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Putting the Dog Before

the Cart

You’ve been through the fields at Bishop Farm in Springfield, VT and chosen that special Christmas tree. You can’t wait to get it home to decorate.

Typically, you’d hear the thrum of an ATV or the grinding of tractor gears announcing your tree’s arrival at check out; but on one special Saturday in December, you’ll hear a very different sound.

A melodic sleigh bell rings as it nears, and there it is, conifer perfection coming to you in a sled pulled by a huge… black bear?

Rest assured, it’s not a bear. It’s a Newfoundland dog (though Newf owners regularly hear the “bear” comparison.). Today it’s Cash, a beautiful 5-year old, 150-pound boy delivering your tree with bells on. (Whether by bright red sled or wagon is Mother Nature’s choice.)

Each December, the Newfoundland Club of New England and Bishop Farm partner to host a tree pull that draws Newfs from all over the region. This special event is a great chance to get your tree delivered by a festively attired, jingly Newfie (any proceeds go the rescue division of NCNE). These big loves are ready for meet-and-greets, photo ops, and chats with their equally friendly owners. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to sample everything else the farm offers during the holidays.

Cash belongs to Barry and Linda Jones of Springfield. They’re regulars every December, but you can bet that Cash isn’t spending the other 364 days of the year just lolling about. Tree-pulling is an off-shoot (pun intended) of the dog sport “drafting” (or “carting”). Many breeds, from Bernese Mountain Dogs to Rottweilers, excel at this discipline, but the Newfoundland is about the largest of the bunch.

Cash and Barry, who handles him, love drafting; though it should be noted that Cash is no one-trick-pony. He’s also active in water rescue, conformation showing, rally and competitive obedience. Cathy White - Walpole, NH

Cash, Barry and Linda were kind enough to demonstrate for me the intricacies of carting, and it was fascinating.

Linda says: “He loves to draft. He is so happy when that cart comes out.” And you can see that Cash was clearly eager to show off his skills as he saw his equipment being unloaded. Once set up, the team gets to work. First up: the harness. There are three types: competition, freight and parade, and each does what its name suggests. Each harness is fitted very specifically to the dog. Inquiring whether it takes a long time to properly fit the harness, Barry responds with an emphatic “Yes!”.

Next up, Cash’s wagon, which involves shafts, traces, brakes, and weights inside the cart itself. It’s bright red and small, with enormous wheels (picture the “sulky” that harness racing horses pull).

Tacked and ready to go, the team moves forward. And backward. In a circle. In a straight line. Parameters are predetermined by the level of competition in the sport. This includes Beginner, Draft, and Advanced.

Members of the latter group, (Cash) exhibit their talents completely off-leash. They must - amongst other requirements - complete an 18” circle without the wheels of their cart touching the circle itself. (Picture a 150- pound dog pulling a cart around an extra-large pizza.) Compare that with Beginner level drafting, where dogs are on-leash and have a 36” circle to navigate. Narrow straight-aways and acute right angles are also requirements for competitive drafting. Wheels cannot touch or rub the borders of the set-up. Cash negotiates each with amazing precision, Barry at his side handling him with his voice alone. The palpable bond between the two is both beautiful and intense.

Barry points out that the structure of the harness and the cart result in Cash actually “pushing into the pull”, rather than merely dragging weight behind him. This is an interesting concept that is somewhat difficult to imagine unless you see it - then it makes perfect sense. So, no real strain on Cash at all, and you can see that in his ebullient demeanor. He truly loves this work.

The Joneses haven’t always had Newfies, so how did this partnership come about? The couple had previous experience with Labs, Rotties and Mastiffs, so they were no strangers to large breeds. Fifteen years ago, though, Barry decided that he wanted a pinto pony for his 60th birthday. Though the Joneses are both experienced riders, that seemed like a bit much - so Barry’s request was downsized to a Newfoundland (practically pony-sized). He wanted, in particular, a Landseer (black and white, not unlike a pinto). Linda vetoed the color, but she was completely on board with the breed and the Joneses have been owned by shaggy black Newfs ever since.

In addition to Cash, they have a younger pup named Gulliver - “Gully” for short, who is right on track to follow in his big brother’s footsteps.

A key motivator behind Barry’s desire to draft with his Newfs was when he “realized how many things you can do with these dogs”. And he’s right. Newfoundlands are incredibly versatile gentle giants. Who knows, maybe we’ll keep up with the Joneses in the future, and discover how the breed goes from drafting to water rescue.

Cathy White lives in Walpole with her husband Jeff and Labradors Pippa and Nigel. Cathy is a Boston University alum, with a degree in Journalism.