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So the Labrador has gone from being a fisherman's companion to a specialist wildfowl retriever to the world's most popular domestic dog. These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. In the first published account of a labrador, his Diary describes the dog as “by far the best for any kind of shooting. She wanted to know if I had ever trialled her and asked if she was greedy, which I took as an insinuation she might be a little ‘large’ for field work. They are not famed for their athleticism or sporting prowess – the caricature most associated with Labradors is of a rather rotund dog who has eaten all the pies.The first sightings in Britain of the “St John’s dogs” or “Little Newfoundland dogs” were in the late 18th century. While remaining a top shooting dog, it is quietly guiding all of us, from ordinary families to those treading the corridors of power.

While visiting a sick aunt on the south coast of England the two Scotsmen accepted an invitation to shoot wildfowl at Hurn. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. Inca, who died in 2012 having accompanied me to the island of Taransay when I was a contestant on the BBC’s Castaway programme, my wife’s dog, Maggi, and our new family puppy, Storm, have turned me into a barking crazy labrophile. We had three golden retrievers – Honey, Liberty and Lexington – my best friends throughout adolescence, my loyal confidants.

It was fate, and Marina and I married with marzipan figurines of the two Labradors on our wedding cake.