The Newfoundland functioned as a draft dog in England and Europe. The book
This is the Newfoundland by Mrs.
Maynard K. Drury states:
"As early as 1824 it was estimated that there were 2,000 Newfoundland dogs in the
town of St. Johns and that they were constantly employed. They drew cut wood from the forests for fuel and building purposes,
drew loads of fish from the shore and helped to pull in the heavy nets, and they transported all kinds of merchandise from
one part of the town to another as well as delivering milk. It has been estimated that during one month of the year 1815 these
dogs furnished the town of St. Johns with labor valued at from $4,500 to $5,000 per day, and that a single dog would, by his
labor, support his owner throughout the long winter. They were used singly and in teams. Three to five dogs harnessed to a
sledge or other vehicle containing a load of firewood, lumber, or fish (280 to 450 pounds) would draw it steadily with ease.
This they would do without the aide of a driver, if they knew the road, and having delivered their burden, would return to
the home of their master for a reward of dried fish, their staple food. In addition to their less glamorous tasks, the dogs
were also used to transport His Majesty's mail from the outposts north of the railway to the railway junctions and from
one outpost to another through a chain of settlements. Teams averaging about seven pulled these sledges over frozen marshes,
through thick woods, and over trails impossible for even a hardy pony. For this service to the King the Newfoundland dog was
honored by having his head made the subject of a postage stamp for his native country."
This working ability
was put to extensive use by the Allied forces in World War II where the Newfoundland and Great Pyrenees hauled supplies and
ammunition in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, even through blizzards.
Backpackers today find the Newf a willing and able
companion. The only thing they should not carry is the sleeping bags, as their love of water could turn a stream-crossing
into a cold and soggy evening.
Why is the Newfoundland also called the Lifeguard Dog?
Similar to the Saint Bernard's propensity
for rescuing people in the snow, the Newfoundland is renown for its countless rescues of swimmers. In the 1800's two Newfoundland
dogs were a required part of the Lifesaving equipment at each of the lifeguard stations around the coast of England. Possessing
an instinct for water rescue, the Newfoundland dog is physically well-suited to swimming, with its webbed feet, thick rudder-like
tail, water-resistant double coat and its powerful build, strength and stamina. When a swimmer is in trouble but conscious,
the Newf will swim out to just beyond the person, then swim close by in the direction of shore (or the shallow end of a swimming
pool), and allow the person to grab ahold of any part of his anatomy in order to tow the swimmer to shore with swift powerful
swimming strokes. Only in the case of an unconscious swimmer will a Newf grab the swimmer with its mouth, consistently taking
the upper arm in its jaws for the tow to safety. This particular hold causes the person to be rolled onto his back with the
head out of the water. When a pair of Newfies are working a rescue they will instinctively each take a different arm.
A
Victorian era painting entitled "Saved", by Sir Edwin Landseer in 1856, and a similar picture "He is Saved"
by Currier and Ives depict a Black & White Newfoundland (the black & white variety later came to be known as the Landseer
variety) on a beach with a small boy who was just rescued by the dog from drowning, immortalizing this Newfie trait. The Newfoundland
was extensively featured in the art of the Victorian age, depicted by Landseer in many paintings and drawings, as well as
by other artists. A later painting by Pierre Auguste Renoir in 1878 features a Newfoundland.
How is the Newfoundland with children?
The Newf is renowned for his gentleness, protectiveness and love
for children. He is tolerant of behavior by children far beyond that which would make other breeds snap or walk away. Because
of this he is ideally suited to being a child's companion, but the adult must accept the duty to protect the Newfie from
abuse by the child. It is no accident that the Nana in the original Peter Pan was a Newfoundland.
The tranquil nature
of the Newfoundland has been found to have such an excellent effect on hyperactive children that there was a clinical study
done in the 1970s using Newfoundlands as a part of the therapy