1-Lb Puppy Was Rescued From A Backyard Breeder, But He Looked Different Than The Rest Of The Litter

At four weeks old, this puppy weighed only one pound and was different than the rest of his litter. He was born with a cleft palate, which is a birth defect where the mouth doesn’t form properly. Sadly, he was also very malnourished. When a breeder could no longer care for this sweet pup, they reached out to Rachel Keech, founder of Fred’s Friends. Fred’s Friends is a nonprofit organization in Penn Valley, California, that specializes in helping puppies and kittens in need, especially ones with cleft palates like this little pup.

Keech immediately went to get the sweet pup and named him Newton.

“He had a cleft lip and partial cleft palate when I first got him,” Keech told The Dodo. “Because he was bred by backyard breeders, who weren’t breeding for genetics and desirable qualities while trying to reduce the undesirable traits, he ended up with extreme physical and behavioral issues.”