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Article: Popularity of Labradors Breeds Mediocrity
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- May 15, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Lo, how the mighty Labrador retriever has fallen. It's only 70
years since the stalwart bird-fetchers first arrived on these shores
from England, where they were playthings of royalty and high
society.
In the 1920s and '30s, the first handful of imported Labs found
birds on this side of the ocean for the likes of New York
millionaires W. Averell Harriman and Marshall Field. Then bit by bit
word of the bold, black swimmers spread and they made their way down
the social ladder and into the hands of working-class waterfowlers
from Alaska to Arkansas.
Such rivals as Chesapeake and golden retrievers soon dropped to
backup status. Among working water dogs in the United States today,
the Lab ...