A Breed Apart: Nova Scotia's Duck Tolling Retriever

Patrick Colgan is the former executive director of the Canadian Museum
of Nature.

Nova Scotia’s duck tolling retriever has been bred not only to
retrieve but also to attract ducks. For this attribute, it has been
recognized in canine circles, honored on a Canadian postage stamp, and
made the official provincial dog.

In her research into the breed, Gail MacMillan, a regional writer,
assembled documentary and oral history spanning three centuries. Her
accounts of specific dogs and their abilities focus on their
intelligence and versatility, especially with black ducks in the
Yarmouth area. Also figured in her accounts are people ranging from
locals to provincial leaders, who have bred, trained, or publicized
these dogs. An intimate portrait of the breed and those involved with it
emerges. The text, which provides much detailed social history (but
slips up in claiming foxes as felids), is enriched by color and
black-and-white photographs.