THE KING’S LABRADORS.
RETRIEVERS’ GROWING POPULARITY.
From Our Special Correspondent
The fact of the King having entered a brace of Labradors at Crufts’ show next month is welcome evidence of his majesty’s continued interest in this most useful variety of retriever. Five years ago great satisfaction was expressed at the success of his Labrador bitch at the same show. Wolferton Jet, a beautiful specimen of her kind, then narrowly escaped championship honours, only being beaten by Mr Parmley’s ch. Manor House Belle. As she is now close on 8 years old, if still living, probably the Royal kennels will not be represented by her. King George’s liking for Labradors is easily explained, as his experience in field sports would lead him to appreciate them at their true value. We have passed the days when the variety was condemned as being hard-mouthed, although one occasionally meets people who repeat the old fiction, which shows the danger of placing reliance upon out-of-date textbooks. At the beginning of this century no one dreamed that anything could be found to disturb the popularity of the flat-coated retriever, whether on the show bench or in the field. Then came a day, a few years later, when Labradors made their bow to the public at one of the Kennel Club shows, and from that date their progress has been so rapid that they have caught up the others. Most agreed then that they lacked the refinement of the handsome flat-coats, but their improvement in appearance has been very marked, while, so far as can be seen, the influence of the show ring has so far not been mischievous. At field trials their performances continue to be consistently commendable, a full share of the chief honours going to them.
Within a few years the centenary of their advent to these shores will be celebrated. Although the exact year does not seem to be ascertainable, by common consent it is agreed that they were being imported through Poole in 1835 by boats engaged in the salt cod trade. A writer the other day described them as being of mixed ancestry, with an indebtedness to the flat-coated retriever. Practically all our breeds contain alien blood, and many of them owe their existence to various crosses, but few can show cleaner lineage than the Labrador. If strange blood has been introduced occasionally for the purpose of avoiding the evils of inbreeding, a little mathematical calculation will demonstrate that its influence cannot remain for long, provided that it is not persisted in. Generally speaking, the purity of the Labrador has been carefully guarded, and if trustworthy portraits were available the probability is that the dog as first shown some fifteen years ago would not be found to differ materially from the original importations.