Undeniable Attraction Between Newfoundlands and Any Source of Water Is Fascinating
Growing up, I had a Newfoundland dog, which was an odd choice for our tropical climate, and one that made him particularly miserable in the hot Florida summers. Predictably, he absolutely loved swimming and would regularly immerse himself in our backyard pool, the water at the beach, any and all nearby puddles, and sometimes, in a pinch he’s tip over his water dish and create a puddle on the tiles. This caused my mother no small degree of consternation.
He also had a habit of attacking every sprinkler head he found. He was a goofy, gentle dog, who would never hurt a fly—literally, one time he gently carried a cricket around inches mouth for hours, and was so depressed when the thing finally gave up the ghost—but when it came to sprinkler heads, it was all out war. He’d leap upon them, snapping his jaws as if trying to capture every last drop of water. He’d lay on top of them, which was a real problem, as sprinkler heads are fragile (and expensive!) and Newfs are heavy. And don’t get me started on hoses, which made for hours of entertainment for both dog and the kid wielding them.
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Why is it that News are so undeniably attracted to water? Well, like most breeds, it’s all in the original origins.
Related: Newfoundland Relaxes in the Rain Like It's NBD in Irresistible Video
The Origins of the Newfoundland Breed of Dog
Newfoundland dogs come, as one might expect, from the area of Canada that gave them their name. There, they were bred as working dogs to help the fisherman of the island pull fishing nets and haul carts. They are dogs that are build for water work, whether that’s swimming, water rescue, or just, you know, attacking sprinkler heads. They have an oily, double waterproof coat, webbed paws, strong muscles and large capacity lungs for swimming.
In short, this dog is practically aquatic.
Is a Newfoundland Right For You?
Newfoundland dogs are massive, and drooly, and their profound love of being in water and attraction to anything wet (including mud) make them a dog you either love or can’t live with. The oil on his coat did a number on my mother’s tiled floors. His drool flecked all our walls.
Personality-wise though, they are among the friendliest and most gentle dogs around. They are often thought of as a “nanny” dog due to their extreme fondness for and protective instincts around children and make great family dogs—that is, if you don’t mind a bit of a mess.
They are also instinctively drawn to the activity of water rescue, and are in fact renowned as water rescue dogs throughout history. It is said that Newfoundlands are the dogs who have saved more people from drowning, from Napoleon to the survivors of shipwrecks
I can’t speak to whether or not these legends are true. I can, however, report that our Newf was awfully fond of sitting right at the edge of the pool and watching us while we swam. Whether or not he was going to come in handy if we were in trouble was another matter—but he was certainly very observant.
Because of course: water.
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