Glenna

Newfoundland Dogs

Studying newfoundlands has been a great experience. Newfoundlands are very interesting dogs. In the beginning, I found out about the bones and muscles, the health, the habitat, the reproduction, the intelligence, their origin, diet, and grooming of the newfoundland dog. There is some information on newfoundlands in history, present day newfoundlands, movement, activity, and the physical characteristics of the newfoundland dog. I was inspired by a very good book called Star in the storm by Joan Hiatt Harlow. It is about a newfoundland dog that saves a big ship and pulls the passengers to safety. That was when I became interested in newfoundlands because of how they worked and were devoted to people. While I was researching, I hoped I would learn about how many puppies were in an average litter. In some places I thought I was getting near to finding that fact, but in the end I did not find it. I wanted to learn more about veterinarians but could not find as much information on them. While working, I did not learn as much as I had expected to learn. Things in the end were a little bit harder than I thought they would be. Everything was pretty easy in the beginning. Researching was a very exciting process to go through. I researched by reading all different kinds of dog books. Looking on the internet helped a lot too. Getting inter-library loans, going to the library, looking on the computer and getting a little help from an online journal all helped me find the information I needed. Finding a biography was difficult. At last I got one about a famous veterinary surgeon which helped a lot. The origin of the newfoundland is unknown but there are some guesses as to how they came to be. Some people believe that newfoundlands are desendents of Indian dogs or Viking dogs, although no one is sure. The first people to use these dogs were said to be Basque fisherman of Newfoundland. The newfoundland dog was from long ago. Newfoundlands eat a lot of food. These dogs used to eat meat, egg yolks, vegetables, cereal, brewers yeast and vitamin supplements. People thought it was good for their dogs. Now people feed their newfoundlands normal dog food. In the morning and evening it is good to feed newfoundlands dog food soaked in warm water or broth, with canned meat added occasionally. At noon, newfoundlands should eat dog food or wholegrain cereal soaked in milk. In the winter these dogs need more calories. Newfoundland dogs mostly drink water. They almost always drink it sloppily since they love water so much. Newfoundlands eat a lot. Newf dogs do not need much training and learn quickly. They almost always know what to do without being taught. Newfoundlands are good at guarding, as well as backpacking on trips. They are used to swim out into rivers, ponds, the sea and waterways to save people or objects. They pull buggies, haul in fishing nets and sometimes save people from shipwrecks. They need some training before they do things like that though. Newfoundlands are very intelligent. They are known to be very good swimmers and lifesavers. Newfoundlands know when someone is in trouble and sometimes don't need to be told to save things. Almost all newfoundlands love water though some do not like it at all. Most newfoundlands are very loving and love to help their companions. Newfoundlands are very intelligent and have been used for many years. The newfoundland is small when born. They are about one-two pounds when born and about ten inches long. Newfs are also about five inches tall when they are born. After being born, their mother watches and guards her puppies while they are nursing and playing. A squeaky and grunting sound is made by a newborn newfoundland pup as it nurses. It takes about sixty-three days (after mating) until a litter is born. Baby newfoundlands are born with shiny black fur all over. their mother licks them clean after birth. Newfoundland puppies are very playful and enerjetic for their size. Newfoundlands have a lot of physical characteristics. They have one-hundred million more neurons in their noses than humans and remember scents very well. All newfoundlands have webbed feet to help them swim more easily. They have a big, broad head, small dark brown eyes and a thick tail. Their ears are set back on their head. They walk freely with a slightly rolling gait and good balance. Newfoundlands have a straight forward motion. The newfoundland is quite fast. An ideal newf (a nickname for the dog) can go through a maximum amount of space with a minimum amount of steps. It's hindquarters should be perfectly straight. A newfoundlands stifle is well bent but is not bent too far. It's rump is broad and sloping at an angle of about thirty degrees. It's pasterns are slightly sloping. The upper thighs are wide and muscular. The lower thighs are strong and quite long. The ribs are well sprung and the flank is deep. It's body should be well-ribbed and it's broad back should have a level top line. A newfs chest is fairly deep and fairly broad. These dogs have very strong bones. Newfoundlands that live indoors sometimes loose their undercoats. their coat is dense, flat, and coarsely textured. They have a double coat that is oily and water resistant. The coat can be a bit wavy and the muzzle is covered in fine, short hair. A male adults weighs one hundred twenty - one hundred fifty pounds. The female adults weigh one hundred - one hundred twenty pounds. Males are twenty-seven - twenty-nine in. tall and females are twenty-five - twenty-seven in. tall. A newfoundlands coat is normally black but sometimes brown with white or landseer. Newfoundlands have a lot of amazing physical characteristics. Newfoundlands move around a lot. They tend to roll on the ground for fun. Newfs should have a lot of time to swim and frolic, however they need regular, moderate exercise. Exercise is very important for the newfoundland. These dogs are very playful and work well with children. newfoundlands love to play. Frisbees, balls, bones and other toys provide a lot of fun for a newf . Some newfs love frisbees so much That throwing and retrieving can be played for hours and hours and still be fun. There were a lot of newfoundlands in history that have their own stories. Seaman, Meriwether Lewis' one hundred-fifty pound dog, went along on the Lewis and Clark Voyage of Discovery seeking the pacific ocean. He was very smart and was bought in Pittsburg. PA, for about twenty dollars. The expedition started in 1804 and ended in 1806. Seaman loved all the snow on the trip. At one point, Seaman was swimming after a beaver. The beaver turned around and bit Seaman on the leg. Seaman nearly bled to death. He was a good watch-dog and a good hunter. The last thing that was mentioned in Lewis' journal was Seaman howling in pain from mosquito bites. No one knows what happened to Seaman. Another newf dog named Boo was ten months old when he saw a man drowning in the water Boo swam out and pulled the man to safety. Boo had gotten no training but saved the man's life. Boo received a medal for his heroism. It was in 1995 that saved the man and in 1996 that he got the medal. A newf dog named Tang got credit for saving a whole crew. It was said that Tang pulled the ship ashore with the rope in his mouth. Tang saved ninty-two people of the crew. He got a medal for his bravery from an insurance company and wore it for the rest of his life. Tang rescued the "Ethie" in 1919. He was very brave. All of the dogs that were mentioned were very heroic. Though there were many newfs from long ago, there Are not as many famous newfs that are still living. Calvin, a ten year old dog, was trained to use his sense of smell to locate bodies of drowned people. He is still doing the same thing today. There are not that many newfs left in the U. S. A all though there are quite a few in this area. Newfoundlands can get quite a few diseases. They can get hip displasia and a hereditary heart disease called sub-aortic-stenosis (SAS). If a newfoundland gets fat, it effects there health. If you own a newf puppy, you should check it's heart for SAS when it is eight - twelve weeks old An adult newf should be cleared of SAS before it is bred. Newfs are expected to live ten years or less. This huge dog is a very sleepy animal. They can die from getting some of the sicknesses. Newfs need baths. After every bath they should be blow-dried or toweled off. If the owner does not dry the dog off, the newfs hair would get very matted. If a newfs hair gets very matted the owner must either brush out all the tangles or cut off all of the newfoundlands hair. They need to be well brushed and washed. Newfoundlands should be very clean animals. Along with my study of newfoundlands, I read a biography of James Alfred Wight, a famous veterinarian. Alfred wrote many books under the pen name of James Herriot. The books were and are about his life as a vet. He used real people but changed their names. He also took real things that happened and put them into his books. He became a very popular man in his town and in places around England and the world. By reading about James Wight, my topic became more interesting and detailed. There are a few careers connected with my topic. A veterinarian is trained to operate or fix up animals that are hurt. They also medicate animals that are sick. If you want to become a vet, you need eight years of schooling. You need four at under graduate college and four at graduate college. A trainer is trained to help animals learn to obey their owners and teach animals tricks. They need no schooling and usually have a bachelor of science degree. There are not that many careers that one can apply to that are connected to dogs or other animals. Working on this project is a jumble of mixed feelings. At first I felt worried but, after a while I was not as scared. As I got to the end of my research, I was scared again. I loved the experience because it was my first huge report and I got to know what it feels like to do a nice project. It has been good for me because I learned a lot of things about newfoundlands and research. If I had more time I would have gotten in touch with the Newfoundland Club of America to learn even more. Working on my project was a great experience and I am proud of myself for what I did.   Glossary Cow hock - A hock of a dog that turns or bends inward like that of a cow so that the shanks of the hind leg are very close. Flank - The section of flesh on the body of a person or animal between the last rib and the the hip; The side. Gait - How the dog walks. Hereditary - Genetically passed or passable from parent to offspring. Hipdysplasia - A developmental malformation of the hip joint which resolves in chronic arthritis Landseer - White and black markings on a newfoundlands body. Loins - Dogs hips or the region of the hips, groin and lower abdomen. Muzzle - The forward projecting part of the head of certain animals. Neurons - The nerve cells in a nose. Occipital bone - A bone at the lower part of the skull, consisting of basilar, condilar, and squamous parts and enclosing foramen magnum. Pasterns - An analogous part of the leg of a dog. SAS - A narrowing of the heart beneath the aortic valve. Stifle - The joint of the hind leg analogous to the human knee in certain quadrupeds. Whelp - A young dog. (A puppy) Whelping - Having puppies.   Bibliography Billin, Kitty Drury. (1989). Newfoundlands. Neptune City. Bradford, Karleen. (1995). Animal Heros. New York. Fimrite, Peter. (2001, September). Sunny Solution The San Francisco Chronicle, pp. PA21. Lord, Graham. (1997). James Herriot: The Life of a Country Vet. New York. Mott, Maryann. Guard Dogs: Newfoundlands, Lifesaving, Past and Present. [Online] Available http://www.Nationalgeographics.com, 2003. Palmer, Joan. (1994). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds. Edison. Pringle, Laurence. (2002). Dog of Discovery. Honesdale. Salter, Cathy Riggs. Lewis and Clark's Lost Missouri. [Online] Available http://magma.nationalgeographis.com/ngm/0204/feature5, Unknown year. Schanzer, Rosalyn. (1997). How We Crossed The West. Washington D. C. Squire, Ann. (1991). Understanding Man's Best Friend. New York. Sutton, Catherine. (1987). Your Puppy: Choice and Care. New York. Taylor, David. (1990). The Ultimate Dog Book. New York. Unknown Author. Newfoundlands. [Online] Available http://www.dogbreedinfo.com, Unknown year. Wight, Jim. (1999). The Real Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father. New York. .

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