[ McCoy / Animal Servants of Man ]
Joseph Jerome McCoy (1917 - ?) was an American author of, largely, natural history books, many oriented to young adult readers.
Illustrated by Kathleen Haven, this book was published for the first and last time in 1963 (New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard).
Newfoundlands are somehow largely overlooked in this volume, being mentioned only a few times. The first is in a general statement that retrievers were created in England by "crossing setters, water spaniels and other sporting breeds with the St. John's Newfoundland" (28). (The "St. John's Newfoundland" usually refers to the breed we now recognize as the Labrador Retriever.)
Newfoundlands are mentioned again in connection with the Chesapeake Bay Retriever:
The Chesapeake Bay Retriever was developed from English stock, mainly Newfoundland, Curly-coated and Flat-coated Retrievers. The breed is supposed to have originated in 1807, when two Newfoundland pups were rescued from a shipwreck off the Maryland coast. These pups showed unusual retrieving skill and were eventually bred to various retrieving dogs in the Maryland area. The hardy dog that resulted quickly became noted for its skill and stamina in the rough waters of Chesapeake Bay — from which it acquired its name. It was set as a breed by 1885. (29)
The final mention of Newfoundlands occurs in the "Draft or Sledge Dogs" section of the chapter "Dogs at Work":
Boxers, Briards and Newfoundland dogs are used as draft animals by European farmers and tradesmen.
Somehow, the "Rescue Dogs" section of this chapter mentions only St. Bernards.