My Best Friend - HUGO

It’s been 10yrs and now again I have found myself in company of Man’s Best Friend, in the form of ‘Hugo’. Hugo reminds me a great deal of my first pet – Roney (a German Shepherd). Roney was there with me for 11½ years and a best company I would have ever had in my childhood. He would take care of me, protect me, play with me and be around in almost all the activities I would done as a kid. I miss him like hell to this date. Hugo on the other hand has a lot of traits similar to Roney, and is as handsome as Roney was!

Hugo is a Labrador Retriever and an extremely playful and lovely puppy. With his black coat and big eyes he is a real eye candy. Hugo – his name is derived from a Germanic name, meaning “Bright in Mind and Spirit”. Like his name rightfully means, he is really a sharp puppy, craving for attention, ready to eat always. He is very mischievous and a lovely company. Ever since his arrival at home there has been so much of a change brought by him. He also keeps mom and dad busy though the day.

About the breed’s origin:

The modern Labrador's ancestors originated on the island of Newfoundland, now part of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The foundational breed of what is now the Labrador Retriever was known as the St. John’s Water Dog, St. John's Dog, or Lesser Newfoundland. When the dogs were later brought to England, they were named after the geographic area known as "the Labrador" or simply Labrador to distinguish them from the larger Newfoundland breed, even though the breed was from the more southern Avalon Peninsula.

Labrador Retrievers are registered in three colours: Black (a solid black colour), Yellow (anything from light cream to "fox-red"), and Chocolate (medium to dark brown). Some Labrador retrievers can have markings such as white patches on their chest and other areas, but most commonly they are one solid color.

Labradors' sense of smell allows them to hone in on almost any scent and follow the path of its origin. They generally stay on the scent until they find it. Labradors instinctively enjoy holding objects and even hands or arms in their mouths, which they can do with great gentleness (a Labrador can carry an egg in its mouth without breaking it). They are also known to have a very soft feel to the mouth, as a result of being bred to retrieve game such as waterfowl. They are prone to chewing objects (though they can be trained out of this behavior). The Labrador Retriever's coat repels water to some extent, thus facilitating the extensive use of the dog in waterfowl hunting.

Labradors have a reputation as a very even-tempered breed and an excellent family dog. This includes a good reputation with children of all ages and other animals. Their fun-loving boisterousness and lack of fear may require training and firm handling at times to ensure it does not get out of hand—an uncontrolled adult can be quite problematic. Females may be slightly more independent than males. Labradors mature at around three years of age; before this time they can have a significant degree of puppy-like energy, often mislabeled as being hyperactive.

Although they will sometimes bark at noise, especially noise from an unseen source, Labradors are usually not noisy or territorial.

Labradors have a well-known reputation for appetite, and some individuals may be highly indiscriminate, eating digestible and non-food objects alike. They are persuasive and persistent in requesting food. For this reason, the Labrador owner must carefully control his/her dog's food intake to avoid obesity and its associated health problems

The steady temperament of Labradors and their ability to learn make them an ideal breed for search and rescue, detection, and therapy work. They are a very intelligent breed. They are ranked # 7 in Stanley Coren's book "The Intelligence of dogs". The AKC describes the breed as an ideal family and sporting dog. Their primary working role in the field continues to be that of a hunting retriever.

They do not typically jump high fences or dig. Because of their personalities, some Labradors climb and/or jump for their own amusement. As a breed they are highly intelligent and capable of intense single-mindedness and focus if motivated or their interest is caught. Therefore, with the right conditions and stimuli, a bored Labrador could "turn into an escape artist par excellence".

Labradors as a breed are curious, exploratory and love company, following both people and interesting scents for food, attention and novelty value. In this way, they can often "vanish" or otherwise become separated from their owners with little fanfare.

Common working roles for Labradors include: hunting, tracking, detection, disabled assistance, carting, and therapy work. Approximately 60–70% of all guide dogs in Canada are Labradors; other common breeds are Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherd Dogs.

Labradors are powerful and indefatigable swimmers noted for their ability to tolerate the coldest of water for extended periods of time. Their ability to work quietly alongside hunters while watching for birds to fall from the sky, marking where they land, and then using their outstanding nose to find and retrieve dead or wounded birds has made them the king of waterfowl retrievers.

With all of these great qualities in the end it just concludes to one final statement, Hugo is My Best Friend.

LOVE YOU ‘HUGO’