American Kennel Club Library & Archives
(May 27, 2021)
"Newfoundland puppy photographed by Melvin Sokolsky in 1963. Fashion photographer Sokolsky was actually an exhibitor of Newfies, including 165-pound American-Bermudian-Canadian Champion Newton, who broke all-time win records of any Newfoundland.
This pup however was sent to Morocco by private jet alongside two siblings for the King Hassan II. The king's brother had spotted another Sokolsky Newf and sold the royal family - who were breeders of Arabian horses - on the breed's strong bones, musculature, and proud bearing.
The royals were right to go to Little Bear Kennels, whose proprieters Vadim and Margaret Booth Chern had produced over 50 champs and had become pivotal figures in the breed's mid-century expansion in American popularity and show ring success since their 1949 founding. By 1963, there were more Newfs at Little Bear Kennels than the whole of their native country. Mrs. Chern authored "The Complete Newfoundland," which pinpointed many milestones in breed history. The Cherns had 1,000 pounds of whale meat shipped in from Iceland twice a month.
The pup was also paired in the same photo shoot with and another future movie star Ali McGraw, who served as Sokolsky's stylist for six years before getting into movies. She claimed the image was her first modeling gig and "Dog World" her first magazine cover -- though we have a run of that specific magazine and can't locate such glamour, at least of the human variety."
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