THE LABRADOR
The Labrador is not just a dog !
In fact, the name of the breed is geographical and derives from a region of Canada very close to the island of Terranova (which in turn has given its name to a dog breed as we all know). The St. John's dog, now extinct (St. John's is a town on the island of Terranova), probably the ancestor of both breeds, used to live on these shores.
The St. John's dog was a water dog, just like today's Labradors and Terranova; its job was to catch cod that escaped from the fishermen's nets.
Several authors from the 1700s and 1800s refer to these dogs as either St. John, Labrador or Terranova, so it is not possible to know exactly how and when the breeds differed.
At one time, it was thought that the St. John's dog was the result of random cross-breeding between dogs used on Canadian fishing vessels: but breeder Mary Roslin-Williams disputed this theory, stating that it would not have been possible to select the pure black coat (the only colour of St. John's dogs, and originally the only colour allowed in the Labrador) through random cross-breeding.
Even more difficult, if possible, would have been to select the ability to retrieve.
A second theory is that the Labrador is descended from the Portuguese Cao de Castro Laboreiro (still extant) who arrived on the island of Terranova in the retinue of the northern Portuguese, who were engaged in maritime trade.
Canadian fishermen, unable to pronounce the name correctly, would have started
calling the dog after the neighbouring region that had a very similar name.
The Cao de Castro Laboreiro, however, is not black but dark grey (also contiguous),
so again it is not clear where the pure black came from.
St. John' dog
Avon was black, as were all dogs of the time, but he was a carrier of chocolate (which was then called "liver").
The chocolate, just like the yellow, was originally considered seriously defective and puppies with these coats were put down at birth: but a descendant of Buccleuch Avon, born in 1915, showed exceptional characteristics both in beauty and work (he was the first dog to be awarded the title of "liver"). But a descendant of Buccleuch Avon, born in 1915, showed exceptional beauty and working characteristics (he was the first dog to be awarded the title of "Dual champion"), and was used extensively in breeding.
Thus his "chocolate" genes were passed on for over half a century, until the recognition of colours other than black.
Buccleuch Avon
The truth is that we don't know anything precise about the remote origins of the breed: instead we know well its recent history, all English, which begins with the import of the male Buccleuch Avon (in the picture below), born in 1885,
by Lord Malmesbury, who is considered the "father of the breed" in Great Britain.
After an initial period of confusion between Labradors and Terranova, clarity finally set in in England; official recognition came in 1904 and the first breed club was born in 1916.
Following in the footsteps of Lord Malmesbury, new breeders took a liking to the Labrador and began to train it as a retriever. These included Lady Howe with the affix "Banchory", and Mrs. Broadley "Sandylands", the most famous in the history of the breed (she produced over seventy champions).
Banchory Bolo
After a long period in which the dogs continued to be only black, finally Mn. Wonnald (affixed as "Knaight") decided that it was not right to suppress healthy puppies just because their coat was not recognised by the Standard: so, taking courage in two hands, he brought a yellow dog for the first time in an exhibition... and obtained a resounding success with the public. So the yellow was admitted in the Standard and in 1925 a Club was born exclusively for this colour variety. A little later the chocolate (initially called "liver") was also recognised: the first champion of this colour was Cookridge Tango, bred by Mrs. Pauling.
In less than a minute it reaches the place where the missing person is, calls out to its owner, digs, and frees him from the snow. It is spectacular to see this Labrador in action, in the forces of the National Alpine Rescue Corps, during an exercise carried out today at Piani di Bobbio, as part of the "Sicuri con la neve" (Safe in the Snow) initiative, which every year offers hikers, ski mountaineers and enthusiasts on-the-job training on how to get around in the mountains in winter.
Pet Therapy
In fact, with its affectionate and gentle behaviour, the dog was able to distract and relax them, encouraging dialogue and allowing the establishment of a relationship of mutual trust between doctor and patient.
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