[ Whitney / The Truth about Dogs ]
Leon F. Whitney (1894 - 1973) was an American veterinarian and an author of multiple books on dogs, tropical fish, and other animals.
This book's only edition was published in 1959 (New York: Thomas Nelson). Generally, this book deals with what Whitney sees as issues with dog breeding in America and elsewhere, along with problems in training and with breed selection.
The work also provides overviews of various breeds, including a few brief sentences on the Newfoundland, in a section called "The Giant Long-Haired Breeds":
St. Bernards, Newfoundlands and Great Pyrenees offer an opportunity for selection for those who want a lumbering long-haired giant. The "Saint" also comes in a short-haired model. It is sable or sabe-and-white; the Newfoundland is black and also black-and-white, a la the Landseer pattern; the Great Pyrenees is all white.
Of the three the Great Pyrenees is the most agile and least clumsy. The Newfoundland is the world's greatest water dog — loving it, attracted to it, and even able to dive like a seal and swim under water. This fact must be taken into consideration by those living near bodies of water. If they want a dog easily trained in life saving, the Newfoundland is the dog; if they especially do not want a dog which loves to get wet, it is the breed to avoid. But in avoiding it they will miss one of the grandest personalities in all dogdom. (138)