‘Newfies’ put aside heroism for Christmas tree duty

But a pack of Newfoundland dogs are finding their feet on land with a slightly less adventurous pursuit in one of England’s largest forests.

The web-footed “Newfies”, which are fantastic swimmers and employ a canine version of breaststroke instead of doggie paddle, are helping transport Christmas trees back to the cars of visitors to Dalby Forest in North Yorkshire.

The Forestry Commission has recruited the dogs, which weigh up to 14 stone, to help with the festive sales of the trees at the 8,600-acre woodland, near Pickering.

The animals are owned by enthusiasts from the Aqua Nova Water Bears training club and will be raising funds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue through donations for each tree transported.

Yvonne Bone was a life-long cat fancier before spotting a Newfie in Dalby Forest a decade ago, and she now co-ordinates the group that was set up earlier this year.

The club has a dozen members from Sheffield, Barnsley, Chesterfield and Leeds who regularly meet at Hatfield Water Park, near Doncaster, to exercise their dogs and train them in water-saving drills.

Mrs Bone, 48, who lives in Barton upon Humber with her husband, David, 47, is hoping the club will perform the water rescue demonstrations at charity fundraisers next year.

However, the dogs’ fondness for water and mud as well as their size have made Newfoundlands unsuitable pets for many households.

Mr and Mrs Bone live in a four-bedroom detached house and have three Newfoundlands – including two-year-old Indi, who weighs in at a hefty 13-and-a-half stone – and each of the dogs cost about £50 a month to feed.

Mrs Bone said: “They are more of a lifestyle choice than an actual pet. We have to take them out every morning and evening for a walk and they do take up a lot of time at weekends as well.

“Some people who buy a Newfoundland might not realise what they are getting themselves into and there are quite a few cases of the dogs having to be re-homed.

“But when we saw one in Dalby Forest we fell in love, and after quite a lot of research into the breed we decided to buy one ourselves.

“They are wonderful animals and extremely docile, which makes them ideal to be around children. I wouldn’t want to have any other sort of dog now.”

The breed is legendary for its calm and docile nature as well as its strength, and was once used by Canadian fishermen to pull nets from the sea.

The animals’ love of water has also seen them involved in rescues, with an unnamed Newfoundland credited for saving Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815.

During his famous escape from exile on the island of Elba, rough seas knocked the former emperor overboard.

A fisherman’s dog reputedly jumped into the sea, and kept Napoleon afloat until he could reach safety.

More recently, a 10-month-old Newfoundland saved a man from drowning in the Yuba River in Northern California in 1995. The Newfoundland, which was being taken for a walk along the river bank by its owner, dived into the water and took the drowning man by the arm before bringing him to safety.

The appeal of the dogs is now being put to good use in Dalby Forest, which has become a popular sales point in recent years for the environmentally-friendly Christmas trees that are grown from sustainable sources.

Forest chiefs in the North York Moors are also supplying Norway Spruce to other famous woodlands – including Sherwood and Kielder forests.

The Forestry Commission’s recreation manager, Katie Thorn, said: “It’s a fantastic crowd-pleasing way to buy a tree and have the dogs tow it back to the car in a cart.

“Real trees use 10 times fewer materials to produce and five times less energy than artificial trees, so it’s a good way of being kind to the planet.”

The Newfoundland dogs will in Dalby Forest on the weekends of December 10 and 11 and December 17 and 18. The tree sales operate daily at the forest’s visitor centre from December 1 until December 22 December between 10am and 4pm.

The forest’s entry toll charges will be refunded for visitors when they buy a Christmas tree.

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