Do you know which dog is a natural lifeguard?

There are many dogs that are very good swimmers, but one of the best is the giant Newfoundland dog. Newfoundland dogs can weigh up to 150 pounds, and are so big, black, and shaggy that people used to think they were descended from bears! But that’s not the most amazing thing about these dogs. They’re actually natural lifeguards!

Newfoundland dogs are made for the water. Their long black fur is waterproof, they have massive muscles, and they even have webbed feet! That means they can go extremely fast in the water compared to other dogs. They don’t even dogpaddle. They actually swim using down-and-out strokes of their legs, much like a human uses when doing the breaststroke.

They are also very gentle, loving, and patient, which means they are the perfect dogs for rescuing people stuck in the water. Though today Newfoundland dogs are specially trained to perform rescues, there are stories all through history of Newfoundland dogs rescuing people from sinking ships. There’s even a story of one rescuing Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815!

With their natural swimming abilities and drive to protect humans from danger, it’s no wonder that these dogs act as natural lifeguards. There’s even a Newfoundland dog named Bilbo who works as an official lifeguard at Sennen Cove in Cornwall, England; he even has his own lifeguard vest. To date, he’s saved the lives of three people!

Now that’s a dog who’s truly man’s best friend!