Let me just start by saying we are dog people.My husband and I have always had two dogs in our home since we started dating! I grew up with essentially a Noah’s Ark (actually still like that at my parents!) and Kenny did as well. We had been discussing getting a dog for over a year but my husband wanted a lab or shephard or something along those lines. I absolutely didn’t want either because one their size and two the shedding. I wanted a dog that was smaller and could easily travel with us, enter Fish. I literally googled “dogs that are good in water” and found this breed on the 3 or 4 page. I read a ton about them and then saw my friend Krista had one too! I emailed her about the breed and she just gushed about her toller so I went to work selling Kenny on him. I think after he watched the 19th YouTube video of the dog doing something in the water, he was hooked. The problem now was finding a breeder! There are not a ton in the US (the breed hails from Nova Scotia) and because of import laws it was going to be difficult to arrange a Canadian purchase. Luckily we found one in Charlottesville, VA but she wasn’t breeding at the time. She referred us to a breeder in SC who she was getting a female from and that was the end! One look at the picture and we were sold. Maverick named him and truthfully I’m just glad he didn’t pick chicken nuggets! 😉

Some facts about Fish:

-Official breed name Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. I kind of cringe when people ask what breed because it’s a mouthful and they always make me repeat it.

-He’s nearly full grown! The males weigh in about 40-50 lbs, but our vet believes he will hang on the lower end of that scale.

-When they describe the breed as affectionate, they were not joking. Fish will lay just across our chest or let us hold him like a baby. When my kids go to bed, he will absolutely lay right on top of Kenny and I as we hang on the couch. There is no such thing as personal space!

-True to his name, Fish LOVES fishing. He has a dog life jacket so he can go on the boat with Kenny but loves dock fishing too. Kenny will give him the fish and he plops it back in the water.

-He doesn’t really shed! Tollers are water dogs, complete with webbed feet, and a second undercoat. It requires very little grooming and I honestly don’t notice any more dog hair around my house then before. Such a win!

-Energetic is an understatement! Tollers are known for their intelligence which means they need a lot of brain stimulation and play or else they’re destructive! That’s really the same for any breed described as “intelligent” but Fish needs a lot of time spent using that energy. He goes to work with us most days, so not kept in a kennel all day, and then loves to be out back playing with the kids.

– He actually would be a disqualified one if we put him in a ring because they’re not supposed to have white around their shoulders. It’s a trait that obviously can’t be bred for but good thing we love him anyways! (Plus it saved us a little money on him)

– He took forever to lose his puppy teeth!

-My husband’s instagram account is essentially a #fishtheduckdog album 😉

Here’s some pictures of our pup. Man what a blessing he is! We are dog people through and through, but he may have made us toller people from here on out!