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words Dwain Hebda images Dwain Hebda and courtesy Bill Bennett
Donald enters the room with the force of a stiff
mad at us. They see this fluffy head of hair and they think we
wind blowing open a screen door. The adult Newfoundland
named him after Donald Trump.”
is massive from every angle; head like a cannonball, paws the
size of grapefruit, chest like the gas tank of a dump truck.
Donald is one of five big canines Bill and his wife Bonnie
currently own, all of them Newfoundlands – or Newfs, as they
And yet something is unmistakably gentle about the jet-
often like to call them – and all of them current or former
black beast. He’s immediately obedient to his handler and
competitors. Ever since the 1980s when the Pennsylvania
owner, Bill Bennett, despite having the physical wherewithal
couple discovered the breed, the duo has participated in
to tow Bill and anyone else in the room along in his wake.
American Kennel Club dog shows and have become well-
And he’s a big teddy bear to any guest within reach of
known for their expertise raising and showing champions
giving him an ear scratch, too. He’s even ambivalent to the
like Donald.
outrage he sometimes causes – unintentionally, of course –
when out in public.
“There’s nothing like a Newfoundland,” Bonnie says simply.
“They’re a gentle giant.”
“When he was a puppy, he had kind of a waddle when he
walked,” Bill says. “So, we named him Donald, after Donald
Despite their long show history, Bill and Bonnie don’t
Duck. Well, you should see the people at shows who get so
fit the image most people have of American Kennel Club
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