The history of the Newfoundland is very brief, and until the last century no writer who treats of dogs has said anything about him. Among the leading writers on this breed, to whom I am deeply indebted for much of the information given herein, are Hugh Dalziel, author of "British Dogs," Vero Shaw, author of "The Illustrated Book of the Dog," and Stonehenge, author of "The Dogs of the British Islands."
It is as common to call every large, black, shaggy dog a Newfoundland as it is to call all small, shaggy Terriers Scotch Terriers.
The intelligence of the Newfoundland made him, in former times, where a large dog was desirable, one of the greatest of favorites in Great Britain long before the St. Bernard was known there — his fine formation, great strength, and stately carriage being unsurpassed, and rendering him highly popular as a companion.
The early settlers in Newfoundland were mainly natives of the Channel Islands; and it is a question whether some of these did not bring with them some large dogs, which, being crossed with the native dogs, formed, after a time, a new breed.
Several writers speak of the impurity of the breed that is now found in Newfoundland, lamenting that it is only found there in a mongrelized form, having been crossed with various other breeds. It is extremely doubtful whether the breed, in its early day, possessed the intelligence of the present Newfoundland. It is more likely that the breed as now known was manufactured by Europeans, as it was very popular in England during the latter part of the eighteenth century, and is referred to by many English writers of that day as a well-known breed. It was especially valued because of the many instances recorded of Newfoundlands saving people from drowning. In England, long before dog shows were in existence, the Newfoundland was the trusted companion and guard of people of both high and low degree, and everyone had his own standard of excellence for his pet. He is still popular there, and there are more so-called Newfoundlands kept in England, as guards and pets, than any casual observer is aware of. Many of the early Newfoundlands differed widely, in color and in other points, from those now held to be of the proper type.
In early times, there were many large dogs in Newfoundland that were called Newfoundlands, but the inhabitants of the island looked only on such as were black, or rusty black, with thick, shaggy coats, as being of the true type. Some of the early writers declare the true breed to be only of an intense black, with a small streak of white on the breast. This white marking, how- ever, is found on nearly all specimens of this breed. Other authorities claim that the predominant color is white, with black head or face mark, a black saddle-mark, and other black markings; and still others claim the dog should be of a rusty-dun shade. No doubt there are many dogs of the latter color in Newfoundland, the faults arising from the improper selection of the breeding stock, as they vary greatly in color, size, and coat. Some claim the dog should be curly, others that he should be wavy, and still others that he should be shaggy. The coat of a Newfoundland should be of a glossy jet-black color, rather close, flat, and dense, and of a coarse texture.
In the Sportsman's Cabinet, published in 1802, there is an engraving of a Newfoundland, representing a dog very similar to our modern one, except that he is not so large in head, is of smaller stature, and nearly white. The author gives no accurate description, but says: "The dog passing under this description is so universally known in every part of the kingdom, and is so accurately delineated by the united efforts of the artists in the representation annexed, that a minute description of its shape, make, and form may be considered unnecessary. . . . He is one of the most majestic of all the canine variety. Although at first sight he appears terrific, from the immensity of his magnitude, the placid serenity of his countenance as instantly dispels the agitating vibrations of fear." The opinion of such an authority should be given great weight in considering what should be a true Newfoundland. [ note ]
This dog is very sensitive, and should, while young, be managed carefully. He is greatly pleased when engaged to the advantage or for the enjoyment of his master.
As a water dog he can scarcely be excelled; he has unlimited courage, and his swimming powers are so great that no sea runs too high for him to face in the discharge of any duty imposed on him by his master.
On account of the water and retrieving propensities of this breed of dogs, it has been used largely, in England, by the leading breeders of retrievers to strengthen those qual- ities in their dogs. The blood of the Newfoundland has also been liberally used in producing the Chesapeake Bay Dog, so popular among duck-shooters in this country.
In 1876, chiefly at the instigation of Mr. Hugh Dalziel, water trials for Newfoundland dogs were held at Maid- stone and Portsmouth, and Mr. Dalziel says:

Although neither could be pronounced a brilliant success, they were each of them, in many respects, interesting, and proved that, with more expe- rience, and if well carried out, such competitive trials might become more than interesting — highly useful.
In 1883, the British Kennel Association gave water trials in connection with their dog show at Aston-juxta-Birmingham, many competing dogs showing great intelligence.
The following are the rules drafted by Mr. C. Marshall for the conduct of water trials for dogs, adopted at Maid- stone, England, in 1876:
1. Courage displayed in jumping into the water from a height to recover an object. The effigy of a man is the most suitable thing.
2. The quickness displayed in bringing the object ashore.
3. Intelligence and speed in bringing a boat to shore. The boat must, of course, be adrift, and the painter have a piece of white wood attached to keep it afloat, mark its position, and facilitate the dog's work.
4. To carry a rope from shore to a boat with a stranger, not the master, in it.
5. Swimming races, to show speed and power against stream or tide.
6. Diving. A common flag basket, with a stone in the bottom of it to sink it, answers well, as it is white enough to be seen and soft enough to the dog's mouth.
Water trials in this country for dogs, properly managed, would become extremely interesting, and would be an incentive to the lovers of Newfoundland and other species of dogs to breed and train them for this purpose.
It would be well to add one of these noble animals to each of our life-saving stations, as, properly trained, they would doubtless be the means of saving many human lives. He would not only be ready to save persons from drown- ing, but would be of great assistance in other ways, as his keenness of sight and scent is surprising and his curiosity unlimited.
Newfoundland dogs are not active on land, owing to their carrying what dog men term lumber, which makes them rather slow and logy; therefore they are unfit to follow a horse going at any great rate of speed.
The following is the recognized standard for judging Newfoundland dogs, as formulated by Stonehenge in "The Dogs of the British Islands:"

Symmetry and General Appearance. – The dog should impress the eye with strength and great activity. He should move freely on his legs, with the body swinging loosely between them, so that a slight roll in gait should not be objectionable; but at the same time, a weak or hollow back, slackness of the loins, or cowhocks should be decided faults.
Head, – Should be broad and massive, flat on the skull, the occipital bone well developed; there should be no decided stop, and the muzzle should be short, clean cut, rather square in shape, and covered with short, fine hair.
Coat. — Should be flat and dense, of a coarsish texture and oily nature, and capable of resisting the water. If brushed the wrong way, it should fall back into its place naturally.
Body. — Should be well ribbed up, with a broad back; a neck strong, well set on to the shoulders and back, and strong muscular loins.
Fore Legs. — Should be perfectly straight, well covered with muscle, elbows in but well let down, and feathered all down.
Hindquarters and Legs. — Should be very strong; the legs should have great freedom of action and a little feather. Slackness of loins and cowhocks are a great defect; dew-claws are objectionable, and should be removed.
Chest. — Should be deep and fairly broad, and well covered with hair, but not to such an extent as to form a frill.
Bone. - Massive throughout, but not to give a heavy, inactive appearance.
Feet. — Should be large and well shaped. Splayed or turned-out feet are objectionable.
Tail. — Should be of moderate length, reaching down a little below the hocks; it should be of fair thickness and well covered with long hair, but not to form a flag. When the dog is standing still and not excited, it should hang downwards, with a slight curve at the end; but when the dog is in motion it should be carried a trifle up, and when he is excited, straight out, with a slight curve at the end. Tails with a kink in them, or curled over the back, are very objectionable.
Ears. — Should be small, set well back, square with the skull, lie close to the head, and covered with short hair, and no fringe.
Eyes. — Should be small, of a dark brown colour, rather deeply set, but not showing any haw, and they should be rather wide apart.
Colour. — Jet black. A slight tinge of bronze, or a splash of white on chest and toes, is not objectionable.
Height and Weight. — Size and weight are very desirable so long as symmetry is maintained. A fair average height at the shoulders is 27 inches for a dog and 25 for a bitch, and a fair average weight is one hundred pounds and eight-five pounds, respectively.

Among the few fine Newfoundlands in this country, the most of which were imported from England, I will mention Sam, owned by Mr. J. A. Nickerson, Boston, Mass.; Miro, owned by Mr. S. S. McCuen, New Orleans, La.; Mayor of Bingley, owned by Mr. C. H. Mason, New York, N. Y.; New York Lass, owned by Mr. E. H. Morris, Stapleton, N. Y.; Prince George, owned by Mr. John Marshall, Troy, N. Y., and Meadowthorpe Prince George, owned by Meadowthorpe Kennels, Lexington, Ky.
Mr. John Marshall, Troy, N. Y., is the most extensive breeder of this variety of dogs in the country. The Meadowthorpe Kennels, of Lexington, Ky., and Mr. J. A. Nickerson, of Boston, Mass., formerly bred Newfoundlands, but owing to the popularity of St. Bernards and Mastiffs, and there being very little demand for the Newfoundland, they gave up in disgust the breeding of this noble dog. To show how little they are thought of at present, I will say that out of 16,278 dogs registered in the American Kennel Club Stud Book, there are only thirty-one Newfoundlands, and of these, three are registered as black and white. It is singular that, as far as the records show, no one has imported a Landseer Newfoundland. They are a noble-looking dog, being white and black, nearly as large as a St. Bernard, and very intelligent.
To show the intelligence of the Newfoundland dog, I quote the following incidents. "Pistol Grip," in the American Field, says:
While in Helena recently, I saw a Newfoundland dog which for intelligence will compare with any dog in the country. He is owned by Mr. Thompson, superintendent of the street-car company, who resides about two blocks from the line where the cars pass every thirty minutes. From one of these cars the family mail is thrown off. The dog is always there ready to receive it; he never has yet made a mistake in the time upon which it will arrive, or mistaken the car; he goes without being told, and does his duty correctly. He never goes to the car on Sundays, as there is no mail, and always knows when that day arrives. He does many other things with equal intelligence.
The following is from the Pittsburgh Dispatch:
A well-known resident of Oakland has a large Newfoundland dog that is a wonder in his way, and he weighs about one hundred and sixty pounds. The gentleman walked into the Dispatch business office yesterday accompanied by his dog, and purchased an additional paper to mail to a relative in Illinois. The paper was wrapped up, and after placing a two-cent stamp on the wrapper and addressing it, the gentleman gave the paper to the dog. The owner got into his buggy and drove to the post-office, the dog running alongside the horse. At the post-office, the gentleman stopped, but the dog didn't. He mounted the steps, trotted down the corridor to the receiving-boxes, and taking hold of one end of the paper in his teeth, he inserted the other in the opening into the paper-box, and with his nose pushed it through the hole. He had no hesitancy about brushing his wet coat up against the light check trousers of several young men standing near the box, and when one of them wanted to help him push the paper through the opening, he growled, as much as to say he knew his business, and could get along without outside assistance. After depositing the paper in the box, the dog bounded out again to his master, who was waiting for him. "It took me two weeks to train him to do that trick, but it paid me for the trouble," said the gentleman.
Stonehenge says:
The Rev. S. Atkinson, of Gateshead, had a narrow escape in trying to rescue one of two ladies who were immersed in the sea at Newbiggin, being himself unable to swim; but his fine dog Cato came to their aid from some considerable distance without being called, and with his help Mr. Atkinson was safely brought to shore, together with his utterly exhausted charge.
There is another strain of Newfoundland dogs which has many admirers, who claim them to be of the true breed. They are white and black — mostly white, with usually an even-marked black head, with a white strip running up the forehead. Opinions differ as to this dog being of the Newfoundland breed, the best authorities pronouncing it to be originally a fine mongrel, possessing many of the points, but lacking some of the characteristics, of the true breed.
It is not known how the so-called Landseer Newfoundland ever came into existence, but it can not be denied that it is, in appearance, much like the Newfoundland proper. It is true that many dogs of this color are found in Newfoundland, but that is not proof of their being of the true breed. They differ little from the black, except in color, the curling of the coat, and the head, which is smaller, and not so solid-looking.
Sir Edwin Landseer, in his painting entitled "A Distinguished Member of the Humane Society," represented a black and white dog of the Newfoundland type, which made this variety very popular for a time, on account of which the English bench-show committees were compelled to make a separate class for them, calling them the Land. seer Newfoundland. In England, this dog was esteemed highly as a companion, his color and markings making him a very attractive dog, his gentleness and devotion being unsurpassed. To Dr. Gordon Stables belongs the honor of first naming this breed the Landseer Newfoundland. There are very few, if any, dogs of this breed in this country, and as a matter of fact they are not recognized as a distinct breed by our bench-show committees, they making no classes for them.
Some years ago, Master Willis Hoyt, Aurora, Ill., had a fine Newfoundland dog, who always accompanied his young master to school, carrying the boy's lunch-basket. On the way to school, the young man was compelled to cross a bridge over a small river, and in warm weather it was the invariable custom of the dog to leave his basket on the bridge while he took a bath, to cool himself off. One morning, one of the other lads took the basket and hid it, for the purpose of annoying the dog and seeing what he would do. The dog hunted around for some time, and finally the lad gave the basket to him. The next morning, when the dog arrived at the bridge, he did not propose to have his basket tampered with, therefore he kept possession of it and plunged into the water, basket and contents being thoroughly wetted. His young master, seeing the damage that had been done, said to the dog, "Now, you take that basket home, and get me another dinner." The dog took the basket home, but did not return with the lad's dinner, for his people at home could not make out why the dinner was wet, or what the dog wanted. No doubt he would have taken the basket to his young master if it had again been filled.
A number of years ago, Mr. Rochester, of Rochester, had a pair of fine dogs, one a Newfoundland and the other a white French Poodle. It was the owner's custom to put the Poodle in a small basket every morning, and give the basket to the Newfoundland to take the Poodle for an airing. In the neighborhood there was a black cur that used to nip the Newfoundland’s hind legs as he was passing. One morning, the Newfoundland put his basket down on the ground, went for the cur, gave him an unmerciful shaking up, and after that he could perform his duties as nurse without being annoyed by that cur. This same dog went to the post-office each day, and placing his feet up on the window-shelf, waited for the family mail, after getting which he trotted home, and he was never known to lose any of it. (589 - 597)