I acquired my chessie, Chelsea, on 7/31/05. She was a rescue from Ohio that was scheduled to be euthanized. Chelsea was a replacement for my wife's service dog (a yellow lab named Monica).
Monica was hit by a car on 6/9/04 and died from her injuries on 7/20/05. Chelsea was alot alike personality & appearance wise so we adopted her.
I fell in love with Chesapeakes and will get another when Chelsea departs us. Hopefully not for many years - Chelsea is about 5-6 yrs.
My inquiry is for first time chessie owners -
how did you acquire your chessie, did you know about the breed and selected it based on that,
or was it adopted/purchased without knowing any-
thing about Chesapeakes? (as in my case). Also, would you get another Chessie or prefer another breed?

WELCOME !!!!

I hunt waterfowl.. So I knew about the breed.... I hooked up with Tim Carrion 1 1/2 before I got my CBR... I did not make a move until I cleared it w/Tim....

More thought and preparation went into Red's breeding then go's into any human you or I have ever met.........

I had started hunting more as well as needed a replacement for my departed best friend in my female golden, not only my best friend but my older male goldens best friend. They were like an old married couple and he was lost. Figured I would get both the dog Ive always wanted and a companion for the old guy. I would get another in a heartbeat lot more work that a golden pup or maybe just diffrent? but worth it.

Doctor,

Thanks for saving a Chessie and welcome to the point of no return ! You've made a wise choice.By now you're hooked.

I've had the honor and pleasure of owning Chessies for well over 30 years now and presently own 2. I hunt and enjoy training my dogs. I've also owned other breeds of dogs and used them for hunting as well. The Chesapeake is the most versatile of all and can do anything.

Enjoy your new friend and good luck.

Kent

This was back in 1971....my husband then was a hunter and wanted a hunting dog. I wanted a Golden and he didn't and neither one of us wanted a lab. I had horses and back then new of Nancy Lowenthal (Berteleda Chesapeakes) as she was a riding instructor at the local girl's school, so I knew of her Chessies. Coincidentally my husband ended up hunting with some guys who had chessies. One of them offered us the pick of the litter from a breeding of his old hunting dog Mike, who turned out to be one of the last living Nelgard Baron sons. We jumped at the chance, but it took almost two years before Lou found a bitch that he felt comfortable breeding Mike to. The bitch turned out to be a field trial bitch who was out of a Tiger's Cub daughter going back to Atom Bob on the other side. On January 1st, 1974 we finally got our pup, who became known as Ch. Baron's Sandy Bay CD WD. She was an awesome pup who grew up to be a beautiful and talented bitch! We bred her 4 times in her lifetime and everything I have today goes back to her. My husband and I split up in 1986, but I kept the chessies. Ironically the ex-husband doesn't hunt anymore either! And I am the greater for having my life graced with these wonderful dogs who are my devoted companions and who I also compete with in a number of different venues. The dog in my avatar is my very much missed and dearly departed at 14 years old Am* & BIS/BBE Int.* Ch. Sandy Oak's Rainbow Rider UD JH NA NAJ WD ROMQ. The photo was taken at 12 years of age after he ran test dog at an ACC hunt test...and I still miss him...he was my soulmate and one incredible performance dog!

Welcome to this forum.

Kathy Miller
Sandy Oak Chesapeakes

My choice of breed was made for me before my birth. My father started running CBRs in FT in 1946.
When I wanted to run FT there was no discussion of breed. My Christmas present in 1963 was a CBR. He was from Tule Tiger x April's Echo, bought from Eloise.
I strayed to Labs for a few years but came back.
(anybody can train a lab)

Tim

I had and still have a lab. My labs hips starting going out on her and I had to retire her from hunting around 8 years old. I hunt alot 4-5 times a week and morning and evening hunts. I love hunting the icey cold water of the Chesapeake but that is what my vet said took a toll on my lab. Her hips hand spine have arthitis really bad and is detearing really bad. She is 11 years old and has a really hard time walking up and down steps and just standing sometimes. So I called around trying to find another lab. Some lab breeders told me I hunt to much in bad conditions for a lab so I might need to get 2 or 3 labs or 1 chessie. Not sure if this advice was correct but I am glad I took it.

So next I got on the internet and asked questions about diferences between chessies and labs. But the problem with that was I was asking questions on the refuge where there are a ton of uneducated lab owners. I got the usualy answers like chessies are mean, you need a 2x4, they wont let anyone in your house or boat, they will take control of you and your birds. I finally made the desision that I live and hunt on the Chesapeake why would I have any other dog. To make the connection even closer I live and hunt on teh Gunpowder river and also hunt aroudn Sparrows point. I then looked around and tried to find some local chessie litters. I made some calls. Some people didnt call me back and some people I just didnt like. Now knowing now what I know I am glad some of the people didnt call me back. heheheh. Hunt chessies then sent me a pm on the refuge about a guy he got a pup from in Washington state that bred some pups. I called the guy and talked to him several times for over a hour he was a great guy to talk to and really could sell his dogs. The guy was just a back yard breeder that had some good dogs. He knew that I needed another dog for hunting that season so he also sent me one of his started bitches. He told me that I could keep her for the season and if I wanted her to pay him in the spring if I didnt want her just send her back.

When I first got my pup I just wanted a meat dog. I wasnt into hunt test, trials, or into off season training. Now I love to train my dog, I dont go hunting unless I can bring him. Before I got into training my idea of a good hunting dog was a dog that could find a bird in the decoys and smell one in the marsh. I didnt care if they broke on the shot or I had to throw rocks at the bird while it was in the water. That is another reason I got into guiding I could care less if I shoot any ducks. I just love running my dog and showing clients how much of a asset a trained retriever is in a hutning blind.

My chessie will be 3 years old next month and we both have accomplished way more then we ever dreamed of. Niether one of us has never even seen a hunt test until he was 15 months old. Now a year and a half later he has retrieved close to 500 birds while hunting, earned his SH and has also passed 1 Master test so far. I am even going to enter him in a Q next month.

I might have other dogs but my hunting partner will always be a Chesapeake Bay Retriver.
Here is a picture of Thor hunting the same waters his ancestors did 200 years ago.

Number 1 I grew up with a Chessie. Number two I love to hunt. I live in Alaska and I need to have a dog able and willing to tackle ice, cold, and just hard hunting conditions like Mr. Towne said.
On another note I want my daughter to have the privilege of growing up with one of these dogs. We spend a fair amount of time tramping around the tundra and woods and I am not always around so I also wanted a dog that I can leave at camp with Momma and my daughter if I wanted to go stomping around alone. He's been a great addition to the family.

I would rather let the Lab folks think Chessies are hard, mean, protective and untrainable. They don't need to know otherwise. What fun would it be heading to a Trial or Test and beating another Chessie? I would rather root for the other Chessies and just plain beat the labs!

Nothing better than getting a nice dog comment from a lab owner.....

My wife had been showing dogs for years before I met her and she was very good friends with Mike and Julie Cole but didn't hunt or own a chessie. I got to know the Coles through her. Actually Mike and I went to the same college and had the same major but never met. I am an avid bird hunter and had hunted with friends who had labs and curlies but they were poorly trained and we were actually better off without their dogs. I went duck hunting with Mike and their chessie Raider a couple weeks before my wife and I got married. After that I knew what breed of dog I would get when I was able too. Julie had a litter out of Cinder and the Lowenthals Soupy in 1986 and I picked out the smallest brown female and I have been in love with the breed ever since. Stormy died in 1999 just short of 13 years. In 2000 I got another puppy from Julie and she is now 8. We also have two chessies that we rescued. The male is now 11 and the female 14. What I like most about the breed besides their outstanding hunting ability is their total devotion to their owners. You'll never have a better friend than one of these dogs.

Our first CBR was actually a Christmas present that I presented to my husband who wasn't at all impressed "Can't buy a hunting dog in the newspaper" or so he told me.

He had previously purchased two Labs (on different occasions) from HT lines and one had "no retrieving capability what-so-ever" (according to a Pro) and the second one was such an escape artist animal control knew her by her name LOL

I just knew that six month old yellow pup who was chained up and "lived" to have someone throw his tennis ball would be my husbands true hunting buddy and he was.

I purchased our first CBR knowing absolutely nothing about the breed and I highly doubt we will ever own another breed again.

We lived in California for 35 years and my husband was an avid waterfowl hunter. Our Brittany Spaniel use to hunt in a wet suit! I read up on retrievers and became fascinated with the Chesapeake Bay Retriever as I was born in Washington, D.C. and was familiar with the Bay. The sounded like the ultimate duck dog.
We met Nancy and Les Lowenthal in the late 1960's and bought our first Chessie, Bodie, from them. The first Chessie started an adventure that continues to this day. We have pretty much gone full circle - started with hunting, then field trials, and now mostly hunt tests with a little hunting now and then, but always with a Chessie.

Great stories here: Isn't it amazing how we chessie owners become loyal to the breed and it's the truth. My brother and I got our first chessie in 1984 - She was daughter of Jakes Elijah and Granddaughter of Chesdel Chippewa Chief. We, being young, didn't realize what we had in this dog. She hunted without training. We bred her out to keep her line going - however, that's another story. Currently I have a little "pocket-rocket" Jaz-Me-Taz almost 2yrs old at 50lbs - she's in Seattle with Andy Fontnote accumulating UKC points. I'm having a hard time with her being gone!!!

I got my first Chesapeake in 1995, when I was living by myself in S. Texas. I worked from a book of dog breeds, and I was interested in a companion when I did field work with a protective streak. A couple colleagues who hunted thought that I could "handle a Chessie". I had a lot of friends with young children and knew that they would be frightened by a traditional "protection dog" even if the dog had a lovely temperament and was well trained. I was interested in tracking and a little in competition obedience.

I got a high energy female for whom training was a necessity and a great outlet. We titled in obedience, HTs, agility, rally, flyball, tracking, and at 13 1/2 years old she continues to work as a therapy dog. We now have a second semi-retired Chessie and a young one just beginning to come up through the ranks!

I got mine on ebay.

Just kidding. I'd had to wait since I was a teenager to get a real retriever. Life kept getting in the way. But, a couple of years ago life took a remarkably good turn and enabled me to get a dog.

Didn't want a Lab, wife didn't want a Golden. When I looked into Chessies they sounded a lot like the thoroughbreds I trained in my youth. I had many conversations with a breeder about the dogs and their personalities. She actually tried to discourage me. But, I made a committment to providing everything the dog would need to be balanced and healthy.

I have never regretted my decision, and my wife adores my dog. IMO, it just doesn't get any better between a man and his dog. I may own another breed in the future, but it'll always be another breed AND a Chessie.

CBROwner----I'll holler a atta girl at your Jaz-Me-Taz--I train at Carlson's almost every night.(where Andy kennels all his dogs) She can hear my whistles. Was talking with Andy last week and he gave me a run down on the Chessies in the kennel. I have just met Andy recently at a HT. Seems like a real nice guy. Paul

HEY BRO, thanks for buzzin' me up - I'd like to hear more. Andy is a good guy and has done wonders for another dog we had to rehab from bad training. That's another story! Have you gotten to see Jaz run? - she was Jasmine until I knew she was a chessie warrior at 50lbs. I miss the little bugger and working with her every day. I just purchased us a 1650 flatbottom and looking for a mudmotor. We are going to have some fun this next hunting season.

c ya bro. . .
mac

I haven't had the chance to see her run yet. Andy said he was heading up that way for a UKC test last weekend. Is she being entered in the next hunt test up here on June 28/29? It is Evergreen Golden Retriever Club HT. There aren't enough Chessies running up here, I try to make a point to watch all the brown dogs run.

Andy has invited me to train with him I just haven't been able to make it out. I have my "normal"(not so normal) group and just plain busy lately. Trying to get out of here to get on the road for an archery 3-D shoot this weekend.
I am looking forward to getting out and working some dogs with him it probably won't be until July.

For now, I'm outta here, the whistle just blew 5pm......have a good weekend.

I got my first chessie after reading an article in Sports Afeild in 1984 about "Widgeon" and some other chessies.I beleive Widgeon was on the cover and the article was about chessies and had Linda Harger and Jerry Patopea describing the breed,their love for chessies and the unique personality of the dogs.I ended up getting a Widgeon son and he was the best dog Ive ever had.My second and current dog all have Widgeon bloodlines and they truely are a do everything dog.They are definately not for everyone but I sure love mine!After stummbling across that article many years ago I get a thrill reading about Linda and her dogs.She helped me find my current dog,a Freezer grandson and he is my current best freind.

Thanks to all who submitted to my inquiries. I can see why Chessies are so endearing. I thought
I'd give some insight on Chelsea (my beloved Chessie). As I stated earlier, Chelsea was a replacement for Monica who died after she & I were hit by a car. My wife has MS & is paralysed
on her right side from a head injury from falling. Chelsea had prior service dog training but was abused and left abandoned. A rescuer I know got her from Ohio and brought her to me. She was so afraid when we got her, she stood motionless with her head bent down. She would not eat, drink, or lie on the floor unless she was told she could. I, being disabled (lost the function of my knees from the car accident aforementioned) fortunately had all the time in the world for her and stayed by her side 24 hrs a day. She, after 1 week, was more confident and
trusting. After 10 days she RA-RAed (what most wheelchair dogs do - they roll on their backs kicking their legs to play since they are trained not to leave the person they assist). I call it "RA-RA" because she makes a RA/bark/and
growl sound at the same time. Today she is very happy, loving, and devoted. Despite being my wife's dog, she bonded entirely to me. I take her everywhere I go. (I had to leave her overnight on a recent hospitalization and my wife said Chelsea was a wreck - would not eat, drink, or sleep. I knew at that point that a Chesapeake Bay was truely GOD's gift to mankind and no other breed exuberates that much devotion
and admiration. I'll be a Chessie owner forever!
Qiuck question/advice: I recently moved to Mount Carmel PA from Allentown PA. Chelsea went to a local park everyday to swim (yes,even in winter!) She loved to swim with the ducks and they played with her. Unfortunately here in MC,
there are NO lakes, ponds, or rivers for her to swim in. I live on a mountain (1,100' elevation)
with NO WATER to play in. I'm isolated (nearest shopping is 8 miles away). My wife was watching a hunting show last week and they showed a lake with ducks everywhere. Chelsea became excited and paced about. If I mention park or ducks, she
becomes overly anxious. I'm trying to find a place to take her (so far found a state park 30 miles away. This is OK for a weekly visit but not viable for daily trips. Do you think 1xweek
will satisfy her). I'm also looking for someone who could take her hunting (I know she'll retreive because at her former park she brought me a drowned duck she found). Any suggestions will be greatly welcomed - esp from seasoned Chessie owners. I'll post a picture of Chelsea on this site when I learn how (only on internet > 1 month and do not know how.) What format is best & advice on how to submit is appreciated.
Thank you again for everyone's help.