Sergeant Gander Read Free Page A

measuring over seventy cen – timetres in height and weighing just over sixty-seven kilograms. The females measure about sixty-one centimetres and weigh about fifty-four kilograms. Their thick black coats (sometimes mixed with white, solid brown, or grey) are water repel – lent, and their feet are webbed, making them excellent swimmers. The breed is described by the United Kennel Club in Kalamazoo, Michigan, as, “Possess – ing natural life saving instincts. Their gentle expression reflects the benevolence, intelligence, and dignity that are breed characteristics.” 1 The rescue instinct, in – nate in Newfoundlands, is so respected that the breed was considered, “required lifesaving equipment,” along the coast of England during the 1800s. 2 New – foundland dogs are now widely used as therapy dogs, in search and rescue mis – sions, and as water rescue dogs.

    Photograph of a New–foundlanddog.
    Two of the world’s most famous writers have penned their own observations of the Newfoundland dog. The British poet Lord Byron, pining after the death of his own Newfoundland dog Boatswain, wrote a poem called “Epitaph to a Dog,” which reads:
    Near this spot
Are deposited the remains
Of one
Who possessed Beauty
    Without Vanity,
Strength without Insolence,
Courage without Ferocity,
And all the Virtues of Man,
Without his Vices.
    This Praise, which would be unmeaning Flattery
If inscribed over Human Ashes,
Is but a just tribute to the Memory of
“Boatswain,” a Dog. 3
    American philosopher-naturalist Henry David Thoreau, in his book Walden , simply states, “A man is not a good man to me because he will feed me if I should be starving, or warm me if I should be freezing, or pull me out of a ditch if I should ever fall in one. I can find you a Newfoundland dog that will do as much.” 4
    Sergeant Gander’s heroism may be Canada’s highest profile Newfoundland rescue story, but throughout Canadian history there have been many more. Two examples are the stories of Tang and Hairy Dog:
    Tang: In 1919, a ship called the Ethie ran aground just off the coast of western Newfoundland. Tang, the ship’s massive Newfoundland dog, jumped into the sea and swam to shore with a rope in his mouth. People on shore secured the rope and used it to rescue the members of the Ethie ’s crew. Tang received a medal from the Lloyd’s of London insurance company for his heroic deed.
    Hairy Dog: In 1832 the Despatch , a ship carrying over 150 Irish immigrants, wrecked just off the coast of Newfoundland. The Harvey family, from Isle aux Morts (Island of Death), saw the wreck and had their pet Newfoundland, Hairy Dog, swim out to the survivors and help tow them ashore.

    Location of Gander in Newfoundland.
    From the time that Pal was a pup he became actively involved in the Canadian war effort. In 1940, the Dominion of Newfoundland gave operating control of Gander Airport to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Renamed RCAF Station Gander in 1941, the airport became a hub of military activity as it was used not only as a disembarkation centre for pilots, but also for the transport of newly built aircraft from North America to the European war theatre. The airport was also a staging area for anti-submarine patrols. Pal was a familiar figure at the airport. When he was old enough he

    Gander/Pal with an un–identified male friend, winter 1940.
    was often put to work, harnessed to haul fifty-gallon drums of petrol, two at a time, from the warehouse to the airplanes to assist in the refuelling process. In fact, Pal is affectionately remembered as the first refuelling “vehicle” at the Gander airport.
    When Pal wasn’t working he enjoyed racing around the airfield and taking naps right on the landing strips. For pilots, the large dog presented a huge problem. He was so big and shaggy that many pilots radioed in that they couldn’t land because