Seaver is a 150-pound Newfoundland. (Jasmine Lewin/The Astorian)

On Wednesday, Fort Clatsop was awash with a sprinkle of rain and a flurry of fur as Newfoundlands and their owners came to commemorate Seaman’s Day, which remembers the faithful canine companion to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their intrepid expedition.

A crowd assembled that afternoon as Park Ranger Ben Najera stood alongside 150-pound Newfoundland Seaver, who posed majestically as Najera narrated the history of Seaman’s contributions to the expedition and his longtime dedication to his owner Lewis.

Seaman was purchased specifically for the expedition in 1803 due to Newfoundlands’ reputations as working dogs who are strong and easy to handle. They typically do well on boats, are good swimmers, and can assist in water rescues due to the buoyancy of their fur.

The reputation also earned Seaman his name. The dog would go on to become the only animal to complete the entire three-year trip from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast and back.

“‘After the melancholy exit of Governer Lewis, his dog would not depart for a moment from his remains and when they were deposited in the earth, no gentle means could draw him from the spot of internment,’” Najera said, quoting a trusted passage from historical educator Timothy Alden.

Seaman died soon after his owner in the very place Lewis’ remains were buried, reflecting another reputation Newfoundlands have of being impenetrably loyal and protective.

Seaver, who waited patiently as Najera finished his presentation, had come down to Fort Clatsop for the event with his owner, Gigi McLaughlin. The two hail from Tacoma, Washington, and it was the 21-month-old pup’s first time attending the event — after hearing about a need for volunteers from the Pacific Northwest Newfoundland Club, McLaughlin and Seaver had set off to see the ocean.

It’s been a fun trip for them both, and luckily, Seaver is a great traveler. McLaughlin said his favorite thing to do is splash around in the surf and meet new people, and he had ample time to do both during his visit to Clatsop County.

While McLaughlin said Newfoundlands are often much higher maintenance than other dogs — their large stature makes for higher veterinary bills, and their dense fur makes it so that an owner goes through quite a few vacuums — she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We got our first Newfoundland when our kids were babies, and it was a rescue situation where a Newfoundland needed a home instantly,” she said. “And so we didn’t know anything about them, but we’re like, okay, sure, we’ll try to help. And she just turned out to be an angel. She was just an angel of a dog. And we didn’t know anything about Newfoundlands at all, really, where we lived at the time, nobody knew anything about Newfoundlands.

“And so we just noticed how wonderful she was with the kids, and she was extraordinary. She had this will to live, and she had so much love in her heart despite all the abuse that she had endured before we got her. So we just thought, you know, this is really special, let’s stick with it. And so we did.”

The Seaman’s Day commemorations began in 1994. Najera said the choice to hold it mid-July was more of a nod to tourist season and good weather than anything else, despite the arrival of gray rainclouds this year.

But the Newfoundlands, who prefer much colder temperatures, were right at home in the rain.

“Most second Wednesdays in July aren’t as cloudy or as wet as this one is,” Najera said. “In fact, last year it was like 75 degrees, and it was pretty pleasant, except the poor dogs were overheating a little. So this is a very nice day for the dogs.”