You’ll have to visit Canada to see these striking statues of a Newfoundland and Labrador Retriever in person. Dog “geeks” will immediately “get” the connection between why these two particular breeds are represented in Harbourside Park located in St. Johns. Not only was St. John’s the oldest European settlement in North America, it’s the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador (and now you see the connection, too). The local canine, the St. John’s water dog, was the ancestor of several modern retrievers (including the Flat Coated Retriever, Curly Coated Retriever, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, the Golden Retriever, and the Labrador Retriever), and of the large and gentle Newfoundland dog. So while some folks commonly think that the modern Labrador originated in Labrador, Canada, it is, in fact, a descendant of the St. John’s Water Dog. As for the Newfoundland, it’s unclear whether the breed developed independently from and alongside the Saint John’s Water dog or was the product of the selective crossing of the Saint John’s Water dog with other breeds, but the Newfoundland did originate in Newfoundland.