Newfoundlands on parade at Fort Clatsop
Newfoundlands and their fans gathered on Wednesday for Fort Clatsop’s annual Seaman’s Day, which honors the adventurous pup that kept the Lewis and Clark Expedition company.
Newfoundlands
Sally Freeman, a volunteer program manager at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, gives a talk on Seaman, Meriwether Lewis’ dog.
Each July, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park hosts children, adults and most importantly, Newfoundland lovers, to teach them about the winter the Corps of Discovery spent at the camp in 1805 and 1806. Attendees enjoyed stories of grizzly bear encounters, a demonstration of loading and firing a gun, face painting and petting many slobbery dog faces.
Marty Martin and Bob Walters owned three Newfoundlands before their current pup, Orson. Their last Newfie lived until about 11 and they came to Seaman’s Day almost every year.
“The other three were very calm and sweet. And now that we’re very old, we have a nutcase,” Martin said of Orson.
Some seasoned Seaman’s Day dogs stood by their owners’ sides with an air of impatience with the younger pups. Fergus, Carl Bragiel’s companion, is an 8-year-old black Newfoundland who has been by Braigel’s side each time at Seaman’s Day.
Braigel said that one of the benefits is their size. “I think one thing is you never have to dust your coffee table, they’ll do that for you. They’ll clean your counters for you if you want them to,” he said. “They are as chill, as mellow, as you want them to be, and as active. They’re happy just to lay around the house. They’re happy to go on a walk with you.”
Velcro is usually used to keep shoes on feet, but some dogs, especially ones that resemble small bears, grow velcro fur coats and collect loose wood chips or pine cones.
Newfoundlands are historically water dogs. With large webbed feet, their heads stick just above the water like crocodiles, according to one owner, but they are powerful and capable swimmers.
“This is wonderful Newfoundland country because there’s so much water and they like to swim,” Martin said. “And then they love to come home and shake themselves and make a mess.”
One dog attendee, Kuma, is training to become a service dog for Brad Pietzyk, a disabled veteran.
“They’re so intuitive to moods and emotions. He’s very, very sensitive. If you sneeze, they run across the room to make sure you’re OK,” Pietzyk said.
Newfoundlands can weigh up to about 150 pounds. Some of the Seaman’s Day puppies are already over 100 pounds.
“This is not the dog for anyone to get first,” said Kevin Johnson, who had a black Newfie named Lucy before he got Raven, who is still a puppy. “They’re not for everybody. Because of their size, you have to spend a lot of time with them when they’re young training.”