Labrador: The Story of the World’s Favourite Dog

Labrador: The Story of the World’s Favourite Dog
Ben Fogle

A social history of Labradors, and how they have become the world’s most beloved dogs, by writer, presenter and long-time dog lover Ben Fogle, whose beloved black Labrador, Inca, famously accompanied him on numerous journeys and adventures.Labradors are the most popular breed of dog in the world. Not only a great family companion, they also excel at hunting, tracking, retrieving, guiding and rescuing. But where did the breed originally come from? How did it develop? When did black, yellow and chocolate Labradors first appear? Did they really all come from Labrador in Canada and are they really all related to just one dog?In this first history of the Labrador, Ben Fogle goes in search of what makes Labradors so special. Their extraordinary companionship, intelligence, work ethic and loyalty is captured by Ben as he weaves the story of the breed into his own story of his beloved Inca.Ben visits Canada, discovers hair-raising stories of early Labrador exploits and uncovers stories of RNIB Labradors and Labradors at war, Labradors as working dogs and every other manifestation of the Labrador’s character. Exploring their origin, early characteristics, their use as gun dogs, as therapy dogs, as police dogs, as search and rescue dogs and last – and absolutely not least – as family pets, Ben tells the story of a dog breed which has captured our imagination and love for hundreds of years.

ABOUT THE BOOK (#ulink_81df21d6-bd56-59d3-bb7b-c2da73a83eeb)

A social history of Labradors, and how they have become the world’s most beloved dogs, by writer, presenter and long-time dog lover Ben Fogle, whose beloved black Labrador, Inca, famously accompanied him on numerous journeys and adventures.

DEDICATION (#ulink_32807777-cfaa-56ad-af61-6cd7d81ba508)

To all the Labradors who have loved

and been loved.

COPYRIGHT (#ulink_578e48c2-91ed-5d59-a406-2d7ed309ccad)

William Collins

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

WilliamCollinsBooks.com (http://WilliamCollinsBooks.com)

This eBook edition published by William Collins in 2015

Text © Ben Fogle, 2015

Excerpt from The Shipping News by Annie Proulx © Dead Line Ltd, 1993 Excerpt from Marley & Me © John Grogan, 2005

Photographs © Individual copyright holders

Cover credit © Shutterstock

Ben Fogle asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this eBook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

Source ISBN: 9780007549016

Ebook Edition © October 2015 ISBN: 9780007549030

Version: 2016-03-09

CONTENTS

COVER (#ue2eb9285-5be6-5d65-a529-55433360de99)

ABOUT THE BOOK (#u3d166385-8670-51b4-8844-6cd9d2056c66)

TITLE PAGE (#u3d50ab39-5c32-5816-a8ab-1676b6c155f9)

DEDICATION (#ud05c78b8-6b41-5f87-bd51-7b28b71f31c8)

COPYRIGHT (#ulink_88beeee5-99f7-512a-a2ab-234e2fe567a3)

Prologue: THE BEGINNING OF THE END (#u33f5da1f-a226-5056-ba07-e618b975aa20)

Chapter One: SALTY SEA DOGS (#uab6401fc-8624-5e9b-8679-718c5ddd4ff7)

Chapter Two: FISHY TAILS (#u1ce7e757-68a8-53b8-bdef-6a599bf1ceac)

Chapter Three: BANCHORY BOLO AND BEN (#u7cdf5a27-1301-5197-9731-1cf38eeaf567)

Chapter Four: THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY (#u11a7ac46-9e15-5bf2-bacb-e338efbf9f3d)

Chapter Five: BLUE-BLOODED HOUND (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six: ROCK AND ROLLOVER (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven: THE NOSE KNOWS (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight: YELLOW COATS (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine: ALL THE PRESIDENTS’ DOGS (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten: LAB OF ALL TRADES (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven: LABS OF WAR (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve: THE END OF THE INCAS (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen: A PERFECT STORM (#litres_trial_promo)

PICTURE SECTION (#litres_trial_promo)

FOOTNOTES (#litres_trial_promo)

INDEX (#litres_trial_promo)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (#litres_trial_promo)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (#litres_trial_promo)

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER (#litres_trial_promo)