Newf history

HISTORY Born as a canine seaman, the Newf was a standard piece of equipment on every fishing boat in Canada's maritime province that gave the breed its name. Fishing has always been Newfoundland's chief industry; the dogs hauled fishing nets out to sea and back to the boat and retrieved objects or people who fell into the sea. Equally at home in water or on land, the Newfoundland was large enough to pull in a drowning man or to break the ice as he drove into the frigid northern ocean. His lung capacity allowed him to swim great distances and fight ocean currents. At the end of a day's fishing, the catch was loaded into a cart and the dog was hitched up to haul the load into town. Other Newfoundlands pulled wagons to deliver milk and mail throughout the island. The origin of this working breed is disputed and there are many different versions. But Vikings and Basque fishermen visited Newfoundland as early as 1000 AD and wrote accounts of the natives working side by side with these retrieving dogs. Some say that the breed as we know it today was developed in England, while the island of Newfoundland nearly legislated the native breed to extinction in 1780. Tracing the remote origins of a breed of dog is not an easy task and some of the various theories about the origins of the breed appear more believable than others and each individual appears to draw their own conclusions from the information available. Shortly after World War I, a magnificent dog (named Siki) became not only the most famous show Newf in history but also the most famous stud dog of the breed. There are many legends of Newfoundlands saving drowning victims by carrying lifelines to sinking ships. The dogs were kept in the dog walk on early sailing ships. If the sea was too choppy when land was sighted, the dog carried a line to land. A Newfoundland named Seaman accompanied the Lewis and Clark expedition, and Nana, the children's nurse in the original Peter Pan, was a Newfoundland. THE LEGEND OF THE NEWFOUNDLAND DOG There is a land where the waves explode upon the reef in a boiling foam, there the legend was born. As the story is told, God turned one day to contemplate all of his creations and saw on that Newfoundland Isle, flailed by storm a small nation of fishermen, whose rough, weather-beaten people fought courageously against the impervious elements of nature as the freezing cold winter and the unforgiving coastline took its toll, and the sea often asked the sacrifice of human life. Nevertheless, they remained deep-rooted, these men of Newfoundland with the stubbornness as great as their courage. God saw, and in his infinite compassion, thought how he might alleviate their suffering. He searched among the creatures of his creations but found none that would serve. It was then he decided to create one anew. He took the body of a bear, whose bone structure lent well to such arduous labours and whose thick fur would resist the bitter Newfoundland cold. Then he thought to sweeten this silhouette with the lithe, flexuous lines and movements of the seal, with all its prowess to swim and speedily slip between the waves. Now turning to the sea, he saw the playful dolphins happily following the ships, their sweet, joy-filled eyes revealing their serene temperament, and more; they so love man that they often rescue them, saving them from the sea. Yes, they too would be part of this creature. When he had done the moulding and casting, there suddenly appeared in his creative arms, a superb animal with glistening black fur; powerful and sweet in the same moment. This new being, however, had to have an allegiance and faithfulness, tried and true, to be able to live beside man and be ever ready to offer his life for his master. It was at that moment that the Lord opened and placed in his chest, the heart of a dog, and the miracle was complete. From that day onward, those men of the sea had beside them, their courageous companion ever strong, ever faithful, the Newfoundland Dog. (Reprinted in translation from the book Il Cane Di Terra Nova by Emmy Bruno, editor Mursia-Milano)