Nani

Hello, my name is Nani. My wonderful foster family called me Rosebud. I’ve been with my forever family since May 2009. The ride home was pretty scary, I really didn’t like the car that much and we were in it for nearly the whole day, except for potty stops.

I’ve come a long ways, and I just don’t mean distance. When I got here the back steps were so scary and the horses demanded I bark at them constantly when I was outside. I only give the horses an occasional bark now, but if I see a deer I’m going to yell “I SEE YOU.” I even alerted my dad to someone trespassing one day. He told me the neighbors need an electric fence with a shock collar on their teenage kid, so he doesn’t trespass again. I’m not sure what that means, but he said I’d never have to worry about that stuff.

I’ve pretty much overcome all my fears at home. Except that dreaded vacuum and those evil empty dog food bags. I know it is evil because there isn’t food in the bag anymore, all the goodness has been poured out of it.

I really like to pick on my Golden Retriever sister, Kylee. She is the best chew toy. Mom and dad get after me if I get too rough. Kylee gets even outside where she’s faster than I am. But I get my fair share of tackles in too. We just added a new kitty to the home. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I do have one kitty that is a pretty good buddy. He curls up and sleeps right next to me. I usually put my paw over him and then clean his whole head. He looks funny with a wet head.

I start some training classes next month. If the other dogs aren’t too scary, I think it will be a breeze. I know sit, down, stay, come and walk on a loose leash pretty well. If there is a treat involved I can lie down so fast the pictures rattle on the walls.

My mom and dad helped with a Black “Newf” Op recently and rescued some dogs. They got to meet Sophie’s mom and dad in a transfer. Isn’t it awesome they got to meet some other lucky people that adopted from HANR?

Mom and Dad are so grateful for everything you’ve done and said they appreciate the work you do more and more every day.

Pazza

Pazza has become such a big part of our lives, I just can’t remember what we did before she came home. We had no idea how much our children loved her until their teachers started relaying stories they tell at school. Donovan (our 4 year old) tells his teachers at preschool that he is most thankful for his dogs, especially Pazza and Blue because their only job is to keep him safe while he sleeps. There is a whole story about monsters behind that statement, but when the dogs are “guarding” his room, he has no fears. Joeley (2 year old) has found that Pazza will allow her to put pieces of her dress-up clothes on her head. On occasion Pazza has come out of her room wearing Tinkerbell earrings, necklaces, wings and crown. Pazza is so patient and tolerant of them, that I have no worries of leaving her alone with them. Joeley tells her teachers that she has to go home at night because Pazza would be sad if she didn’t get to see her, which I completely believe.

My dad comes over every day and gets Pazza and Sally to keep him company in his shop. They give him a sense of security during the day. We live in a very rural area, and there have been some recent break-ins. However, Pazza and Sally are very protective of their pack, and I believe this makes all of us feel a bit safer.

Even the UPS and Fed Ex guys have fallen in love with her. I caught the UPS guy giving Pazza and Sally (Great Pyrenees) sandwiches one day. He said when he sees he has a delivery for us, he has his wife pack extra sandwiches and he tries to stop here for his lunch to hang out with them.

She has taken a great liking to the donkey and pony. The neighbors have commented on seeing the 4 “ponies” running in the pasture playing some crazy version of tag. We had to clear it up with some of the older folks, there are 2 dogs a pony and donkey, not 4 ponies.

At the moment, I am working from home due to the ice storm, and I have 115 pounds of Pazza sitting on my toes under the dining room table. She is a great blessing and a source of much comedy for our family. We wanted to say thank you for Pazza. She is truly a blessing!

Thank you,
Tammy D.

Claire

First and foremost, thank you and your organization for letting us take one of your newfoundlands. We all love her very much and she really completes our family.

She loves the children and happily eats any treat they leave behind or one she can steal from them when they are not looking. She is real wild outside and loves to play tackle, but acts like an old lady in the house. Usually you can find her lying under a table.

She is still rather shy entering indoor environments, but with a little encouragement she will make the trip and is coming out of her shell. Thank goodness because it is a rather large shell to get to come around!

Claire and our Aussie (Twister) took some warming up to each other, but are now the best of friends and love rough-housing outside. He herds her and she sits on him when he finally catches her. We just got a new kitten to which Claire gives giant tongue bathes. She has taken to all of our animals with ease.

She is so very bossy, but that is some of her charm and with a little negotiating can always see it my way.

Everywhere we go she catches attention from people. Some of our outings include walking down to pick Sebastian up at kindergarten and regular walks around the neighborhood. We went swimming with our local pound in the city pool and she loved it. Gladly, letting all the little kids pet her. She has been such a treat for us!

We would happily open our home to another newf if you ever need one!

Thank you for completing our family!
Fondly,
Jamie B.

Sly

My introduction to Sly began on a sunny Sunday August afternoon when my door bell rang. At the door sat this beautiful Newfoundland with a card tied with trailing blue ribbons lying on the floor in front of him. A bit of leash could be seen leading to a figure (obscured by a small tree) which said, "Read the card." I invited both Sly and his Rescue advocate at the end of the leash, my friend Nancy Kubel, to come in.

The card read as follows: "Hello, my name is Sly and I am looking for my new home. I hope I am in the right place. I have to find my new home because the people at my first home stopped loving me and told me to go away. I don't know why they stopped loving me. I tried to be very good and not do anythng bad. I never barked very much and I never dug up my yard and I never let them see me crying. I did not want them to know how sad and lonely I was in the pen at the back of the yard. I think they must have been very important people because they always said they had better things to do than take care of me. Anyway, a nice lady in Branson heard me crying one day and took me away from there. She hugged me and promised me a home where I would be loved again and would never be afraid or sad or lonely. And then that night a pretty little Newfie angel wearing funny white pants came down from heaven and told me she knew where I should go because I was needed there. It has taken me a while to get here because while her directions were good, she said I had to stop at every McDonald's I saw and eat French Fries! I hope I'm not too late to be your Newfie boy and take care of you."

Sly and Nancy came in the family room where he promptly lay on my feet and Nancy left to run some errands. When she returned I got the full story. She and my daughter had conspired to find me another Newfie because Sadie (another rescue girl) had died unexpectedly in June leaving Charmin' Carmen (my 10 year old Newfie girl) alone without a buddy for the first time in her life. Carmen had been sad without Sadie, not eating very well and the neuropathy of her spine getting worse. If you could resist the message of this card and the sweetness of Sly's face and manner you have no heart. Sly captured me immediately and is now named Sweet Sly.

He had many health issues, in fact, was near death, when rescued. He was placed with a foster family, Donna and Chad Brown, in Highlandville, MO for several months. He needed treatment for Ehrlichiosis (tick-borne disease), heartworm, round worms and yeast-infected ears. Sweet Sly has now been my companion for a month and we're still dealing with the yeast-infected ears and trying to put some weight on him. The weight is easier to achieve. He has had another round of treatment for round worms, been neutered and had his toe nails clipped so great strides have been made in restoring him to health.

Sadly, he never learned to play with toys or other animals. Carmen has tried to play but he isn't ready for that yet. Just this week he has summoned the courage to lie on the area rug in the family room with Carmen only a foot away from him. Every day he is gaining in confidence. He is very smart, has learned all the household routines, and seeks repeated affection which I provide in abundance. He was so abused that it is going to take a very long time for him to not show fear. If he is uncertain about anything he makes himself as flat as possible on the floor as if to say, "please don't hit or kick me." I shudder to imagine what he went through for 5 years at his previous home in Branson. He follows me from room to room and has beds throughout the house to sleep on. Everyone who sees him when we go to the vet exclaims about how beautiful he is and he is sweet to them as well--gets along with other animals--and has become a favorite at the vet's office since we are there every two weeks. It's a joy to see how happy he is and watch him run.

Sweet Sly and I want to thank Tri-Lakes Animal Shelter, Heart of America Newfoundland Rescue (Jocelyn Hawley and Mary Rich), Chad and Nancy Brown and Nancy Kubel for all working together to save his life and find him a loving home. It is great to be able to say that Charmin' Carmen has also perked up, is eating better and seems happy again, too. I have lived with Newfoundland dogs for 35 years (two of whom were rescues before Sly) and have to say that Sweet Sly is a winner when it comes to love. He is a true teacher of humility and forgiveness when you think about his suffering for years, and the fact that he still loves unconditionally with his whole heart. The three of us share our lives together on a farm in the Rogersville area with joy. Maybe you will be lucky to have a wonderful Newfie in your life to keep you balanced and loved. Support rescue whenever you can.

Pat W.
October 8, 2009

Gino

Gino came to us from a family who had loved him dearly but could no longer care for him as a result of an accident. He is the dream Newfie I have been looking for and I am so grateful to his former owners and Jocelyn of HANR for allowing us to come together.

Gino is a wonderful big buddy for our ten-week-old Golden Retriever, despite the more than slight difference in size! Little Zeke adores Gino, and three-year-old Gino is more than happy to let his inner puppy out to frolic, run and play with his little guy. Our family of five is so very happy with Gino.

In addition to being a gorgeous animal, he is smart, noble, funny and loving. Every one who has met him has been quite amazed and impressed. He is the great, big, furry love in our lives!

Xena

Xena is a 2-3 year old Newf who was the victim of a divorce. She was confiscated by the Nebraska Humane Society due to neglect. She spent a couple of months housed at NHS. In June 2009, Brent Ellis took her from NHS to VCA Animal Hospital in Omaha. At VCA she was treated for mange and a host of nuisance infections. Brent and Debbie Ellis and John and I took turns going out to the hospital to take her on walks. She was such a happy girl whenever anyone went to visit her and everyone at the hospital loved her. She was in the hospital for almost 3 weeks and then got to come home with me as a “foster.” The remainder of the characters in our home are as follows: Udo; a 10 year old grumpy Great Dane. Tash; my first HANC “foster failure” adopted at the speed of light! Gus; a 23 year old African Grey Parrot who gets the world’s biggest kick out of herself. Ben; my animal-loving 29 year old son. Below is an email sent to Brent, Jocelyn and a few friends who had followed Xena’s plight after her first night in foster care.

Xena’s First Night

The Not-Yet-So-Mighty Princess Xena came home from the hospital last night! She came home with a truckload of medicine some of which she likes and some of which involves free-style wrestling. After a brief introduction to the crew; Udo and Tash must have decided that Xena was a sickly youngster. They let her get away with things last night that would cause the gnashing of teeth were they to do that to each other; i.e. approach a bowl other than one’s own or approach a bone other than one’s own or finally approach a hand that was already busily patting another black dog. The ultimate was being able to enter the sacred den of Udo and receive only a watchful gaze from the dweller within. Ben mentioned on the way home from the hospital that Xena looks a little like a monkey because of her fine features and her lack of hair, now it’s hard to look at her without offering her a banana.

She is incredibly sweet, friendly and gentle. She was caught chewing on just about everything she came in contact with last night, with the exception of her food. That meant she had to go to her kennel at bedtime. Tash rarely barks but, when she does, it is an unusual sound, very low and quiet like she has a throat full of socks. Xena went into her kennel just great but after about 30 seconds she figured out she was alone and made a noise that made Tash’s bark pale in the “unusual” department. It was between a squeak and a squawk. Not a bark by the stretch of anyone’s imagination. After about the 3rd time, the other dogs must have sensed “unknown beast” in the 'hood and went wild. Gus (the bird) always happily picks up on the strange and unusual or foul and repeats the same often and loudly. Bedtime went like this: Xena: Squeak, Squawk, …..squeak, squawk Udo & Tash: (ears & heads cocked) Udo: BOWOWBOWOW… Tash: mhmhmhmh.. Xena: Squeak, Squawk…..squeak, squawk Udo: BOWOWOW… Tash: mhmhmhmh Gus: Squeak, Squawk…UDO NO!, UDO BE QUIET, YOU GUYS WANNA GO OUT?, Squeak Squawk, (whistling of a police siren) UDO NO, YOU GUYS WANNA EAT?, Squeak, Squawk Zoo Keeper: Everyone be quiet! 30 seconds of peace. REPEAT ABOVE CHORUS.

After about 20 minutes of this, I couldn’t take it, I also could no longer tell the difference between Xena and Gus. Gus was having so much fun egging everyone on it could have gone on for hours. Xena ended up sleeping upstairs and she slept through the night. Now it is December 2009, a long time from Xena’s first night in what has become her permanent home. She has come a long way physically. She has gained almost 30 pounds, some of which is thick shiny healthy looking hair! She has not had an accident in the house for a month (fingers crossed). We got to attend an obedience class together. She is very attentive, very bright and eager to please. She makes fast friends with everyone she meets whether they are 2 or 4 legged -- even if they have bird legs. She has been in attendance at many area events and has made quite a splash with her friendly, gentle nature…and occasional sporty wardrobe!

Once again, I cannot say enough about HANC and its members. Xena’s future would have been questionable had she not been rescued from NHS. I received a tremendous amount of much-needed support, advice and guidance from Jocelyn, Brent & Marty regarding her care. Kudos also to VCA Animal Hospital, the staff there and Dr. Batenhorst. They treated Xena and continue to be thrilled at her progress! I am so happy that once again I have failed in the foster arena and Xena is part of our family!

Charlie

Charlie, formerly Brownie, a former farm dog, is transitioning well to his new home. My husband and I were looking for a unique gentle companion for our two toddlers and were very interested in the Newfoundland breed. We were contacted about Brownie and within a week brought Brownie home with us. He did not respond to his name very well, so we renamed him Charlie.

He is well-tempered and gets along great with our two kids and the many friends and family that we have had stop by to see him. Charlie may be 5 but he is young at heart as he enjoys his 3+ walks a day. Besides walks, he spends most of his day sleeping, or being petted by his new family.

We have had to do very little training with him as he is very good with the word "no." He took a pizza off the counter his first night with us and has learned quickly not to counter-surf.

It was believed that Charlie would not like to be alone for long periods of time, but we have left him at home for a 4-hour period a couple times now and he takes that opportunity to sleep on our bed. For our first big snow of the year, we took Charlie out to our parents' acreage and let him roam while we went sledding behind the four-wheeler, and he chased us around the yard with excitement.

My parents came over to take us out to dinner so we would maybe be gone a good hour. We had no idea how Charlie was when inside by himself, but we knew that when he was outside too long he would jump on the side of the house and the back door so we came up with a plan. Instead of leaving him outside, we decided to baby-gate him into the hallway and one bedroom. We gave him a bone, which he has still never touched, closed the bathroom door, the other 2 bedroom doors, and put baby gates, stacked 2-high, to the entrance of the hallway. We gave him a medium sized dish with water and a blanket to lie on. We left and all looked good.

When we came home an hour later the top gate was knocked down, he was lying on the living room floor, he had obviously gotten into the bigger water dish for him in the kitchen, and the bathroom door was open with muddy paw prints in the bathtub. Our conclusion is that he finished the small dish of water we gave him, opened the bathroom door, toilet lid was down, so he jumped in the bathtub and licked up the water drops. Then, because he wasn't satisfied, he jumped over the baby gates but didn't quite clear the top one making it fall to the ground and he finally got what he wanted......a drink of water out of his gallon bucket. We then started leaving him out with all of the doors open when we leave to run errands and he does great. He just doesn't like closed doors.

We are so thankful to have Charlie as a new member to our family and will with no doubt give him lots and lots of love.

Tamara, Cory, Autumn, and Colby

Snickers

We just wanted to let you know how unbelievably happy we are with Oso (formerly Snickers). He is amazing! He has adjusted so well to our home.

Within five minutes of his arrival, our 13-year-old kitty was giving him love rubs. It's been great! He has not even cried or wimpered once since he's been with us. I was expecting him to cry a little since he was in a new home and he hasn't at all. He is even sleeping in our bedroom without being in the crate. He wakes a couple times throughout the night to let us know he needs to go out and then goes back to sleep. We are truly in love.

He is a precious, smart, sweet little guy and we very much believe he was meant to be ours! Thank you so much for allowing us the gift of having him as part of our family! We are forever grateful!

Again, thanks so much...he's a blessing!

Mindi, Patrick, Oso, Roxy and Lily

Daisy and Abby

Daisy was a puppy with a major strike against her as a newborn when her mother stepped on her and dislocated her hip. The breeder didn't take her to the vet for treatment thinking that the hip had been crushed. Daisy has an unbelievable spirit. She compensated for her disability and does extremely well with mobility even at age 9. At some point she developed a cataract but has compensated for that as well. Of the three Newfies in the family she is the decided leader of the pack, sweet as sugar, loves to dig holes (unfortunately), and smart as can be. Daisy has been with me for a year and a half and has been a joyful,sparkly girl.

Abby came with Daisy and is only two weeks older than Daisy.The girls have been together since they were weanlings. When HANC asked me to foster them I immediately agreed. I had recently lost my Carmen and Sweet Sly and I were both in mourning. Once the girls were in my home it was very clear to me that they should not be separated at their advanced ages. SweetSly had perked up within three days of their arrival and they all got along perfectly. Abby is a beautiful,sweet, gentle, unassertive lady. She keeps her front legs crossed at the ankles when she is lying down just as though she is a Victorian lady. She is always last in and out of the door, and waits until Daisy and Sly have been petted before she asks for love and attention. They all three have their big beds in my bedroom and play musical beds throughout the night until they decide it is time to get up. Abby and Daisy are my morning alarm clock. All three of them tell me when it's time to eat and Sweet Sly tells me when it's time to go out before going to bed. Just for the record, I'm an "obedient" human to their timetable. Sweet Sly, Daisy and Abby join me in saying thank you to HANC Rescue for our wonderful family. We all have a new lease on life!

Pat W., Rogersville, MO

Wolfgang and Sousa

Wolfgang joined our family in 2005 at the age of one.

After we had moved into our house, there was some time before we would be able to get a dog. Greg spent that time researching what breed we would be interested in. Since he was going to be a teacher, the dog had to be good with kids. Greg plays the tuba, so of course the dog had to be big. My main requirement was that I wanted fuzzy. Good with kids +big+ fuzzy= NEWFOUNDLAND!

When we met Wolfgang at his foster parents’ home, it was obvious we were meant for him and he was meant for us. Even though we had some unexpected events the week-end we went to pick him up, Joel and Mary were very understanding and have proven to be great friends since.

Wolfgang loves to meet people and most people love to meet Wolfgang. It is impossible to be anonymous walking a brown Newfoundland. One might even say he is a local celebrity! Wolfgang has enjoyed walking around Gray’s Lake in Des Moines, going to the dog park, and walking around our neighborhood. But his absolute favorite is the Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market. If you want to see him happy and excited, just say the words “Farmer’s Market” any time during the summer.

Since being adopted by Wolfgang, we have helped the Heart of America Newfoundland Club with a few Newfie rescues. As a “veteran” Newfie family, it has been a blessing to see a great dog go to his forever home. And Wolfgang was a great foster brother. While life with Wolfgang has been great, we knew one day we would want to bring another Newfie home to stay.

When I saw the pictures of Sousa, I knew she had to be Wolfgang’s sister! Even though they are both brown, they have very distinct personalities. Wolfgang is the ultimate statesman while Sousa is more of the quintessential party girl. It is really fun to watch these two interact like any other siblings. We are looking forward to getting to know all the quirks of Sousa’s personality and doing all the fun things with her that we already do with Wolfgang. Watch out, Farmer’s Market! We have been doubly blessed to find two great family members who add so much to our lives. We have done things we never would have done and met people we never would have met without Wolfgang and Sousa.

Terri and Greg S., Des Moines

Moses

Moses came to HANR with little training and some fear issues from having been treated with a heavy hand. We first met Moses as he came to us as a foster dog looking for his forever home.

Although Moses had a difficult time trusting humans at first, he loved his canine family right away and he ended up becoming a permanent part of our family. It was a slow training process, but Moses is now four years old and you would not recognize him as the same untrained and overactive Newf that first came to our home.

Through positive training, help from our many friends in HANC, and a confident resident Newf to help show him the way, Moses has learned to be a sweet, well-behaved, and happy-go-lucky Newf. He has since participated in parades, holiday ceremonies, and attended the RenaissanceFair where he has been a great ambassador of the Newfoundland breed.

He has learned that things he loves come from people....things like treats, pets, ear rubs, and tummy scratches. He plays a mean game of tug-o-war with the other Newfs and can actually tell time. He lets me know when it is 5 o'clock every evening, without fail. Moses loves a good bone, to go on walks and loves a trip with Daddy through the Sonic drive-through.

Moses has been a wonderful addition to our family and happily accepted a Newf puppy into our pack a few months ago. He is a very tolerant big brother and is showing him the ropes. Although I wondered what I had gotten myself into when he first came to our home, he has been worth every moment of training together and taught us that love does conquer all!

Thanks!

Kendell

Max

We adopted Max through HANR rescue in the late summer of 2011. He had been fostered by volunteer Kris Y. She posted pics on Facebook and we just knew we wanted him to join our family. We met Kris at a park in northern Kansas to pick up Max. Kris let him out of her car and he ran across the park directly to me. Love at first sight!

He has been a joy to our lives ever since. That same week-end, we took Max to a water practice to see if he could and would swim and I was delighted to find out he loves the water.

Max joined our family, which includes Newfoundland dogs Bella and Haven, seamlessly. He and Bella are best friends and love to wrestle and play constantly. He loves to go on car rides. He successfully completed his beginning basic manners class and is about to finish his advanced class and will be taking his CGC test soon. We can't wait for summer, so we can get back in the water and start training for his WD.

Puppies are a lot of fun, but with so many adult dogs needing the love of a forever home we are so glad that we were blessed with the opportunity to take Max into our home and lives.

Barry & Stacy S.

Sage

Sage came into HANR rescue after being abandoned along with her brother Snickers. The pups were found wandering in the country and were taken in by a local farmer who contacted HANR. Sage went to Everett W. for fostering. Within 2 days Everett decided she "was a keeper" and adopted her.

Sage is coming along nicely, although currently she is something of a work in progress. I believe she is now about five months old. When I got , she was suffering from demodetic mange -- that is now cleared up and she is starting to get her coat back, is putting on weight and is starting to look like a Newfie.

She and Dori got along wonderfully from the start and enjoy playing Wreck the House. Later this month she'll be starting obedience training.

Shadow

Here is a very happy Happy Tails story!

When we first met Shadow, she was less than a year old. She had very little experience living in a house and did not understand the rules of "potty outside" and "the ceiling fan is not going to get you" like our Newfs who have been raised indoors. We struggled with naming her, as we wanted a special name, but she followed Wendell around like she was his shadow, so the name stuck like glue. She provided Wendell with a playmate as his sister, Tiny, was aging and not interested in puppy play.

The two Newfs were inseparable after Tiny passed from this life. More recently a Landseer puppy has come to our home. His breeder was concerned that he had a heart murmur, but when it was found that he was perfectly healthy, he would be just right to be a younger sibling for Wendell and Shadow.

At this point, Wendell is very healthy, but at 7 he no longer plays like a puppy. Pinkerton keeps Shadow on her toes and as Shadow is the only female, she takes her role seriously. One minute they will be rolling in the yard playing, the next minute they are chasing each other and the next, Shadow is cleaning Pinkerton's ears. All the while, Wendell is barking and telling them both to "cut it out."

Every night at about 9:00 p.m., Shadow comes to us, to notify Ted and me that it is bed time. She stands in front of her crate which is located in our bedroom and asks to be let in. She will stay in there quietly all night. The boys sleep in the bedroom also, but don't enjoy the other crate that is left open,just in case someone wants to go in there. There are no longer accidents on the carpet and Shadow has NEVER chewed on anything but a toy. She is very sweet.

We are so happy to have her in our lives.

Melanie and Ted

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