D_mentias

Recently our Murray River Curly Coated Retriever has been admitted to the Sporting Register. Interest in our breed has been brisk with close to 1000 members on our FB pages and membership of the Association growing.I am becoming increasingly concerned as a number of people coming to us have a Murray but were sold the pup as a oodle of some type. Often if we have a whelping date we can track who bred the pup. I am trying to educate our breeders and puppy buyers but I expect there will always be unscrupulous people who offer to take run on pups or take a number of pups at a discount then sell on at a substantial profit. What else can I do to educate my community. How do you spot these people? I am concerned for the pups, the Murray is an active and intelligent hunting dog, not a fluffy lap dog or a leave in the backyard and forget. Eventually these would come imto rescue but I would rather avoide that!

Rebane there is quite a lot of difference. The Murray is almost always liver. It is smaller than a CCR and traditionally been used to retrieve duck from punts. Check out http://murraycurly.weebly.com/ for a fuller description and history. WE have traced Murray like dogs to the 1840s in Australia and have photographic evidence back as far as the 1860s demonstrating they pre-date CCRs here.

We have Murrays that take part in agility and tracking. Many died in the wool hunters believe they are a great all round dog as they will point and retrieve and track. UNderstandably at this stage they have not taken part in official trials. The Association's web page should updated, it was the ring many of the early members were not interested in but this may change so eventually members will have a choice. At least with Sporting recognition councils who demand dogs must be de-sexed unless they are a member of their breed body cannot now demand member's Murray be de-sexed.

After some hard work by a number or people the Murray River Curly Coated Retriever has been admitted to the Sporting Register by the ANKC. There will be a lot more work to be done but we are quite excited by this! Now we have an Aussie retriever! murraycurly.weebly.com

The Murray River Curly Coated Retriever Association has applied to the ANKC for recognition of the Murray as a sporting dog. I believe the application was supported by Dogs Victoria. This was in late 2012 but we still have not heard anything back. DNA testing is continuing and on the original testing I didn't see anything about a Portugese Water dog.What it did mention was that they were a unique and diverse group falling in the gundog spectrum but not closely aligned to any other gundog. I hope this applictaion proceeds as without some recognition the Murray may die out. Many councils now will not allow owners to breed unless they belong to an approved body. Hunters also need recognition to use their Murrays on ducks. Currently in Victoria they are not an approved breed for this or any other hunting. The Murray continues to be popular. The Facebook group has 330 members and we estimate 1400+ Murrays are on the ground. They are the ones we know of. It is Australia's only home developed retriever. Murray FB For more info Murray info

[. They have had to come from somewhere in the past 200 years ?? Research has found brown curly retrievers in Hobart in the 1840s. We have photos from probably before 1860 and believe they were even on the goldfields. These were the working retrievers of the poor(poachers) in Europe and went to North America as well where they developed into the American Water Spaniel.In Europe similar dogs became extinct. They were a meat dog and used to retrieve ducks of punts but they were also all rounders as they could point and track as well. I will attach a picture from the 1890s, our Murrays have bred true to type for over 100 years

[/img]A few of our Murrays from our Murrays on the Murray Gathering held last October where we got the results of DNA testing proving what owners already knew, that our Murrays were a unique breed on the gundog spectrum not closely related to any other breed.

I hadn't visited DOGZONLINE for a while but that second pic is very Murray like. It is also a very important picture. We have only tracked down one other historical picture in Qld and it was probably around Makay about 1880. It demonstrates that there were Murrays in Qld at least 70 years ago, probably just not as many as down south as early on they were kept mainly for their working ability. They mostly worked ducks but have been many were found to be all round hunting dogs. They will retrieve track and point. So maybe a few made it up north! In our Yahoo group at http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/MRCCR/ we have many photos including an historic album with pics going back to circa 1860. The earliest we have found reports of a brown coloured curly retriever in in the 1840s in Hobart. Murrays we suspect were the retrieving dog of the common people or poachers in the UK. Some of these dogs went to the USA and developed into the Americal Water Spaniel and others came here and became Murrays. Yet in their country of origin they died out. There was also a similar dog in Germany which I believe still exists called "Deutscher Wachtel Hund" I would like to thank the original poster for posting the link.

Thank you all for your thoughts and wishes It is just over a month now and I continue to miss Maggie deeply. I miss mostly being watched over by her and greeted with a smile and wagging tail as soon as I open my eyes in the monring. I miss her when I am driving...the car is so quiet now. I attended a festival last weekend where people I knew just walked past me...they didn't recognise me without Maggie. Eventually they would come up and ask, more than one tear was shed " but she was so intelligent, so young and just like another person" Maggie is missed and mourned by many.

Dogs are amazing. RIP Bean

Maggie passed away this morning about 11 am. Only 3 weeks and 4 days after her diagnoses of a tumour. I had planned to go interstate for Xmas but it became apparent last Wed 21st she was too ill. She had her moments in the last week but I loved yesterday morning when she trotted out when I feed the younger retrievers and lined up for her kibble too! After breaky she inspected her yard then retired to my bed. For lunch she had a few chook necks but was drinking at an odd angle. About 6pm she managed to get off the bed but was distressed it was then I noticed that her R front leg was not working...she had had a stroke. She was quite distressed but I comforted her and elevated her chin as she couldn;t lay on her side. Later I shared my O2 with her and this seems to settle her. About midnight she had a violent convulsion but slipped into a coma after. She continued to have minor fits for a few hours but Imanaged to doze from about 5 am. At 10.30 am I let Aggie my younger retriever out and fed her and George. Maggie's breathing was noisy. As I settled back on the couch to watch the Aussie tail enders fail Maggie stopped breathing about 11 am at the foot of my couch. Maggie was only 7 years on and a Curly Coated Retriever x Labrador Retriever. As a pup she became very close to me and could tell if I was getting ill. Later she alerted me when my O2 delivery failed or sats were low. She also lerant to chek my tenant daily, if she stayed around he would check his sugar levels. Maggie nursed two older dogs as they failed and educated 3 younger retrievers for me. She would let me know if they were naughty or wished to go out etc. In recent years Maggie accompanied me everywhere. Only two weeks ago she sat in the change room of a dress shop while I was at a sale. She was a vetran of shopping, theatres, dances balls and festivals. She is a much photographed dog as often at festivals she would trot around with a teddy in her mouth. If you get a dog in you life like Maggie once you are indeed fortunate RIP Maggie

Thank you all for your support...it has been a difficult journey

Maggie became quite distressed after her stroke and couldn;t lay her head down. So I supported her chin on a lambskin and eventually gave her O2 which settled her. About midnight she had a distressing violent convulsion and slipped into a coma. She continued to fit for a few hours but settled by 3 am. About 6am another convulsion but I dozed and could hear her breathing. At 1030 am I let my Murray Curly out and Maggies breathing was noisier. Just after 11 am she passed at the foot of my couch. hhas been a tough and rapid journey. She was only diagnosed on the Dec 2nd. Life is just so unfair to take such a devoted and useful assistance dog so young. Thank you for your support. RIP Maggie.

After fighting an aggressive tumour unsuccesfully for the month it is now time for Maggie to go. Care has only been palliative for a few days now. This morning she got up inspected the yard and lined up for breaky with the younger retrievers. Exhausted afterwards she lay on my bed where I later feed her chicken necks for lunch. I noticed she was drinking a little funny and one eye looked odd. About 5 pm she got of the bed distressed and became incontinet, then I noticed that her R front side was not working...she has now suffered a stroke. Maggie is a Curly Coated Retriever x Labrador Retriever and has been my constant companion for 7 years and developed into a medical assistance dog. I am probably still alive and independent because of her. This has been a very hard journey for both of us. If she makes it through the night I will try and find a vet tomorrow. Vets won't travel here and we are 50ks from town. Now it is just cuddles and re-assurance I will include a photo of her taken on Nov 20th

Maggie continues to amaze me...this morning when I fed the other she got up passed water and stood in line for breakfast kibble then trotted ever so wobbly of to do her business before a cursory inspection of the yard. She is not ready to go yet or am I ready to let her but it is difficult watching her. In the last 4-5 weeks she would have lost nearly 10gs or around 30% of her normal body weight. She barely has any muscle left. She is now comfortably ensconced on my bed, this was after a day where she spent 12+ hours almost unmoving on the couch.