One of the Murray River Retrievers at Moama for the weekend.
If you ever wondered how the original breeders arrived at the name Murray River Retriever, take one to the banks of the Murray and stand back.
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Australia’s longest waterway is a magnet to these curly haired canines and this weekend there is a small army of them camped at Morning Glory Resort in Moama – it’s a kind of Woodstock with wagging tails.
The Murray River Retriever is Australia's only homegrown retriever – earliest references to a similar dog have been traced back to the early 1800s and they have been breeding true to type since at least 1894.
And now, through a lot of work, the association has achieved recognition for the Murray as a 'developing breed' with the Australian National Kennel Council.
A move which also separates it from the very English curly coated retriever, which in true colonial fashion, wanted to be top dog but which has now come a cropper.
The Murray River Retriever has been known by numerous Murray musings, including Murray River Curly Coated Retriever, Murray River Curlies, Murrays, Curlies, Murray Curly Retriever; and in SA have been, in the past, known as Murray River Duck Dogs, Murray Reds and numerous other names.
A mass of Murrays simply unable to keep out of the Murray this weekend.
There is a rich historical connection between the Murray River Retriever and the river it was named after.
Murray River Retrievers developed from the 1820s with the exploration of the Murray River system.
Paddlesteamers became the mode of transport for settlers who were trading between NSW, Victoria, and South Australia and the Murray River Retrievers became watch dogs for the families who lived on paddlesteamers, although their primary purpose was to retrieve wild ducks which provided food for the early settlers.
Yes, I’ll dry off later, too busy living up to my name now says this Murray River Retriever.
Today the breed is still used for retrieving, but unlike other breeds which specialise in a particular style or game type, Murrays can be trained to point, flush and retrieve and are used for retrieving ducks and tracking deer and pigs.
Murrays have also been trained in many other areas including tracking and search and rescue, assistance, companion and protection and bomb detection work.
Owners agree, as a pet, they are a loyal, happy breed which will work their way firmly into your heart and stay there.
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