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
www.facebook.com/NewfFriends/
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.



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

Remembrance Day Ad

Our Bancroft Times Remembrance Day Article

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....

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Still in need of Artists

We only need a few more artists to fill the calendar, so please cross post to any artist friends who you think may be interested.
We're working on an exciting Newf Rescue fundraising project for 2011 featuring the work of artists who have depicted Newfs in their work. This can be pencil sketches, watercolour, oil, stained glass, needlepoint, etc.
For 2011, rather than having a calendar of photographs we have decided to offer something a bit different......we are creating a calendar of Fine Art Images of Newfs, then holding an auction to auction off the original pieces that the artists have donated. This auction will be held at our huge newf gathering in Bancroft on September 18, 2010. To reach the largest audience we will likely be also allowing live voting via the web so that our Newf Friends worldwide can participate. This calendar is going to be truly unique -- a collection of images created in different media -- truly one of a kind!
So far, we have confirmed several Newf loving artists who are happy to participate in this fundraiser, and we are now looking for your help in finding a few more to help us complete this calendar.
12 artists will have their donated piece of art as the large feature image for the month, and will have their bio and contact info featured on that page. They will also be featured on our rescue site.
We have extended our confirmation and submission date, we just need a couple more artists to sign up -- we would like to have our list of participating artists confirmed by November 30, 2009 with donated art submitted by March 15, 2010. Artists can use either one of their existing pieces, or create a new work for this project. Once pieces are received, they will be photographed to be included in the calendar, then kept aside until the auction date of Sept 18.
If you are interested in participating in the fundraiser please contact us at newf.friends@gmail.com Please cross post to other Newf loving artists who may be interested in being a part of this endeavour. If response is really strong, we may end up incorporating all of the images into a book as well.....but first step is our calendar!
We look forward to hearing from you!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Updates

George, the senior Newf/Golden mix is still searching for a family to call his own. This sweet old boy wants nothing more than someone to love him, hug him and pet his belly. He'd be a great addition to a quieter, slower paced household. George is such a good boy, and has so much love to give! We hope that his perfect family comes along soon! Visit our available dogs listings to learn more about this sweet boy!

Barley, the brown Newf is doing great in foster care. There have been many excellent families applying to adopt him and he will be placed very soon! Lucky boy! All of the wonderful families that are being considered for Barley will be added to our waiting list and as new Newfs come into our program we will have perfect homes ready and waiting for the right match for them.

Ella, the Newf/Dane mix puppy continues to improve and is healthy enough now to proceed with amputation of her stump. THANK YOU to all of the people who have shown their support for sweet Ella, your donations are greatly appreciated. Ella's surgery is scheduled for Friday, October 23 and will be performed by an orthopedic specialist who works closely with Ella's vet.

Edited October 23: Ella's surgery has been postponed. She became very ill this week (possibly a reaction to her vaccines) and although she has recovered and seems fine, we have opted to put her surgery off for a few weeks to ensure she is fully recovered.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Ella Needs Your Help!


Donations are needed to help us move forward with Ella's amputation!

Ella, the Newf-Great Dane mix, had her 3 week check-up today.

She has gained another 4 lbs this past week and now weighs 11.7 lbs and is doing very well. Her stump continues to heal and the open area on the end is reducing in size. She is strong, bright, playful and a cheeky little lady! She has come a long way from the weak, anemic, sick puppy that we rescued just a few weeks ago.


Her vet feels that we need to proceed with the amputation of her stump very soon because Ella continues trying to use the stump and this is resulting in her injuring it.

Overall, Ella is strong enough now to tolerate the amputation, however, we are still holding off because her Urinary Tract Infection is still present.



The good news is that the Struvite Crystals are now gone, but she does still have an infection. Given how compromised her health was when she came to us, it is not surprising that she is taking longer to heal, and her vet feels that she may require 6 weeks of antibiotics to clear the infection.

Ella is on a higher dose of antibiotics again, and we will make a decision about when to amputate in the next week or so.

Several applications have come in for Ella's adoption -- she is not yet "formally" posted for adoption, but interested parties are free to submit their application, with the understanding that we will hold the applications and will not be following up on these applications until closer to the time when Ella can be placed.

Ella will not be placed into an adoptive home until her infection is gone, and she has recovered from her amputation and been vaccinated.

Ella's veterinary care costs a significant amount of money, and we are so very appreciative for the donations that have come in for Ella's care. Thank you to all of you who have offered your assistance, every dollar helps. If you have not yet made a donation, please consider doing so now, as her upcoming amputation will result in a significant vet bill. Donations can be made online through HART's Canada Gives button (link to the right) -- in the comment section, specify that the dollars are to be allocated to the Newf Friend's Fund for Ella's care.


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