In 1807, an American ship rescued the crew of an English brig ship that ran aground off the coast of Maryland. The crew of that ship gave their rescuers two dogs as a gift. The male, Sailor, was red and the female, Canton, was black. The puppies from these two were the first Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. These dogs are known for being able to swim the icy Chesapeake Bay to retrieve hundreds of ducks per day for their owners. According to the story, the descendants of these dogs were bred with other dogs such as the English Otterhound, Curly-Coated Retriever, and Flat-Coated Retriever. It is one of the few breeds that originated in America and was accepted by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1878. They are now the 43rd most popular dog breed in America. The Labrador Retriever has been registered with the AKC since 1917 and they are the number one most popular dog in the United States. This Retriever originated in Canada in the 1800s and was used for field trials, obedience competitions, guide dogs, and water retrieving. Originally from Newfoundland, they are actually related to the original Newfoundland breed. They used to be called the Lesser Newfoundland because they were smaller than the original Newfoundland. The Labrador Retriever was the first of the Labrador breed and they were medium sized with a black coat. The original Labradors were well known for retrieving all kinds of game from land and from water. Although black is the most preferred color, now there are yellow and chocolate Labradors as well.
