The smallest of the retrievers, a quick, hardworking, and happy (if not strong willed) dog, is known as a “toller” to her fans, and the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever to everyone else.  The dog’s unique ability to mimic the curious movements of foxes on shorelines to attract waterfowl is well known, but perhaps less known is that part of the breed’s name comes from the Middle English word, “tollen,” meaning to “lure” or “entice.” It’s the same word that English poet and cleric, John Donne, used to suggest a calling at the end of his mediation on the interconnectedness of humanity:

No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend’s were.
Each man’s death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Print by Olde Time Mercantile is available for purchase here.