Newfoundland dog
| Newfoundland | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Newfie | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Newfoundland, (now part of) Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The Newfoundland is a large, usually black, breed of dog originally used as a working dog in Newfoundland, Canada.
Appearance
Newfoundlands ("Newfies") have webbed feet and a water-resistant coat. Males weigh 60–70 kg (130–150 lbs), and females 45–55 kg (100–120 lbs), placing them in the "giant" weight range.
Most Newfies are black, but brown, gray, Irish Spotted (black with white markings), and Landseer (black head, white body with black markings) varieties exist. The Landseer is named after the artist Sir Edwin Landseer, who featured them in many of his paintings. Some kennel clubs consider the Landseer to be a separate breed; others consider it simply a Newfoundland color variation. Some kennel clubs consider Irish Spotted to be an "invalid" marking, and these clubs will not allow them to be shown.
Temperament
Newfies have a gentle, placid disposition. They are named the "Gentle Giant" and "Nature's babysitter." Indeed, the official AKC breed description says "Sweetness of temperament is the hallmark of the Newfoundland; this is the most important single characteristic of the breed." They are protective of children. The dog Nana in James M. Barrie's Peter Pan was a Newfoundland. (Newfie owners resent the depiction of her as a St. Bernard in the Disney animated film version; the 2004 film Finding Neverland used a Great Pyrenees).
History
The origin of the breed is uncertain, but they were in use as working dogs on the island of Newfoundland as early as AD 1000. It is said that Newfoundlands were bred to pull in the fishermens' nets. Newfoundlands have been used as water rescue dogs and for draft work. National Geographic's program "Dogs with Jobs" named the Newfoundland as the strongest draft dog on earth. The breed almost became extinct; most modern-day Newfoundlands trace their ancestry to a single stud dog named Siki who lived in the 1920s.
Miscellaneous
Capt. Meriwether Lewis owned a Newfoundland named Seaman. The dog was a valuable member of the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition.
[1]
The Newfoundland dog shown on the 14 cents stamp is Ch. Westerland Sieger and was owned by the Honourable Harold MacPherson.
Unofficially, the second most important breed characteristic is a tendency to drool. Newfie owners acknowledge this cheerfully, proudly displaying paraphernalia with slogans such as "Newfoundland is my name—slobber is my game" and "Spit happens." One club assures that "that's OK, because drool is good for you."[2] There are some varieties which are so-called "dry-mouths". Their jowls are shorter which makes them drool much less than the typical Newfoundland.
Gander, a Newfoundland dog serving with Canadian infantry in Hong Kong in 1941 was posthumously awarded the Dickin Medal in 2000. The medal was instituted in 1943 by Maria Dickin to honour the work of animals in war and has become recognised as "the animals' Victoria Cross".
On February 2, 2004, a 70 kg (155 lb) Newfoundland, Champion Darbydales's All Rise Pouchcove (callname Josh), took the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show's prize for Best in Show.