The dog breed known as "the most popular dog in the world" for many years is the Labrador Retriever. The founding breed of what is now the Labrador Retriever was the St. John’s water dog. In the lesser Newfoundland, Canada, in the 1800s, they were used by the fishermen to jump into the icy waters and help them pull in their fishing nets. They also assisted by towing ropes from one boat to another and towing dories. The fishermen called them “small water dogs.”

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It is said that the Earl of Malmesbury saw some fishermen with their small water dogs and he was so impressed by their skill in retrieving just about anything from the water that he had some of these wonderful dogs exported back to England, where he bred dogs for duck hunting.  After seeing the skill and agility of these small water dogs, he devoted his entire kennel to developing this breed. It was then that the dogs were named “Labrador" after the geographical region of England. It was soon after this that the Labrador Retriever began its reign as retrievers or “gun dogs,” as they were then called.

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Read more the History of the Labrador Retriever.