Newfoundland's Cute Dedication to Helping Mom Ice Fish Gets an 'A' for Effort

I grew up with a Newfoundland dog, which was probably a mistake, as we lived in Florida and these dogs were built for the cold. Named for the chilly Canadian province where the breed was first developed, Newfoundlands are large, powerful creatures who helped fisherman pull nets, draw arts, and even worked as water rescue dogs.

The Newfie in this video has a job, took and its one well-suited to the breeds love of cold weather. He has to inspect every hole his mom cuts on their ice-fishing expeditions—whether she wants him to or not.

Meet Albert the Newfoundland dog. Typical of the breed, he’s large, extremely fluffy and always wants to help. Here, he’s seen helping his mother dig holes in the ice in Norway so she can go fishing. He makes a great inspector, getting his snout right in there to chew on some of the ice for her and “get it out of her way.”

Related: Newfoundland Dog Has 'Guard Duck' BFF Who Decides Who Gets Playdates With Him

Now that’s a good boy if I’ve ever seen one.

Is a Newfoundland Right For You?

When my Florida family got our Newfie, we hadn’t thought through all the ramifications of putting a dog like that in such a hot climate. He loved our pool and even assigned himself the duty of bodyguard, but hated nearly everything else about our climate, suffering from skin and coat problems his whole life due to the weather. Every time we’d try to walk him, he’d find the nearest sprinkler head and lie down on it, as if begging for relief.

I’d never get another one unless I lived in a place where I thought such a dog would be comfortable. The Norwegian woman who keeps Albert definitely has the right idea, and you can see from his beautiful, thick coat lightly dusted with snow, that Albert is right in his element.

Work for a Newfoundland Dog

Newfoundlands are among the largest of dog breeds. They are bright and work-driven animals, who will assign themselves duties if you don’t give them their own, such as playing lifeguard when my siblings and I were swimming in our backyard pool, or acting as the fishing hole inspector.

They are especially adapted to working in the water, with thick, water-resistant coats, large lung capacities, and webbed paws, that makes them perfect for swimming or water rescue.

They are great dogs for families and children due to this friendliness and protective instincts around children. In fact, the original “Nana” dog from Peter Pan was a Newfoundland.

One can’t help but wonder if there are other services Albert provides for his fisherman mom. Does he help her descale their catch, or maybe pull the sled holding their bounty back across the ice?

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