Developed to hunt small game as a water retriever, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever‘s ancestors, it’s said, were descended from two puppies, Sailor and Canton, who survived a shipwreck in the area in 1807. The dogs were most likely Lesser Newfoundland or St. John’s Water Dogs, and they were bred with area dogs to create the beginnings of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever.

Only a tough dog can hunt waterfowl in the rough and icy chop of Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. “Chessies” are extraordinary swimmers with powerful limbs and webbed feet. They can face strong tides in rough water, high winds, and are known to break through ice – and they relish, repeated plunges into icy water. For this reason, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever is known as “The Strongest Swimmer.”

Chesapeake Bay Retriever by Michael Steddum
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