Brad and Leah Bares were walking on the beach looking for sea glass with their Newfoundland, Veda, like they’ve done many times before. The January weather was cold, and a storm the night before had littered the beach with debris. Suddenly, Veda walked over to a pile of seaweed and lied down. The Bares looked to where Veda was lying, and they found a forty pound loggerhead sea turtle that was almost completely camouflaged against the sand. Without Veda, they would have completely missed it.
The turtle was stranded and would have died of exposure if it wasn’t found. Shortly after, the sea turtle was sent to the New England Aquarium for treatment and rehabilitation. It was suffering from hypothermia and needed to go through several months of care to recover. The aquarium named the turtle Newfie after the breed of the dog that saved it.
About five months after being stranded, Newfie was released back into the wild in safer, warmer waters. Newfoundlands were bred to help fisherman and rescue sailors that fell overboard into cold waters, but saving a sea turtle might be a first for the breed. Luckily for Newfie, Veda was on the job.
Has your dog ever rescued another animal? Are you happy to see Newfie released back into the wild? Let us know in the comments below!
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