[ McGregor / British America ]
McGregor (1797 - 1857) was a Scottish businessman, politician, civil servant, and writer.
This book, first published in 1832 (in London by T. Cadell and in Edinburgh by William Blackwood) is, like McGregor's other book discussed in this section of this website, an account of the northeast provinces of Canada, at the time part of the British Empire. This book discusses Newfoundland dogs in the final paragraphs of the chapter on Newfoundland (pp. 149 - 150); this volume includes detailed maps but no illustrations.
Notice that while this discussion of Newfoundland dogs is a bit longer than the one in McGregor's Historical and Descriptive Sketches of the Maritime Colonies of British America, it uses much of the same language.
The Newfoundland dog is a celebrated and useful animal, well known. These dogs are remarkably docile and obedient to their masters; they are very serviceable in all the fishing plantations; and are yoked in pairs, and used to haul the winter fuel home. They are gentle, faithful, good-natured, and ever a friend to man, at whose command they will leap into the water from the highest precipice, and in the coldest weather. They are remarkably voracious, but can endure (like the aborigines of the country) hunger for a great length of time; and they are usually fed upon the worst of salted fish. The true breed has become scarce, and difficult to be met with. They grow to a greater size than an English mastiff, have a fine close fur, and the colour is of various kinds; but black, which is most approved of, prevails. The smooth short-haired dog, so much admired in England as a Newfoundland dog, though an useful and sagacious animal, and nearly as hardy and fond of the water, is a cross breed. It, however, seems to inherit all the virtues of the true kind. A Newfoundland dog will, if properly domesticated and trained, defend his master, growl when another person speaks roughly to him, and in no instance of danger leave him. This animal, in a wild state, hunts in packs, and is then ferocious, and in its habits similar to the wolf. They are fond of children, and much attached to the members of the house to which they belong; but frequently cherish a cross antipathy to a stranger, or to those who wantonly fling sticks or stones at them. They will neither attack nor fight a dog of inferior size, but growl at snarling curs, and throw them to a side. They suffer cats to play with, and even to lie and sleep on the top of them. They are great enemies to sheep, which they never hesitate to kill, but partake only of the blood. When hungry, they will not scruple to steal a fowl, salmon, or piece of meat; yet they will watch a carcass of beef or mutton belonging to their masters, keep off other dogs, and never touch it themselves.
They fight courageously with dogs of their own size and strength, and will start immediately on hearing other dogs fight, to restore peace among them. So sagacious, indeed, are these animals, that they only seem to want the faculty of speech to make them fully understood; and they are capable of being trained to all the purposes for which almost every other variety of the canine species are used.