07/30/2026
Ask Not for Whom the Dog Tolls. It Tolls for Duck.
Twenty-three years ago the Gazette commissioned Chet Jezierski to provide cover art for our July 2003 issue, welcoming the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever into the AKC Studbook. The original art now hangs in the AKC’s permanent collection. Of the several covers Chet has done for us over the years, this is a special favorite of his many fans at AKC.
The feature story inside the issue begins:
“In January the AKC Special Registration Services department circulated a terse memo: ‘The Board of Directors of the American Kennel Club, at its January 2003 meeting, approved the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever as eligible to compete in the Sporting Group at all events held on or after July 1, 2003.’
“They sure packed a lot of dog into one sentence. First, there's the Toller as show dog. The smallest of the retrievers, he's an eye-catching redhead—a jaunty little Jimmy Cagney with a spring in his step. But he's also the acutely intelligent obedience dog; and the nimble red tornado of the agility course; and the loyal family pet whose warm, soulful gaze would melt even the wariest mailman. Finally, he's the peerless gundog of the North Atlantic—quick, rugged, relentlessly eager— for generations prized as the perfect hunting buddy.
“In all, Nova Scotia’s greatest gift to America since smoked salmon.”—Bud Boccone
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