Seaman, a Newfoundland dog, was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the first trip from the Mississippi River to the Pacific coast and back. He was the only animal to complete the entire three-year trip. Seaman was purchased in 1803 specifically for the expedition by Captain Meriwether Lewis, while he was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, awaiting completion of the boats for the voyage. He chose a Newfoundland, whose estimated weight is and for which he paid the high price of $20 (): half a month's pay for an Army captain. Working dogs, strong and easy to handle—Lewis describes Seaman as "docile"—, he chose a Newfoundland because they do well on boats, are good swimmers, and can assist in water rescues. His name reflects this. There is no explicit description of Seaman's color or appearance. He is nowadays universally depicted as black or dark brown, the colors of most modern Newfoundlands, but a survey by an art historian of the breed as it was depicted in paintings of the early nineteenth century found "not a single all-black [that] was called a Newfoundland". "In fact, all the early 19th century illustrations which I have found, and whose color I could authenticate[,] were white with black or dark areas and frecklings." Seaman on the expedition Seaman did many things to help the explorers, and they became fond of him. He was "our dog". He also retrieved geese and deer, and once killed and retrieved an antelope swimming across a river. According to Lewis and Clark's report, some Native Americans were impressed by the dog's "sagacity" (wisdom, obedience); they had never seen such a big dog. The dog "patrolled all night" to warn of bears, and once had to drive off a buffalo in their camp while the men slept. A modern commentator on the Expedition remarked that "Lewis seems to have been happiest when he was alone on shore with his gun, his notebook, and his dog Seaman." During the expedition, around May 14, 1805, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark performed surgery on one of Seaman's arteries in his hind leg that had been severed by a beaver bite. In early 1806, as the expedition was beginning the return journey, Seaman was stolen by Indians and Lewis sent three men to retrieve the dog. Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery ate over 200 dogs, bought from the Indians, while traveling the