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  • Labrador: The Story of the World's Favourite Dog

  • By: Ben Fogle
  • Narrated by: Ben Fogle
  • Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (77 ratings)
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Labrador: The Story of the World's Favourite Dog cover art

Labrador: The Story of the World's Favourite Dog

By: Ben Fogle
Narrated by: Ben Fogle
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Summary

A social history of Labradors and how they have become the world's most beloved dogs, by writer, presenter and longtime dog lover Ben Fogle, whose beloved black Labrador, Inca, famously accompanied him on numerous journeys and adventures.

Labradors are the most popular breed of dog in the world. Not only great family companions, they also excel at hunting, tracking, retrieving, guiding and rescuing. But where did the breed originally come from? How did it develop? When did black, yellow and chocolate Labradors first appear? Did they really all come from Labrador in Canada, and are they really all related to just one dog?

In this first history of the Labrador, Ben Fogle goes in search of what makes Labradors so special. Their extraordinary companionship, intelligence, work ethic and loyalty are captured by Ben as he weaves the story of the breed into his own story of his beloved Inca. Ben visits Canada, discovers hair-raising stories of early Labrador exploits and uncovers stories of RNIB Labradors and Labradors at war, Labradors as working dogs and every other manifestation of the Labrador's character.

Exploring their origin, early characteristics and use as gun dogs, as therapy dogs, as police dogs, as search and rescue dogs and last - and absolutely not least - as family pets, Ben tells the story of a dog breed which has captured our imagination and love for hundreds of years.

©2016 Ben Fogle (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"Passionate and well-researched, this book will make you wag your tail with delight. Woof!" ( Tatler)
"A must-read for anyone with an interest in the history of man's relationship to dogs, regardless of breed, and Fogle's typical adventure-style storytelling keeps the narrative light and entertaining." ( Independent)
"Funny, entertaining and really rather inspiring, too." ( Daily Mail)
"A great escapade told with refreshing frankness." ( Independent on Sunday)

What listeners say about Labrador: The Story of the World's Favourite Dog

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Best Dogs on the planet

Interesting and informative history with some great stories about the best dog breed on the planet. The humble Labrador, there’s nothing like them!

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Love Labradors

if you love labradors of all types - I would definitely recommend this for you!

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lovely

lovely to listen to this love letter to a breed, and interesting facts and stories throughout too

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loved it , found it to be informative and moving,

loved it, found it to be both informative and moving. I identified with many of the situations and feelings that it described.

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Interesting listen

A fascinating book, but some of the phrasing does get a bit repetitive. It feels as if he has been told to write a 10 ,000 word essay, got to 8000 words, then had to pad the rest out.

Well worth a listen. I am now very tempted to buy a labrador!

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Initial chapters on labrador history

I bought the book to learn about Labs. Not the life of the celeb author. Dreadful stuff

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The clarity of the reader

Enjoyed from start to finish Ben read it so well and you felt it was coming from the heart

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Great listen, so much information

Very interesting listen. Learnt a lot and Ben’s voice brings it to life. Well worth a listen

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Great book about the Labradoor

Would you consider the audio edition of Labrador: The Story of the World's Favourite Dog to be better than the print version?

The audio book made the story come alive. If I had been reading it I would have missed the history parts out

What was one of the most memorable moments of Labrador: The Story of the World's Favourite Dog?

The best bits were the parts about Inca, Bens dog

Which scene did you most enjoy?

All the stories about current dogs

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The beginning when Inca was put to sleep. How I cried

Any additional comments?

Worth every penny

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Excellent east listen

I loved this book. Heart warming and full of interesting facts about labs. Ben reads it well.

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