Please read our dog bios carefully to be sure that the dog you are applying for suits your family and lifestyle. At Pound Dog Rescue, we believe in the benefits of post-adoption training for our dogs and their families. This allows for continued socialization, and learning and helps to create a well-mannered and balanced dog. Post-adoption training is a requirement in our adoption process.
Jinkies! You don’t need glasses to see that Velma is a wonderful dog ready for her forever home! She is about 1.5yr old (DOB May 22 2023) female Newfoundland. She weighs about 100lbs, and is actually on the smaller end for a Newfoundland. She has a beautiful chocolate coat that turns heads everywhere she goes.
Unfortunately, Velma went into a heat shortly after she arrived to us and her spay surgery had to be delayed. Her heat is over now but Velma can’t be spayed until February but we didn’t want to hold her back from starting her life with her forever family. She will be adopted out on a contract which will require her family to return her to our vet in Cambridge to be spayed. This appointment will be made in consultation with her family but has to be done at our vet. Anyone interested in Velma must live within 45min or so of Cambridge to make this return for a spay feasible.
Velma found her way into rescue from a breeding-for-profit puppy mill, as she was no longer wanted. Velma however, holds no grudges from her past. She absolutely loves people and has never met a stranger. When passing people on the street, she will always try to introduce herself with a sweet, gentle manner and a wagging tail. As she is such a stunning dog, any sort of positive reaction from people (“What a beautiful dog!” “Wow what kind of dog is she?”) immediately has her turning to say hello to her newest admirer. She has made friends in the neighbourhood who like to come out to see her. She is very happy and excited to make new friends all the time, and has not demonstrated any fear or hesitation with any people. Despite her size, we think she would be fine with sturdy children (8 and up), although she has not directly met kids yet. Velma is not afraid of men and greets everyone with equal enthusiasm. She does not tend to jump up on people when greeting, and keeps all four feet on the floor…unless she is shamelessly rolling over for belly rubs of course. Velma also loves to give kisses to hands and faces if you bend down to see her, and will lean into your affection.
Although Velma absolutely loves people, she is very socially balanced and has not demonstrated signs of separation anxiety. She is doing very well with crate training, and while she prefers to stay with you she will always enter her kennel
when asked, and is often sleeping upside-down in her crate. Velma is crated for various periods throughout the day, to help with structure and when we cannot watch her. She is generally very quiet in her crate, but may bark a few times if she can hear a dog outside, or if she is nearing the end of a typical workday duration. She settles very well even after her infrequent, short barks. Velma sleeps quietly through the night, although she does often emit a soothing snore.
Velma is fully grown physically, but her haircoat is still growing in–she still seems to have a puppy coat. We have noticed her coat thickening and growing in and she receives a high quality diet in her foster home. She tolerates grooming and handling quite well, and we have been practicing trimming her nails and brushing her without issue. She is also very well-behaved for baths, and we suspect she will be a water dog once she has the opportunity to try in her forever home. While she does not drool yet, it is a common trait for Newfoundland owners to carry a “drool cloth” to wipe away stray drool…her foster home must be prepared for this possibility. She is currently very messy when she drinks water, and likes to come visit you after freshly soaking her mouth.
Although Velma is a very good eater, she does seem to have some food sensitivities. During her heat, she was having some soft stool which has resolved both once her heat was finished, and after switching to a sensitive/gastrointestinal friendly diet. She is up to date on her deworming and parasite prevention and has a clean bill of health. Her new home should be aware that Velma may have some food sensitivities going forward, and should stick to a limited variety of treats to help keep her feeling well.
While Velma was having her tummy troubles, she did have a few accidents in her crate overnight, only because she was not sure how to alert us and her sense of urgency overwhelmed her ability to ask to go out in time. Now that her stool has normalized, she is no longer having accidents and will go outside in the backyard to urinate/defecate and tends to go very quickly with the command “duties.” She has only had one accident outside of her crate, and generally does not try to urinate or defecate in the house at all. She has alerted by walking to the door where she goes out, but will need continued success to build a reliable alert in her forever home.
Velma is generally very well-mannered in the home, but as she is a bit immature (she is like a very large puppy sometimes!) she will very occasionally pick up shoes or peer at the edges of countertops. She has never tried to pluck things off the counter, but is very nosey and without consistency we could see her being a bit naughty without guidance. She does tend to have very good ideas in general though, and will often choose toys or sitting on beds rather than counter surfing or shoe shopping. Sometimes her immaturity does get the better of her, and she has occasionally run at full tilt to jump onto the bed to say hello to a snoozing foster parent. Once she has used up her initial excitement at being awake in the morning, she is often snoozing nearby, or gently playing with a toy by herself.
Velma absolutely loves toys! Soft, squeaky toys are her favourite and she loves to shovel all the toys from the bin onto the floor and sit amongst her mess. She is not destructive with her toys and we have not had to stop her from trying to rip them up or consume them. She has not displayed any resource guarding with people or other animals. She has shown some interest in a low-key game of fetch with a squeaky toy.
Velma is currently fostered with two cats, but we would not recommend a home with cats. Velma is too distracted and interested in the cats, and although our cats are very dog-savvy she does try to play with them and is much too big to be safe for cats. She does not seek them if she cannot see them, but is too excited once they are in eyesight. No cats is best!
While she absolutely loves other dogs, given Velma’s age, she can be a bit immature in her interactions with them. She is easily distracted by dogs on her walks, and likes to rotate her neck to watch where they are going while still walking in the same direction and would certainly try to go say hello if she had her way. We usually encourage her along, but she does like to quietly watch other dogs while outside. She is not reactive on her walks, but in the backyard will bark/howl into the air at a dog passing her fence. Velma is currently fostered with two medium-sized dogs who are playful but mature, and she does not always read their signals very well. She does not “pull her punches” so to speak, and will jump around with
surprising agility and try to hit at them with her paws or check them with her big bottom. She will also try to share toys with them. We recommend any dog playmates or housemates are size-appropriate, patient, willing and interested in having a large, rowdy playmate! Our dogs are a bit intimidated by her size and force and are not sure how to play with her without being squashed. With maturity we do think Velma will improve in reading other dogs, as she does tend to settle and play on her own when she realizes her play attempts are not being reciprocated. Velma can live with another dog that suits her playstyle, but would also do well with playdates with known dogs even if she doesn’t live with one all the time.
More on Velma’s walking: she is surprisingly well-mannered on her walks. Velma is a medium-energy dog at this time and enjoys several shorter walks in the day and time to play with toys. We currently walk her about 30mins-1hr a day in smaller installments. She walks right beside you, and appreciates opportunities to sniff. We have walked her in busier urban areas and quieter trail sites, and she does well in various settings. With training and maturity, some of the things that distract her (squirrels, other dogs, people) she will improve in her focus. Most of the time, she walks without pulling. Occasionally, sudden noises startle Velma, like a dog suddenly barking or a novel sound (leaves scraping on the sidewalk one time), in which she may flinch. She is walked on a martingale collar just in case she frightens or startles more than a flinch, as she is a puppy mill dog without experience of the larger world she is still considered a flight risk even though she is generally well-adjusted. She will need to be walked on a martingale for safety. We had started conditioning her to a head halter if needed, but haven’t found the need to continue as she is doing so well for us at this time on the martingale. Velma can live in a variety of home settings, as she is not afraid of heavier vehicular and foot traffic flows, although as mentioned she does tend to get distracted by other people and dogs…nothing that a bit of maturity and training to build focus can’t fix!
Velma is also a very good travel companion. She has been on several longer drives, and immediately jumps in and lays down in the backseat. She is quiet and calm for the trip, and does not try to help steer or pester the driver in any way. The only issue is her large fuzzy head when she is sitting up! She is accustomed to being restrained for her car rides with a dog seatbelt, but we mostly use it to stop her from exiting the car once the door is open. She is learning to wait for a release command before exiting the car, and is very well-mannered. Velma has not displayed any anxiety or carsickness in her time with us. She would likely tolerate a car crate quite well if needed.
Velma has started with some basic training in her foster home. She responds very well to positive reinforcement, and is highly food motivated. Any corrections given are a simple verbal “AH-AH” followed by directions on an appropriate alternate behaviour (for example, picking up a shoe). Velma is learning how to sit, lay down, and general house and life manners. She takes treats very gently, and enjoys fruits, veggies and dog treats with enthusiasm. She also really enjoys physical affection.
Anyone interested in Velma needs to think ahead to the holiday season…are you travelling? Having large gatherings at your home? Then sadly this won’t be an ideal time to be bringing a new dog into the home. But if you have a travel free holiday season and will be mostly be spending quiet days and nights at home, then this would be a great time to introduce a new dog into the home. All new dogs need consistency and routine in the weeks and months following an adoption so we have to ask all our applicants to think ahead as to what the holidays realistically will look like before submitting an application for this girl
All in all, Velma is a very well-rounded, youthful and flouncy dog. She absolutely will be your best friend…and the best friend of all your friends! Is your home the right one for Velma? Thank you for reading her bio and considering a rescue dog.