WELCOME TO NEWFOUND FRIENDS

Newfound Friends was formed 19 years ago in 1990, with the objective of using the skills of the Newfoundland Dog to raise money for childrens charities. In the early days it was difficult to convince people that this would be a good way of raising money for charity but, with the support of close friends and a dedicated team of Newfoundland owners, we began to convince them that our aims and objectives could succeed. To date we have raised over £500,000 in various ways. Newfound Friends have become a firm favourite at many maritime festivals throughout the UK. The dogs also carry out theraputic work with seriously ill children who attend hospices and home from home cancer care establishments. The pictures above speak for themselves and we believe that Newfoundlands are second to none in their dedicated work with these very brave children.

The dogs also quite often make appearances on TV and there are a couple of programmes due to be screened this year. We have also received numerous awards and nominations for the work that Newfound Friends undertakes Pictured right is our youngest member Kerry. We have always encouraged children to get involved working with the dogs as we believe it is good for their confidence and know that the dogs have a special affinity with our younger members. Throughout the website you will see pictures of dogs and children together showing how they form a very special relationship. Newfound Friends are very grateful to all the photographers for the many wonderful pictures supplied for this site. Thanks to Gordon Burns, Drew Gardner, Paul Gillis and Bob Holder.

NB Newfound Friends holds the copyright to all photographs on this web site.


Rookie Lifeguards.

Newfoundland dogs have been the St. Bernards of the sea for hundreds of years and now they are helping to make lifesaving fun for the next generation of lifeguards.

Each week a group of magnificent 14 stone Newfoundlands, the canine members of the Newfound Friends Society, arrive at the Cotswold Water Park to help Rookie lifeguards with their rigorous training exercises. The dogs are so enthusiastic about the training that it certainly rubs off on the young trainees.

The Newfound Friends are an impressive sight when in the water and their water safety and rescue skills have gained them an influential supporter.

Olympic swimming medalist, Sharron Davies was so impressed with the dogs that she has become patron of the society. The former swimming champion explains that Newfoundlands are really happy when in the water. 'They just love the water, first and foremost' Sharron says, 'they have a unique swimming action that enables them to glide along effortlessly , surging and pushing through the water using all four legs."

But how do these hairy kings of the water with their thick fur coats manage to swim so well ?
Their fur actually helps, it's oily which helps to make the dogs bouyant and they have two layers of coat which provides insulation to keep them warm in the water. But the Newfoundlands most exceptional swimming aid is the fact that they have flaps of skin between their toes on all four feet, effectively giving them webbed feet which make excellent paddles.

The Royal Life Saving Society has honoured the dogs for their lifesaving skills and promotion of water safety. The dogs of Newfound Friends are the only dogs ever to attain such awards of comendation from the society.

SPONSORS

Bonio dog biscuits have long had a reputation for providing dogs with healthy teeth and gums. A Bonio a day, or in the case of Newfoundlands several Bonios a day, is proven to stop the build up of plaque and tartare on the dogs teeth.

Because the dogs of Newfound Friends display team use their mouths to pull people, bouyancy aids and boats it is vital to keep their mouths in good order and their teeth strong.

You can email us on: info@newfoundfriends.co.uk
Telephone: 01275 849732
Fax: 01275 817887