Welcome to the world of the Labrador Retriever. Today this remarkable dog warms the hearts of everyone who comes into contact with him. Superior water dog, hunter, service dog, obedience dog or pet, the Labrador is a treasured friend and companion. While it is natural to assume that Labrador Retrievers came form Labrador, it just so happens that Newfoundland holds the honor. Newfoundland lies open along a major storm track and is vulnerable to gales and rages, including winter cyclones, of the rough North Atlantic Ocean. No place on the island is more than about 62 miles from the sea and it is one of the foggiest, snowiest, wettest, windiest places on earth. It is also cold with average temperatures of 57 degrees in July. Newfoundland was "discovered" in 1494 by European fishermen and traders from the Bristol Company but the Dorset Eskimo people had been living there for centuries. The earliest note of Labradors was made in 1822, when a visitor to the island mentioned these black, sleek-coated water retrievers, who unlike most other retrievers of the day had short, oily, heavy coats that shed water. Exactly what breeds originally went into making the Lab is a mystery. It is theorised that there were two related breeds, the Greater Newfoundland and the Lesser Newfoundland. The larger,heavily coated dog was used mostly as a draft animal for hauling fish. The smaller breed was smooth coated, renowned for his stamina and used as a fishing/retrieving breed. According to this theory, the early "Labradors" were used to help haul in fishing lines and retrieve fish that fell off hooks. What was needed was a smaller dog that could fit in a small boat but strong enough to help haul in nets. The dogs therefore needed a dense, oily coat that would retain heat and repel ice, as well as a willing-to-please personality and a tough work ethic. It is said that after working all day, these dogs would come home to play with the fishermen's children in the evening. Without elaborate DNA testing the true ancestors of this breed may never be known. It is not even known whether these dogs were native to the area or whether they were brought over from Eurpoe by some long -forgotten settlers. The earliest European settlers in the 16th century hailed from Devon, England. The were renowned for their hunting and outdoors skills, which were very necessary if you were thinking about inhabiting Newfoundland in the winter. It is surmised by some dog historians that these settlers may have brought their black St. Hubert's Hounds with them and probably crossbred them until something approximate to the present-day Lab was developed. The Labrador in England The Labrador is inextricably mixed with the various English Ears of Malmesbury. The second Earl of Malmesbury (1778-1841) had these dogs imported to Heron Court, England in about 1830. Apparently, while at the British seaport of Poole, he happened to see a pair who had been brought into the country from Newfoundland by various schooners and fishing boats. After observing the dogs happily catching sticks and abandoned fish for some small boys, he conjectured that these dogs might make excellent waterfowl retrievers. It was this earl who began the first kennel for Labradors and devoted himself to breeding them until his death. Most modern-day Labradors can trace their ancestry to these dogs. In 1991 the Labrador Retriever jumped into first place in AKC registrations, a position the breed holds to the present time and with reason. Hunter, show dog, field trialer, agility dog, obedience dog and best of all, family pet-the Labrador Retriever is truly America's Dog! |
History
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Magee Creek Labradors
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