Clayton, North Carolina

Meet Sophie Our "Store Manager"


One of the questions I receive from our customers is : what kind of dog is she. Sophie Our store dog/store manager is an English Labrador Retriever. She was born on 6/28/2009.  She has been a store fixture from the time she was 8 weeks old. Sophie is a well mannered, professionally trained dog. She is an AKC "Star Puppy" and she is a graduate of the AKC "Canine Good Citizenship Program". She is also a registered Service Dog for Autistic kids.

 If you've surfed the Internet at all, you've probably come across the term "English Labrador" or "American Labrador".  What's the difference?  Good question and one I hope to explain here.  Now remember these are my opinions. 

Frankly, an "English" Lab is one born in England.  An "American" Lab is one born in the USA.  The proper terms are Show/Bench bred and Field bred Labradors. You see, there are English dogs which run field trials and American dogs that are shown in dog shows.  To categorize them as English or American just by type tends to get confusing.

A show bred Labrador generally is shorter on leg, has a heavier body, thicker tail and coat than a field bred Lab.  Most Show bred Labradors have a shorter muzzle and wider head than a field bred Lab.  

 

Sophie is an example of a show bred Lab.

Once known as the "St John's Dogs," the Labrador Retriever is one of the most popular breeds in the United States. The Lab is native to Newfoundland, where it worked side by side with fishermen catching fish that came loose from the lines and trained to jump into the icy waters to help pull in the nets. Specimens were brought to England in the 1800's by English ships coming from Labrador. The breed was crossed with setters, spaniels and other types of retrievers to improve their instincts as a hunter. The Labrador is highly trainable and is not only popular as a family companion but also excels in: hunting, tracking, retrieving, watchdog, police work, narcotics detection, guide for the blind, service dog for the disabled.

 

 

 

 

 

 Sophie holds an Annual Food Drive for Johnson County Animal Shelter.  The drive is held each December for the whole month.  Last year she raised 3,500lbs of food for the shelter.