Chesapeake Bay Retriever

During the 19th Centuty Chesapeake Bay with its 200-mile-long estuary surrounded by Maryland and Virginia, set the breed standard for the Chesapeake Bay Retriever.
The breed is thought to descend from two Newfoundland dogs named Sailor and Canton who were traveling aboard a ship bound for England in 1807. The ship ran aground, but the crew and the two dogs Sailor and Canton were rescued. Sailor found a home with John Mercer of West River and Canton with Dr. James Stewart of Sparrow's Point. Both dogs gained a reputation as excellent water dogs, especially when it came to duck hunting, and their puppies inherited their abilities and their unusual yellowish or amber-colored eyes.
The Chesapeake Bay Retriever were well suited to Chesapeake Bay bay’s chilly waters. The Chesapeake Bay Retrievers thick, oily, double coat is both insulating and waterproof; it repels moisture much the way a duck’s feathers do. The powerful hindquarters and large webbed feet enable the Chesapeake Bay Retriever to swim tirelessly against the slashing winds that whip across Chesapeake Bay.
Happily, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever isn’t a one-trick dog. Their sturdy build and acute scenting ability are highly valued by dog handlers in the fields of search-and-rescue work. Also, the Chesapeake Bay Retrievers good looks and athleticism are employed to great advantage in show rings, field trials, working trials, agility and in a variety of other dog sports.
The American Chesapeake Club held the first licensed retriever trial in 1932. Fittingly, the front door of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michael's, Maryland, is guarded by a pair of cast-iron statues of Chessies.

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