The breed was, until lately, almost confined to the Alps, where it was kept by the monks of the convent of Mount St. Bernard, and sent out, provided with a little barrel of brandy tied round its neck, to rescue travellers lost in the snow. The number of people who have been saved from death in this way, by the humanity of these good monks and the intelligence of their Dogs, must be very great, for a single Dog, the celebrated “Barry,” saved no less than forty lives himself, and at last perished on one of his expeditions of mercy.
THE NEWFOUNDLAND DOG
is, according to Youatt, simply a large Spaniel: it is the finest and largest of Water-dogs ([see figure on p. 121]), besides being amongst the most intelligent and courageous. It is covered with thick curly hair, usually black or black-and-white, the curls being more flowing and not so close and woolly as in the ordinary Spaniel or the Retriever. So fully is this Dog adapted for swimming, that its feet have very considerable webs, extending between the toes—an evident adaptation to its aquatic habits.
Of the use and intelligence of this Dog it is needless to give instances. Again and again it has saved the lives of drowning people when human help was unavailable. We can give only one anecdote illustrative of the value of this Dog, whose kindness of heart is equal to his courage: who will guard and play with a little child or save a strong man from drowning with equal skill and readiness:—
FOXHOUNDS.
HEAD OF BLOODHOUND.
“A native of Germany was travelling one evening on foot through Holland, accompanied by a large Dog. Walking on a high bank, which formed one side of a dyke, his foot slipped, and he was precipitated into the water; and, being unable to swim, soon became senseless. When he recovered his recollection, he found himself in a cottage on the contrary side of the dyke, surrounded by peasants, who had been using the means for the recovery of drowned persons. The account given by one of them was that, returning home from his labour, he observed at a considerable distance a large Dog in the water, swimming and dragging, and sometimes pushing along, something that he seemed to have great difficulty in supporting, but which he at length succeeded in getting into a small creek on the opposite side. When the animal had pulled what he had hitherto supported as far out of the water as he was able, the peasant discovered that it was the body of a man, whose face and hands the Dog was industriously licking. The peasant hastened to a bridge across the dyke, and, having obtained assistance, the body was conveyed to a neighbouring house, where proper means soon restored the drowned man to life. Two very considerable bruises, with the marks of teeth, appeared, one on his shoulder, and the other on his poll; hence it was presumed that the faithful beast had first seized his master by the shoulder, and swum with him in this manner for some time, but that his sagacity had prompted him to quit his hold, and to shift it to the nape of the neck, by which he had been enabled to support the head out of water; and in this way he had conveyed him nearly a quarter of a mile before he had brought him to the creek, where the banks were low and accessible.”[115]