From Famous To Infamous – This Newfoundland Made Headlines Back In 1908 For Being Wickedly Genius
Louise Peralta
Dogs are often hailed as heroes. At this point, it’s an undeniable truth already.
With an abundant source of tales and news about heroic dog deeds, like how this dog saved her owner from a house fire, or how this recently adopted dog saved her owner from a speeding car – you don’t even have to be their owner to be saved by a dog. Their protective instincts not only save people but other animals as well!
But did you also know that dogs can be conmen – condogs?
This dog from the early 1900s became famous for being such a hero that even The New York Times wrote about it.
“Apropos of the decision of M. Lepine to employ dog auxiliaries for the patrol of lonely beats in the outskirts of Paris, a good story is now going the rounds concerning a splendid Newfoundland which was a candidate at one of the recent field trials,” they wrote.
The headline?
“DOG A FAKE HERO.”
While it is true that the dog did rescue many children from drowning in the Seine River, the only actual rescue he did was the first one.
The first incident is also the amazingly clever dog’s origin story (read: villain origin story).
When the Newfoundland heard the cries of a child struggling in the river, the dog plunged into the water and rescued the little child. He was rewarded with a “succulent beefsteak” by the rescued child.
And the Newfoundland didn’t need any other training or motivation. Only two days after his first rescue, the hero dog did it again! And again… And again…
Now this was when things became quite suspicious. Of course, the hero dog wasn’t seen as a suspect. The neighborhood thought that maybe there was some petty criminal around that specifically targeted young children and pushed them into the river, so they started a special watch to try to get a hold of the situation.
“Then the truth came out. It was the dog – the noble life-saver himself – that was the guilty one.”
The jig is up for our furry hero! Because of the drool-worthy reward he got after every rescue, it turns out that the Newfoundland pushed the children into the water himself so he could have someone he could rescue.
“He had thus established for himself a profitable source of revenue,” the New York Times wrote.
I just imagine the Scooby gang taking off the mask of their villain of the day with this one. A dog so genius that he turned evil. What a story!
As for the dog’s rating according to the internet, the fake hero is an absolute legend, with a rating of 14/10.
https://twitter.com/dog_rates/status/1615757192795389952?s=20
