The dog from Newfoundland…..
Little surprise why the breed is call a Newfoundland. Newfoundland is a province of Canada;the tenth and latest to join the Confederation. The breed originated in Newfoundland from a breed indigenous to the island, that later became known as the St. John’s Dog. According to speculation they may be partly descended from the big black bear dogs introduced by the Vikings in 1001 A.D. However this is based more on speculation than on fact. It is more likely that their size results from the introduction of large mastiffs, brought to the island by many generations of Portuguese fishermen, who had been visiting Newfoundland since the 1400s. A few centuries later 2 types of dogs were recorded. The heavier one was the Newfoundland and the samller of the two became known as the Lesser St. John’s Dog, which also happened to be the forerunner of today’s Labrador Retriever. These 2 dogs were used in similar ways to pull fishnets and heavy equipment.
