!




At this week's hydrotherapy session Tank did 24 minutes in the tank with 8 sprints. He then went to PetSmart where he had a great time; lots of attention and loving from all ages... the kids loved him. He continues to do exercises at home and is making progress with weight loss too. Next week he goes for x-rays and hopefully we can set a date for surgery with the orthopedic surgeon. Paws crossed for this loveable guy!

We are still continuing to fund raise for Tank, as he does need both hips done. If you'd like to contribute towards his care please visit our Canada Helps page at https://www.canadahelps.org/dn/2969.  We are a division of HART and a tax receipt will be issued for your kind donation.  Please select TANK's HAPPY HIPS from the drop down menu to direct your donation specifically to Tank!

Together we can make Tank's hips happy and give him the life he deserves!


Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Adopter Update: Katie

Tell us Katie, are you comfortable in your new home?
What do you think, does Katie seem to be loving her new life? 

Katie puts the horses to work!

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Maddie

Maddie
2014-004

February 9, 2014:  Maddie was adopted!

Lovely gal Maddie is a new arrival at Newf Friends.  More details will be posted as we get to know her better, but so far she is proving herself to be a wonderful girl.

This sweet Newf is around 2 years old and cute as can be.  Maddie is friendly with people and knows her basic commands.  She has nice house manners and is an all around great girl.

A little shy at first, she quickly warms up to other dogs and has already become fast friends with the resident Newf in her foster home.  Maddie would be happy to join a family with another four footed companion.

Maddie has been vaccinated and is scheduled to be spayed on January 14.  She is on the small side and appears to be in good health.

She is being fostered in the Brantford area and her approved adopters will be required to pick her up in person.  An adoption donation of $500 applies.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Tank Update - Jan 10, 2014

A note from Tank's foster Dad on his progress:

Tank is finally beginning to lose some weight. Yay! He has had 6 hydro-therapy sessions in London. The vet (Dr. Heather Kennedy) and her staff at the London Veterinary Surgery and Rehabilitation Prof. Corp. - LVEC have been fabulous. 

Tank has worked his way up to walking 20 minutes on the treadmill in chest-deep water and has gained quite a bit of stamina in his hind-quarters. His walks around the neighbourhood are now 20-30 minutes long plus exercises twice a day. If out walking, and we have stopped to talk to someone, he usually chooses to sit, instead of just flopping down. Tank can be can"tank"erous if he doesn't wish to go for his walks, however we find bribing him with treats (green beans especially) usually does the trick. He eats plenty of green veggies, cabbage not being one of them (thank goodness, P-U!). 

Tank is a smart dog, learns very quickly, and has adapted to life in a small town environment. We have met many people walking their dogs who are involved with local animal rescue groups and it's nice to share stories. 

Thanks for all your support - we will persevere for however long it takes to get these hips of his in a happy-hippy state.

Tank has graduated from a 6" step to an 8" step. Woohoo! 

One more exercise for gaining strength

Waiting for Santa

Tank having a conference with his buds

Enjoying a blizzard, typical Newf behaviour!


Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Adopter Update: King

Handsome boy King poses for some pictures.  Doesn't he look happy?!  His coat is coming along nicely too.



 


Friday, January 3, 2014

Adopter Update: Dixie

Dear Janice, Tammy & Sandra:
 
As of December 26th, “Dixie” will have been with us for 2 month so we thought you might like to hear how she is doing.   She has been a wonderful addition to our family and has certainly added a new dimension.    First and foremost, she and “Ghillie” have developed a lovely friendship; “Ghillie” was not quite sure about this new arrangement at the beginning, however with Dixie’s easy going and very loving temperament, “Ghillie” soon came to realize that she not only had a companion but a friend with whom she could walk, run and play with, engage in some fun wrestling, a friend who loves and frolics in the snow as much as she does but has had to learn to sit and patiently endure some large and very wet loving licks.
 
As with all beginnings, it did take “Dixie” a couple of weeks to properly settle in; she never outwardly showed that she was in any shape or form nervous or unsettled, however we soon came to realize a couple of things, she barks when she wants to play and her nose is extremely inquisitive.    Every night for the first couple of weeks, she needed company in the middle of the night, so she would wander upstairs, come and sit beside the bed and bark, eye level to eye level, for clearly some one on one time;  now she is very happy to gently sleep (and snore!)  until she hears movement and then welcomes us all with her wonderful sloppy licks.   She is fearful of nothing be it loud noises, bangs, hoovers, shop vacs etc. etc. and takes great delight in checking everything out in its entirety, especially the garbage as we soon found out in the early stages.  
 
She and “Ghillie” enjoy their morning and afternoon walks as well some lovely open park runs over the weekends.  She is slowly learning to “sit” when asked, though would much prefer to check out whatever else is happening around her.   She is very exuberant at meeting other people and again is slowly learning that she cannot rush off and say hello to someone who may not want to say hello back.  
 
Kevin, “Ghillie” and myself cannot imagine life without this loving gentle giant and that being said, all 4 of us now would like to wish each and everyone of you a very Merry Christmas and may 2014 bring happy beginnings to all Newfies in your care.
 
Kindest regards,
 
Kevin, Carol, “Ghillie & Dixie”

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Sammy

Sammy
2014-003

Update: Aug 30, 2014
I  WAS ADOPTED!!!!!

UPDATE: July 21, 2014
After nearly 7 months in foster care receiving exceptional care and treatment from Dr. Janice, Sammy has finally been cleared for adoption and will be joining his new family soon!  THANK YOU Dr. Janice for saving this boys life!


This sweet boy arrived at Newf Friends on January 1 and has been under the exceptional care of  Dr. Janice who has been doing her best to help him recover and get healthy.

Sammy is approximately 5-6 years old and came to us along with 2 other Newfs from a breeding kennel.  Sammy was in very rough shape.  On intake this lovely boy was extremely emaciated and malnourished, weighing only 86 lbs - he now weighs 140 lbs and is close to his ideal weight.

He was quite ill and his kidney function very compromised. Sammy had been undergoing treatment for stubborn infections and was finally healthy enough for his neuter surgery on May 14th.  He still has several weeks of treatment ahead of him.  

Abdominal ultrasound revealed that both kidneys are normal size.   There is some dilation in the renal pelvis of both kidneys (hydronephrosis), and mild thickening of the urethra - these are likely secondary to chronic and/or recurrent urinary tract infection.

There is a 2 cm nodule in the right kidney. It could be a granuloma (response to chronic inflammation), infection, or a tumor. It does not show much blood flow to it using colour Doppler.  Lymph nodes are normal.

His prostate is enlarged. This could be benign prostatic hypertrophy (normal for a middle aged intact male) but there are some small nodular areas and that could be an indication of  bacterial prostatitis that would be a possible source for recurrent pyelonephritis (kidney infection.)  Now that he has been neutered we are hoping to see a reduction in the size of his prostate.


Sammy is VERY smart and learns new things quickly.  He'll be a great candidate for working dog activities once he is healthy. He is a powerful boy and once he is healthy he will be quite spectacular!  He is so strong his foster family have nicknamed him Atlas!


This sensitive Newf  was under considerable stress adjusting to a new environment and people but with kind handling and the use of calming remedies he is doing well and has made tremendous progress.    Sammy is still demonstrating some separation anxiety when left alone, but Dr. J is working with him and he has been steadily improving.  Sammy has been receiving basic training to teach him needed commands and manners and help to socialize him. 

On intake -- emaciated and badly matted
Thank you for all of the donations that have come in so far to help us cover the cost of Sammy's treatment, the medication is very expensive.  Further donations are welcomed and greatly appreciated. Click the "Donate" button above for information on how you can donate.

Sammy will be ready to be adopted soon. His long term prognosis is unknown, but with TLC he is enjoying an excellent quality of life.  We are looking for a home where someone will be home with him most of the time, and where he will be able to enjoy a quiet, loving environment.

Given his ongoing health issues, our usually adoption donation of $500 will be waived. A donation of the adopters choice  may be made instead.

Buddy


Buddy
2014-002
Feb 1: Buddy was adopted!
Meet Buddy, an absolutely gorgeous fella who arrived in our care on January 1st along with 2 other Newfs.  This sweet Newf is a fabulous boy who is loving and affectionate and will be a great addition to the right family.

Buddy gets along with other dogs, is fine with cats, and is happy to hang out with his foster family and lounge about.  He is friendly and gentle with the children in his foster home and is an all around wonderful boy.


Buddy spent his life living in an outdoor kennel, being used as a stud dog.  Understandably he has experienced some anxiety adjusting to his new life, but he has taken to indoor life quickly and is well mannered and so happy to snooze on a dog bed and get lots of loving from his foster family.

Buddy was badly matted upon arrival and has patiently been letting his foster family work on grooming him out.  What a good boy.  Now that the huge matts are gone, Buddy can wag his tail again! 
Matts removed from behind his ears
Matts removed from his tail 



Buddy is 5-6 years old.  He will be neutered soon and will be ready to join a great adoptive family once his surgery is complete. 
ridiculously cute, right?

He is being fostered in the Brantford area and his approved adoptive family will be required to pick him up in person.  An adoption donation of $500 applies.
 

Blue


Blue
2014-001

February 8, 2014: Blue was adopted!

Pretty gal Blue is the first arrival at Newf Friends in 2014.

This 5-6 year old Newf lived outdoors as a brood bitch at a kennel and was surrendered to us along with 2 other Newfs. She was terribly matted and filthy on intake but has cleaned up beautifully. She is excellent for grooming, which made the job a lot easier!



When Blue first arrived at her foster home she was incredibly anxious and quite unsure of the 6 other dogs. She took a few days to settle in and now likes to run around with them outside and also play. She had continued to demonstrate insecurity with meeting other new dogs so will need work on her greetings. She listens quite well and is very focused on her people so managing and working on her behaviour is not particularly difficult. She just needs someone to be patient with her and show her how she should be interacting with new dogs. She was also in heat on arrival so this no doubt contributed to her anxiety... all those raging female hormones!

Here is a video of Blue with the other dogs at her foster home after about a week. During that week Blue's access and interactions with the other dogs was carefully monitored and managed to ensure the safety of all dogs. She just needed some time to get used to them and then she was fine. She could live with another mellow dog if introductions were done properly and management was consistent during the transition period. She is not suited for a home with a dominant or bossy dog.







With people Blue is absolutely wonderful and ridiculously affectionate. She wriggles and wags and leans right into whoever is saying hello to her. She flops onto her back for belly rubs at the slightest sign that someone wants to get up close and personal. Sometimes when she's super excited she does jump up but in just a short amount of time she's already much better about this. Her leash skills are a work in progress as she'd never really been walked on leash before coming into rescue. She pulls and weaves around quite a bit at this point but with regular practice and guidance she'll get the hang of it.



In the house she mostly snoozes but she does like to be in the same room as her family. At first she would bark when left alone but she's improved in this regard and is now comfortable enough to be quiet when she's on her own. She likes to sniff around the countertops but has never actually stolen anything (yet!). Having lived her life outside her housetraining is coming along nicely but she cannot always be trusted to not pee on a dog bed when she's left to her own devices for an extended period of time. She is able to go overnight without any accidents and has worked up to about 4 hours during the day. For this reason, she'd be best in a home where she is not alone for extended periods of time.

And now for just a tiny bit of adorableness... Blue with two 6-week-old Lab mix puppies at her foster home. No doubt she was an excellent mother!



But no more puppies for this girl; she was spayed on January 28 and she will be ready to join an approved home around February 5. She is approximately 5 years old and weighs 105 lbs. Her vaccines are now up to date and she is in good health.

If you would like to be considered for Blue please download an application to submit from the Contact Us page of this website. Her adoption fee is $500 and she is being fostered in the Guelph, Ontario area. Her adoptive family is required to pick her up in person.


Dirty and matted on intake
Dirty and matted on intake


Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Cash

 Cash
2013-031

January 7/14:  Cash has been adopted!

Give a friendly hello to Cash, an absolutely wonderful boy who arrived in our care on Dec 31st.  Our last intake of 2013, this handsome fella is looking forward to finding a forever home with the perfect family.

This adorable boy is 8-9 years young and is a total love bug who has a wagging tail and happy smile for everyone he meets.  He's pretty fabulous!  If you are looking for a mellow, well mannered, gentle boy with a heart of gold, look no further, Cash is your boy!

Cash gets along with other dogs and cats so could join a family with other four footed companions.

Cash has been vet checked, vaccinated and appears to be in good health.  He is neutered and ready to join an adoptive family.  

He is being fostered in Gananoque, ON and his approved adopters will be required to pick him up in person.
Because Cash is a mature Newf his adoption donation of $500 is reduced to $350.