The coat is an essential feature of our next Purebred of Interest breed. Its water-repellent coat can be any color or combination of colors, but texture and quality are most important. It’s not the breed in this image, but it, too, has a water repellent coat.

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever‘s fans would say that after seven decades of development, this just might be the world’s toughest retriever, and according to Gun Dog magazine, “the Chesapeake is the only retriever breed that still consistently produces dual champions.” We don’t know if those are “fighting words,” but there is, we figure, a reason why the breed is called the “Sherman Tank of Retrievers.”

President Teddy Roosevelt agreed and extended this quality to a strength of character. His Chessie, “Sailor Boy,” was descended from Gen. George Custer’s Chessies, and of his dog, Roosevelt said, “Much the most individual of the dogs and the one with the strongest character was Sailor Boy, a Chesapeake Bay dog. He had a masterful temperament and a strong sense of both dignity and duty. He would never let the other dogs fight, and he himself never fought unless circumstances imperatively demanded it.”

Chesapeake Bay Retriever by Lynn Culp
This print is available for your purchase here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/colormutts