A typical yellow Labrador retrieverEndal, the world's most decorated dog, wearing his PDSA Gold Medal
This list of Labrador Retrievers covers notable individual dogs that belong to this breed. The Labrador retriever is the most popular breed of dogs (by registered ownership) in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The breed is exceptionally affable, intelligent, energetic and good natured, making them excellent and popular pets, companions and working dogs. They have a high work ethic[1] Common working roles for Labradors include: hunting, tracking and detection, disabled-assistance, carting, and therapy work. Approximately 60–70% of all guide dogs in the United States are Labradors.
As both the most popular breed by registered ownership and also the most popular breed for service dogs in several countries, there have been many notable and famous Labradors since the breed was recognized.
Cora, a yellow lab golden retriever cross, is a Guide Dog for the Blind in England who holds the Freedom of the City of London. Cora is the first and only Free Dog of the City of London since the recognition ceremony was first recorded in 1237 in the year of King Henry III. The Freedom of the City of London is awarded to people who have achieved success, recognition or celebrity in their chosen field. The recognition of the Freedom of the City of London was unanimously extended to Cora at Guildhall in June 2017 alongside her owner who is a solicitor member of City of London Solicitors Livery Company.
Endal, a service dog in England. Among other distinctions, "the most decorated dog in the world" (including "Dog of the Millennium" and the PDSA's Gold Medal for Animal Gallantry and Devotion to Duty),[2] the first dog to ride on the London Eye, the first dog known to work a 'chip and pin' ATM card,[3] and the first dog to place a human being in the recovery position without training following a blackout. As of 2007[update] some three hundred camera crews from several countries have interviewed Endal and his owner/handler,[4] and a film of a year in his life is in production.[5][6]
Sully, served with former US President George H. W. Bush during the last six months of his life; noted for his role during the president's funeral.
Timber, named "Heroic Guide Dog of the Year" by Guide Dogs for the Blind (UK) in 2005, after saving the life of his owner, Arthur Griffiths, during a traffic collision.[7]
Omar Riviera's yellow Labrador guide dog "Dorado". Riviera was on an upper floor of the Twin Towers at the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Despite extreme confusion, noise and panic, Dorado led Riviera down 70 stories just before Tower 1 collapsed. According to media reports, "Riviera even tried to release Dorado so the dog could have a better chance at survival, but found the dog would not leave his side".[8]
Jake, a black Labrador who became a national canine hero after burrowing through "white-hot, smoking debris" in 2001 during the September 11 attacks in search of survivors at Ground Zero. He helped search for Hurricane Katrina victims in 2005. As a puppy, Jake was abandoned with a broken leg and dislocated hip, but as an adult became one of fewer than 200 U.S. government-certified rescue dogs, and described by a member of the 9/11 Federal search and rescue teams as "a world class rescue dog". He died of cancer at age 12 in July 2007.[9][10]
Lucky and Flo, twin Black Labrador counterfeit detection dogs who became famous in 2007 for "sniffing out nearly 2 million unlicensed counterfeit DVDs" for the Motion Picture Association of America while on a 6-month secondment to Malaysia in 2007. The two later repeated a similar feat in several Queens, New York stores.[11][12] Following the $multi-million[13] 6-arrest Malaysian detection, they became the first dogs to be awarded Malaysia's "outstanding service award",[14] and software pirates were stated to have put a £30,000 contract out for their lives.[15][16]
Sadie, a black Labrador who saved the lives of dozens of soldiers in Afghanistan by detecting a bomb. Recipient of the Dickin Medal, the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross.[19]
Zanjeer, a detection dog who detected arms and ammunition used in 1993 Mumbai (Bombay) serial explosions. Zanjeer was born on January 7, 1992, and was inducted into the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad on December 29, 1992. He was trained at the Dog Training Centre of the Criminal Investigation Department in Pune. During his service, his haul was excellent. He helped recover 57 country-made bombs, 175 petrol bombs, 11 military bombs, 242 grenades and 600 detonators. His biggest contribution to the police force and the city was the detection of 3,329 kg of RDX. He also helped detect 18 Type-56 rifles and five 9mm pistols. He died at a veterinary hospital in Parel.
Frida, Mexican rescue dog, retired in 2019. Took part in 53 operations in various Central American countries, saving 12 lives and locating 40 bodies. Retirement marked by a ceremony by the Mexican Naval Canine Unit attended by deputy minister Eduardo Redondo, while murals and a bronze statue of her have been created in various places.[20]
Agata is a female yellow Labrador Retrieverdrug detection dog who works in Leticia, Colombia. In 2004, Colombian drug barons placed a $10,000 bounty on her head, resulting in the dog and her handler being assigned a bodyguard and her food being monitored for poison.[21][22][23] The bounty was the result of her superior skills at drug detection, having stopped more than three hundred kilos of cocaine, worth more than seven million dollars, and twenty kilos of heroin.[22][24] She was decorated for her work.[21]
Other heroic labs
Willie, who saved his friend, John Stenglein, from a wolf attack at a logging camp near on April 26, 2000, in Icy Bay, Alaska. John and an older boy were playing near the edge of a logging camp when a wolf appeared and chased the boys, attacking John when he fell and dragging him and toward the woods. He was saved by his friend's Labrador retriever, Willie, followed by a group of people, and then John's father arrived and shot the wolf. The wolf was found to have been neither sick nor starving, but habituated to the presence of people. John received 19 laceration and puncture wounds on the back, legs, and buttocks.[25]
King Buck (1948–1962) successfully completed an unprecedented 63 consecutive series in the National Championship Stake and was the National Retriever Field Trial Club champion for two successive years (in 1952 and 1953), which accomplishment was not duplicated for nearly 40 years. He was also the first dog to appear on a United States Fish and Wildlife ServiceDuck stamp (1959), which always featured a water fowl.[27]
Blind of Arden (born c. 1934),[28]Life magazine December 12, 1938: Cover - Labrador Retriever, Blind of Arden". Inside cover text reads: "The dog on this week's cover is Blind of Arden, who won the No. 1 U.S. retriever stake of the year on November 21, had his picture taken at Southampton by LIFE photographer George Karger." and stated to be 4 years old at the time.[29] first dog to appear on the cover of Life (1938), also winning the No.1 competition at the time, the open all-age stake of the Long Island Retriever Club, with a "remarkable" blind recovery.[28]
NFC-AFC San Joaquin Honcho won the 1976 National Field Trial Championship and accumulated 142 All-age points during his competitive career. He was owned and trained by the famed retriever trainer, Judy Aycock, who purchased him on recommendation from the retriever legend Rex Carr.[30]
Brandeis, a Muppet dog on Sesame Street who finds work as a mobility assistance dog. The puppet appears in later episodes, where it is featured in one of several roles which call for a generic dog.
Brian Griffin from the animated sitcom Family Guy is a white Labrador Retriever. He is highly anthropomorphized (he drinks dry martinis and drives a Toyota Prius), however he still exhibits many traits which are commonly associated with dogs (for example he cannot resist chasing a ball).
Jordan, belonging to KVBC's chief meteorologist in Las Vegas. He was a local favorite to residents and had many minutes of fame on the air throughout his 13 years of life.
Krypto, Superman's dog, is portrayed as a white Labrador.
Labramon is a titular character on Digimon which is based on the Labrador Retriever breed.
Merle is a Lab mix featured in Ted Kerasote's book Merle's Door. It follows the life of the dog that Kerasote found on a canoe trip in the Tetons, until Merle's passing and the dog's free range life in a small Wyoming town.
Orson, a Labrador mix who is a major, semi-sentient character in Fear Nothing by Dean Koontz
Quill, a guide-dog for the blind whose life is followed in the film of the same name
Spike, who played "Old Yeller" from the movie Old Yeller
Radar, the comic Brazil pet dorinha in Monica's Gang
In Bluey, Lucky's family, consisting of himself, younger brother Chucky, and parents Pat and Janelle, are all Golden Labradors, while Jean-Luc & his family, consisting of himself, his parents, are all Black Labradors
Mascots and adverts
The Andrex Puppy, featured primarily in UK television spots for the Andrex brand of toilet paper, known elsewhere as Scott or Kleenex Cottonelle, also featuring the puppy mascot.[26]
Nigger, a black Labrador, mascot of the Dambusters squadron around 1940. (At the time, in the UK, this name was not seen as an offensive word)
Alien, a black Lab who served as the team mascot for the Memphis Mad Dogs. Alien would charge the field following each kickoff and retrieve the kicking tee.
Notable individuals in the development of the breed
A surviving picture of "Buccleuch Avon" (born 1885), the foundational dog of all modern Labradors
The Duke of Buccleuch's black Lab Avon ("Buccleuch Avon", m), considered the foundational dog of the modern breed,[33][better source needed] along with Buccleuch Ned (both gifts from the Earl of Malmesbury) and the Earl of Malmesbury's dogs Malmesbury Tramp (m) and Malmesbury June (f), all pivotal in the foundation of the modern breed. All date to the 1880s. In particular, Jack Vanderwyk traces the origins of all Chocolate labs listed on the LabradorNet database to Buccleuch Avon and the two Malmesbury dogs.[34]
Ben of Hyde, first yellow lab on record (kennels of Major C.J. Radclyffe, 1899).[35]
The two famous dogs that rekindled the modern darker ("fox red") colours of yellow Lab—Balrion King Frost, credited as having "the biggest influence in the re-development of the fox red shade",[36] and his great-grandson, the likewise famous Wynfaul Tabasco, described as "the father of the modern fox red Labrador", and the only modern fox red Show Champion in the UK.[36] (Two other dogs, Balrion Red Alert and Scrimshaw Placido Flamingo, are also credited with greatly passing on the genes into more than one renowned bloodline, even though not especially famous themselves).[36]
Pep (c. 1923 – 1930), was a Black Labrador sent to the Eastern State Penitentiary by Pennsylvania governor Gifford Pinchot in 1924. Though he was sent to "boost morale" and had free rein of the prison, he was portrayed in the media as a "cat-murderer" who was given a life sentence. The governor received thousands of letters critical of the dog's incarceration. Pep was liked by guards and prisoners, chased rats in the prison corridors, and was later transferred to the Graterford Prison Farm.[39][40]
Humphrey Templeton-Knight: Famous dog that escaped a hit from a train going up to 90km/h (56mp/h) in Fremantle, Western Australia. Was found with life threatening injuries however, he lives to tell the tail.
Notorious labs
Toby, 75 lbs., who killed 2-year-old Megan Stack, left alone downstairs with the dog, in 1988.[41]
A 9 to 12-week-old lab killed 2-month-old Zane Earls, who had been left alone in 2008. The dog had not been fed in days and was later put to sleep. The teenage mother of Earls was convicted of manslaughter for leaving her baby unattended in a swing for roughly 2 hours while the puppy was loose in the house.[42][43]
^"Endal, December 2006". Illinois Springer Spaniel Rescue. Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved June 20, 2007. The trophy cabinet at their family home in Hampshire would be the envy of most football club managers and houses an impressive list of awards including Dog of the Millennium and the PDSA's Gold Medal for Animal Gallantry and Devotion to Duty. It is true to say that Endal, who can even count the Queen as one of his devotees, is probably the most decorated dog in the world.
^
Verena, Dobnik. "Heroic dog dies of cancer". Archived from the original on August 11, 2007. Retrieved October 31, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^McNay, Mark E.; Mooney, Philip W. (2005). "Attempted predation of a child by a Gray Wolf, Canis lupus, near Icy Bay, Alaska". Canadian Field-Naturalist. 119 (2): 197–201.
^Source: The Guinness Book of World Records Revised & Enlarged Edition, 1966. According to Guinness World Records, a dog’s age is validated when Guinness World Records approves of their birth certificate. Quoted at: "Adjutant". The Famous Dogs Image-n-Info Bank. 2001. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
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