HISTORY AND EARLY BEGINNINGS OF THE LABRADOR


The Labrador Retriever originally came from Newfoundland, Canada, and was known as
the “St. John’s Dog”, “St. John’s Newfoundland”, or “Lesser Newfoundland”. Although there
are several different accounts of the early history of the breed, it is most widely speculated
that the Labrador’s origins can be traced to the Greater Newfoundland dog or to the
French St. Hubert’s dog.

The name Labrador was first given by the Earl of Malmesbury, as a way to differentiate the
breed from the Newfoundland dog. The Newfoundland dog was primarily used for hauling,
while the Labrador was used for retrieving and was known for its smaller size and short
black coat. Malmesbury wrote that his dogs were “known by their having a close coat which
turns the water off like oil and, above all, a tail like an otter.”

Early Labradors were trained to swim through icy waters, in order to haul the fishermen’s
nets into shore or to retrieve fish that had fallen off the fishermen’s hooks. The dogs were
seen as “workaholics” and were excellent not only at retrieving birds and fish, but also at
pulling small boats. The strong swimming dogs were small enough for the two-man “Dory”
boats, and had short coats that repelled water and ice. Also adept at hunting, the Labrador
was able to help the fishermen supplement their fish diet with fowl.

Ships coming from Labrador (located to the Northwest of Newfoundland) brought the dogs
to England in the early 1800’s, where the breed continued to evolve by learning the fine
retrieving instincts for which Labrador Retrievers are known today. English sportsmen were
very impressed with the Lab’s excellent hunting and swimming ability, and as organized
shooting events became more popular, the gentry replaced their pointers and setters with
them.

Labrador Retrievers in England almost became extinct at one time, mostly due to political
reasons. With the introduction of the English Quarantine law and the heavy dog tax, the
importation of Labradors into England practically stopped. As a result, other types of
retrievers were eventually interbred with the dogs. Fortunately, however, the strong
Labrador characteristics stood out, and eventually an anti-interbreeding law was written.

Early on, breeders weeded out chocolate and yellow labs, preferring only black ones.
Eventually all three varieties were accepted. The Labrador Retriever breed was first
recognized by the Kennel Club of England in 1903, when the decision was made at that
time to give classes at the Kennel Club Show for their own, separate breed.

The breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1917. However, in 1927 there
were only 23 registered Labradors. But in 1928, the magazine American Kennel Gazette
ran an AKC article entitled “Meet the Labrador Retriever”, making the breed more popular.
After World War I, many of the English Labradors were imported, and they eventually
formed what is now known as the American variety.

In 1938, the black Lab “Blind of Arden” won the top US Retriever honor, and was the first
dog ever to appear on Life Magazine’s cover. In 1959, a famous black Lab, “King Buck”
was the first dog to appear on a U.S. stamp. Other famous Labs include “Buddy” and
“Seamus”, U.S. President Bill Clinton’s two pets, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s
“Koni”. A black Labrador named “Sadie” detected a bomb in Afghanistan, saving the lives
of a number of soldiers. She in turn received the Dickin Medal of Honor.
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